History
Originally called "Island A," it was later named for land developer John C. Ward, who obtained the island in 1892. His plans were to develop the habitual area into an exclusive resort community, but the plans were crushed during a depression in 1893; the island, however, still became a popular fishing and hunting site. In 1909, W. E. James and Herman Anderson purchased the land and put up a few rustic shelters as a sportsman business; this remained until the 1940s.
With war looming, the United States Congress directed that the U.S. Navy develop an air training facility in the Corpus Christi Bay vicinity. A huge area of land was acquired at Flour Bluff about 10-mile (16 km) south of downtown Corpus Christi. Construction of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (NASCC) started in June 1940, and the base was dedicated on 12 March 1941. A major highway was built to the east end of the base, and, for a second entrance, the existing Ocean Drive causeway that passed by Ward Island was improved.
Immediately following the start of World War II, the Navy initiated a major program to train highly qualified technicians to maintain the myriad of electronic systems, particularly radar, that was urgently needed. The then-uninhabited Ward Island was selected as the site of an advanced school for airborne electronics maintenance.
The selection of Ward Island was based on the requirement for isolation and high security, and, although not a part of NASCC, this base was only minutes away and able to provide many of the auxiliary needs of the school. By July 1942, the school was ready and received its first students. Soon named Naval Air Technical Training Center Ward Island, for the remainder of the war it produced, in secrecy, many thousands of Navy, Marine, Coast Guard, and Royal Air Force maintenance personnel. NATTC Ward Island closed in October 1947.
The island almost immediately became a center of higher education. It was first the home of the University of Corpus Christi (1947–1973), and since 1993 has been the home of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. In the intervening years, the institutions were Texas A&I at Corpus Christi (1973–1977) and Corpus Christi State University (1977–1993). In addition, in 1973 a small portion of Ward Island was permanently set aside for special university-level religious training; since 2003, this area has been used by the South Texas School for Christian Studies.
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