Clara Driscoll, The Driscoll Foundation and Driscoll Children's Hospital
Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas
Marker Inscription
CLARA DRISCOLL, A DESCENDANT OF AN EARLY TEXAS COLONIST AND VETERAN, PHILANTHROPIST AND PUBLIC FIGURE, INHERITED HER FAMILY’S LARGE ESTATE WHEN HER BROTHER, ROBERT DRISCOLL, JR., DIED IN 1929. THE ESTATE INCLUDED REAL ESTATE, OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT, RANCH PROPERTIES AND A NUMBER OF OTHER CIVIC ENTERPRISES. EDUCATED IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND ABROAD, CLARA FOLLOWED HER FAMILY’S PHILANTHROPIC INTERESTS WHEN SHE RETURNED TO TEXAS IN 1899. KNOWN AS “THE SAVIOR OF THE ALAMO,” CLARA USED HER FAMILY’S FINANCIAL CAPACITIES AND HER POLITICAL CONNECTIONS TO PRESERVE HISTORIC SITES IN TEXAS. SHE SERVED ON THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE AND THE DAUGHTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS, AND SUPPORTED NUMEROUS CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE TEXAS FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION. UNDER CLARA’S DIRECTION, THE FAMILY’S HOLDINGS GREW. SHE BUILT THE ROBERT DRISCOLL HOTEL ON UPPER BROADWAY AND MATCHED DONATIONS TO ESTABLISH THE NAVAL AIR STATION – CORPUS CHRISTI. WHEN CLARA PASSED AWAY ON JULY 17, 1945, SHE LEFT THE FAMILY’S WEALTH TO A FUND FOR THE CREATION OF A CHARITABLE HOSPITAL FOR INDIGENT CHILDREN, ALONG WITH THE CREATION OF THE ROBERT DRISCOLL AND JULIA DRISCOLL AND ROBERT DRISCOLL, JR. FOUNDATION, NAMED FOR HER PARENTS AND BROTHER. THE DRISCOLL FOUNDATION CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OPENED ON FEBRUARY 22, 1953. IN 1970, THE FOUNDATION CHANGED THE HOSPITAL’S STATUS FROM CHARITABLE TO NOT-FOR-PROFIT, ALLOWING MORE PATIENTS THE CARE THAT WAS NEEDED. THE HOSPITAL WAS THE FIRST TO PERFORM AN ORGAN TRANSPLANT AND THE FIRST TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY SERVICES EXCLUSIVELY FOR CHILDREN. OVER THE YEARS, THE HOSPITAL HAS GROWN AND EXPANDED, AND CONTINUES TO PROVIDE CARE FOR CHILDREN AND PATIENTS IN SOUTH TEXAS, JUST AS CLARA ENVISIONED.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Clara Driscoll, descended from an early Texas colonist, inherited her family's vast estate of ranches, oil and gas, and real estate when her brother died in 1929. Already celebrated as "the Savior of the Alamo" for her role in preserving the mission, she was a philanthropist and Democratic power broker who built hotels and helped establish the Naval Air Station at Corpus Christi. At her death in 1945 she left the family fortune to found a charitable children's hospital, which opened in 1953 and remains a leading pediatric center in South Texas.
Why it matters
Driscoll's life bridges the myth of the Alamo and the making of modern South Texas, showing how one woman's wealth and will could preserve the past and build institutions still serving families today.
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Related people
- · Clara Driscoll
- · Robert Driscoll, Jr.
Themes & tags
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