Corpus Christi Library Janet Harte Dies at 75

Janet F. Harte of Corpus Christi, a philanthropist whose many gifts to the community included $1.84 million in 1998 to the Corpus Christi Public Library, died February 23 at the age of 75. In total, Janet and her husband Edward H. Harte donated around $20 million to various charities. The library giftthought to be the largest private gift ever to a public library in Texaswill make possible the construction of a new branch library in Flour Bluff, gateway community to Padre Island, scheduled to open in the Summer of 2000. The Hartes have a long standing interest in the area of this community. In the 1960s, Edward H. Harte, working with President Lyndon Johnson and Senator Ralph Yarborough, helped establish the Padre Island National Seashore. Later, Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby appointed Janet Harte to a committee to study
Texas beaches.

The $1.84 million gift, announced at a Corpus Christi City Council meeting last April, provides for design and construction of a 12,000 square foot library, furnishings and $115,000 for books. The city council unanimously approved the library board's recommendation to name the new library in honor of Janet F. Harte.

Following the announcement of the gift, Library Director Herb Canales and officials of the Flour Bluff Independent School District entered into discussions about locating the new library on school property next to the high school. Ultimately, an interlocal agreement, approved by both the District and City Council, provided for establishment of a jointly operated public/high school library.

The Hartes' gift to the library program was the culmination of many years of interest in and service to the library. The Hartes had participated in many fundraising campaigns including the $1.5 million fundraising drive to augment bond funds for a new central library. They also supported campaigns to raise $310,000 for a National Endowment for the Humanities challenge grant, and over $650,000 for LINCC (Library Information Network of Corpus Christi), a public library/high school network formally dedicated by First Lady Laura Bush
in 1997.

Mr. Harte was president of the Friends of the Library in the 1960s as well as a founding member of the Corpus Christi Public Library Foundation. He is a former publisher of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and a series of articles on the state of the public library that ran in the newspaper in 1980 led to a successful bond election for a new library which opened in 1986. The Caller-Times was the flagship newspaper of Harte-Hanks, a conglomerate established in the 1920s, and which at one time owned over 65 newspapers in the state
and nation.

In addition to Janet Harte's contributions to the library program, she also aided many other civic groups in Corpus Christi and was known as an impassioned champion of environmental and human rights issues. Following the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mrs. Harte was a voice against interracial violence. "I always admired Janet for her principles and fearless support for the good causes she believed in," said Anne Armstrong, long time friend of the Hartes and former U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.

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