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| Connie
Hagar first came to Rockport
in 1934. She convinced her husband Jack Hagar to move from Corsicana,
Texas to Rockport in
1935. Noticing the many different birds she developed a 9-mile route to record
the birds she saw, twice daily. These observations by Connie were noted on a calendar
for 35 years. Many experts, reading her reports came to visit and discovered that
her writings were true, not exaggerations. Her dedication to observation had her
upsetting the elite East Coast ornithologists by sighting more species than the
experts claimed she could have seen. |
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The Connie Hagar Sanctuary
site was chosen as the first named stop on the Central Coast portion of the Great
Texas Birding Trail. Roger Tory Peterson was a famous ornithologist, writer and
illustrator because of his best-selling pocket-sized FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS
(1934). He was the guest in Rockport
as the dedication speaker of this sanctuary. This was Peterson’s second trip to
Rockport because of Connie
Hagar. In 1954 Life Magazine featured her on the magazine cover in a tribute to
our nation’s premier amateur naturalists. This was perhaps a kind of “backhanded
compliment” from the East Coast elitists. But LIFE MAGAZINE did not take this
lightly and assigned the job to their most gifted photographer - Alfred Eisenstaedt.
Peterson was to be the featured speaker at the Hagar Sanctuary. On dedication
day Thursday September 8, 1994 the weather was hot and humid. Mr. Peterson 86
was not dressed for the heat and soon – collapsed. The dedication was abbreviated.
This was the time of year for the annual Rockport/Fulton’s
Hummer/Bird Weekend Celebration. Everyone at the dedication was concerned about
Mr. Peterson’s condition. Mr. Peterson gave his sanctuary dedication speech in
conjunction with the celebration opening assembly. In air-conditioned comfort
he spoke of his fond memories of Connie Hagar. Now fully recovered from the outdoor
incident, he lived on to be 88 years old.
Connie Hagar lived to be 87
years old and Jack Hagar lived to be 86. They are buried in Rockport
Cemetery. Enter a GPS reading of N28 02.812 W097 02.272 to make finding their
graves easy. Without help from your GPS or a knowledgeable local, you may never
find the plots. The simple head stones marking the Hagar’s final resting place
is virtually hidden in plain sight. Considering her fame for personal birding
discipline she bestowed on the coastal bend towns of Rockport/Fulton
a visitor might expect a more ornate marker. |
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Connie
Hagar head stone
Photo
courtesy Ken
Rudine, April 2013 |
Jack
Hagar head stone
Photo
courtesy Ken
Rudine, April 2013 |
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