Howard Gallemore Hartzog, Sr.
1901-1968

In the mid-twentieth century, Calhoun County was beginning an unprecedented period of growth. Howard G. Hartzog, Sr. was an active community leader who guided Calhoun County as a private citizen, as county judge, and as a state representative by working diligently to promote county growth and pass laws that continue to benefit the area and the state.

Howard Gallemore Hartzog was born April 11, 1901 in Tolosa, Texas the son of J.O. and Sybil Hartzog. He graduated from San Marcos Academy, attended Southwest Texas Normal School (now Texas State University), obtained a B.A. Degree from Baylor University (1926), and a Law Degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1928. After a season of professional football with the New York Giants, he returned to Port Lavaca to practice law. In 1935 he married Anna Paul Allen of Marlin, Texas. Howard and Anna had two children. Martha was born on March 8, 1940 and Howard (Howdy) Jr. on January 23, 1945. Howard and Anna continued as man and wife until her death in 1967.

In 1933, he was elected representative for the 69th district (then composed of Calhoun, Goliad, and Victoria counties). For fourteen years he actively contributed to writing bills. Among them were bills that encouraged the development of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and the authorization to establish county-wide school districts (of which Calhoun County was among the first). He sponsored the Seawalls Act which granted the building of numerous seawalls to help slow erosion and conserve coastal lands in Calhoun County and other coastal areas in Texas. He was also responsible for the certification of Title concerning automobile registration.

After he left the Texas House of Representatives in 1947, he served on the Calhoun County Independent School District Board of Trustees and served as the interim city attorney for the city of Port Lavaca.

In 1950, Howard Hartzog ran for County Judge, was elected, and was sworn in on January 1, 1951. Judge Hartzog served six consecutive terms in office, seventeen years, longer than any other person in Calhoun County history. It was a position he held for the rest of his life.

As County Judge, he presided over the commissioner’s court. During his tenure, numerous projects were accomplished. A new courthouse was completed, a new Lavaca Bay causeway was built, and a new library was built. The county hospital underwent two major expansions. A new airport was constructed and opened to traffic, a new agriculture building was completed, and a new county fairgrounds was completed. Calhoun County became a leading county in the number of miles of Farm-to-Market roads per capita in the state because of the creation of new roads.

During his years as County Judge, there were weather-related challenges faced by the people of Calhoun County. In late June 1960, heavy rains dumped more than twenty-nine inches on the county in a matter of only three days. In his role as County Coordinator, Judge Hartzog led the recovery efforts. In September 1961, Hurricane Carla ravaged Calhoun County causing millions of dollars in damage to homes, crops, livestock, and roads. Once again, Judge Hartzog led the rebuilding efforts.

As County Judge, he regularly held court where he adjudicated hundreds of criminal, civil, and probate cases. Another aspect of the County Judge’s office was his role as Ex-Officio County School Superintendent, a job which required considerable time. Judge Hartzog was the last person to serve in that position. It was finally abolished at the end of 1966, its duties having been absorbed into the Calhoun County Independent School District.

In addition to his duties as County Judge, Howard Hartzog was instrumental in promoting the future economic well-being of his county. Community leaders wanted to expand industry in Calhoun County. The development of the Matagorda Ship Channel would allow that to occur by connecting Calhoun County to almost every port in the world. As Vice-President of the Mid-Coast Water Development Association, he was able to bring the ship channel to fruition in 1966.

Judge Hartzog was a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Civic Theater, was a director of the Guadalupe River Watershed Development Association, and was vice chairman of the Gulf Coast area of the Economic Development Authority and the American Bar Association.

Judge Hartzog devoted his life to service and worked tirelessly to promote growth, well-being, and industry in the county. Howard G. Hartzog, Sr. died in Marlin, Texas on May 18, 1968 and is buried next to his wife in the Port Lavaca Cemetery.

Howard G. Hartzog, Sr. was a leading figure in Calhoun County from the 1930’s through the 1960’s. Through his ongoing efforts as County Judge, State Representative, charter member of the Mid-Coast Water Development Association, and private citizen, the positive results of his contributions to the community can still be felt today. As stated in House Simple Resolution Number 17, “…Judge Hartzog was something of a living legend, and his personality and drive were identified with just about every public undertaking as the city moved from a sleepy shrimping village to a bustling industrial port.”

Calhoun County Historical Commission
calhouncountyhc.org

The dedication and unveiling of a Texas Historical Marker honoring Howard G. Hartzog Sr. will be held Saturday, October 25, 2014, at the Calhoun County Courthouse.

Shrimping is possible partly because of a healthy bay.

I had the great privilege of attending the San Antonio Bay Day in Seadrift as an invited guest on Saturday, October 11. What a wonderful event. San Antonio Bay Day” is an annual event hosted by the San Antonio Bay Partnership. The goal of the event is to provide a hands-on environmental educational experience for locals and their families to improve their understanding of the ecology and natural resources of the bay. It is also a fundraiser with proceeds supporting the Partnership’s efforts to conserve, protect, and enhance the natural resources of San Antonio Bay.

There were some unique and exceptional activities offered either free or at a very minimal cost. Families could have their pick of events  like these: Texas Floating Classroom, a 90-min boat trip in San Antonio Bay aboard the Archimedes featuring hands-on interaction with local wildlife through plankton tows, shrimp trawls, and marine ecology lesson; Kids Fishing Tournament with awesome prizes; Paddling Instruction & Demonstration offered by Dolphin Kayak of Port O’Connor introducing coastal paddling to beginners; a Birding Excursion that gave participants a tour on a private ranch with expert training and assistance at identifying local birds and other wildlife common in the San Antonio Bay area. There were also informational and educational exhibits about wetlands, habitat conservation, wildlife preservation and future plans for the San Antonio Bay area. Free hot dogs, a silent auction, raffle tickets and the regularly scheduled Lion’s Club Market Day meant there was something for everyone to learn and enjoy at Seadrift Bayfront Park
I particularly enjoyed the Archimedes Floating Classroom Tour. This beautiful red boat with naturalists, educators and wildlife enthusiasts guiding guests through discovery and experience of the bay front ecosystems and habitats was like summer camp on the water. Old and young alike studied plankton and examined ocean life, watched birds and experimented with ocean water. It was a fun, exciting and a matchless experience. One young passenger on her first outing was heard to ask, ‘how did all those tiny animals get in the ocean.’ Another crusty fisherman observed that ‘it was nice to know the murky water days served some purpose for the health of the bay where he fishes, because it doesn’t help the fishin.’

All attendees had a great day and organizers outdid themselves in making it memorable and impressive. If you missed it this year, you get another chance. Watch for it next year and get aboard when they do it all over again. It just keeps growing and improving, and more people keep learning about how to keep our bay healthy and thriving. In the meantime, check out some of those dedicated groups who made this day possible. They do great work all year long. San Antonio Bay Partnership, Mid-Coast Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists, San Antonio River Authority, and many others are key in conserving and preserving our coastal estuaries, wetlands, bays and habitats. Get informed and get involved so their future health is guaranteed. And thank you again to them all for including me and the Dolphin Talk News in your special San Antonio Bay Day events.

Calvin Jackson of Port O’Connor watching Orion Marine Group’s crew pull the dredge discharge pipe in place before pumping on the Northeast end of Chester Island.

September was a big month at the Chester Island Bird Sanctuary (also known as Sundown Island). As the record-breaking 2014 nesting season came to an end on this important colonial waterbird rookery site, Orion Marine Group began a maintenance-dredging project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the nearby Matagorda Shipping Channel (www.dredgingtoday.com/2014/09/04/orion-marine-nabs-matagorda-dredging-contract-usa/). This is critical work to maintaining safe navigation for the large ships that travel daily between the Gulf of Mexico and the Lavaca Bay plants. It is also critical work for Chester Island as sediment removed from the ship channel is used to create new beach along our shoreline.

Chester Island has all of the characteristics required for a successful colonial waterbird rookery: lack of predators, good foraging habitat nearby, proper nesting substrate/vegetation and lack of human disturbance. In fact, birds like it so much that they travel from as far away as Florida and Mexico to nest here. I would like to thank the local fishermen and boaters who are generally respectful of the signs instructing no walking or boat landing on the island. Your continued cooperation helps more young birds survive, when their parents aren’t scared off their nests by frequent human disturbance.

But this rookery island is under constant attack from strong currents, waves, winds, ship wakes, and storms —and the resulting shoreline erosion destroys bird habitat, and has shrunk the size of the island by over 20% since 2001. The rate of loss along portions of the shoreline has accelerated in recent years—believed to be as a result of the silting of Pass Cavallo causing increased tidal currents through the Matagorda Ship Channel jetties and around Chester Island. If nothing is done to combat this shoreline erosion, the island will eventually disappear. Beach nourishment from nearby dredging is a very important way of offsetting the erosion. It also provides new habitat important for ground nesting species like Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns and Black Skimmers.

The Corps of Engineers and Orion worked with Audubon Texas staff over the past few months to plan and coordinate the best use of 126,000 cubic yards of dredge spoil expected from Section 1 of the Matagorda Ship Channel—the 8,000 foot-long section of the channel just inside the jetties and immediately offsetting Chester Island. The Section 1 phase of the dredging project will provide a needed boost in the fight against erosion. Dredge spoil from areas outside of Section 1 are pumped elsewhere in the bay system, and do not currently benefit Chester Island.

But Audubon Texas and U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service are looking for longer-term solutions and have joined together to study alternatives for Chester Island shoreline protection and habitat restoration. One option is a Cost Sharing Agreement with the Corps of Engineers whereby Audubon and its partners could pay the additional costs to pump dredge spoil to Chester Island from longer distances. Other but more expensive options include adding a system of hardened structures around parts of the island to provide more permanent protection and significantly reduce the rate of erosional losses. If successful, these efforts should help preserve this vital resource for the Texas Gulf Coast bird population.

For more information, see Audubon Texas’ website: http://tx.audubon.org/coastal-stewardship-program and the Friends of Chester Island’s website: http://www.chesterisland.org.

There were lots of great posters at Port O’Connor’s Night Out Against Crime. The contest winners were: First Place- Sarah Doggett; Second Place- Matthew Stapp (not available for photo); and Third Place- Kenya Resendiz.

POC’s Night Out photos by Bill Tigrett

Our 2nd Annual Port O’Connor’s Night Out Against Crime was again a success.

I want to give a thank you to the friends, families and neighbors of Port O’Connor for taking the time to be involved in our community.

A special thank you goes to Sheriff George Aleman and his deputies, Commissioner Kenneth Finster, Port O’ Connor Volunteer Fire Department and Firefighters, the enlisted men of the United States Coast Guard, Principal Tiffany O’ Donnell, art teachers Mrs. O’Neil and Ms. Redmond, PTO President April Guevara, the Ladies Club, and Joyce Rhyne; Editor of the Dolphin Talk.

There was an abundance of hot dogs with chili, potato chips and lemonade being enjoyed by neighbors chatting with one another. Kids smiling and running around enjoying the fire department trucks, their equipment and how about those special Junior Firefighter Helmets. New for this year, and so enjoyed by the children, was one of the Coast Guards special boats, the zodiac. The Coast Guard allowed the children to roam all around the boat and ask questions.

Our event could not have happened without the many volunteers who graciously gave their time to support our community. Volunteers like our Hot Dog Team; Kelly Gee and David, Kathryn Windham, Marshall Bradford, Barbara and Jimmy Crouch, Bill Tigrett, June Pitonyak, Mary Ann Claiborne, Debbie Michalek, Ginnie Lichac, Judy Whitworth and Scott and Kelly Wheat.

The success of our event would not have happened without the donors who gave to participate with our community. Our Donors were John Hribek manager of Speedy Stop, Gustavo Argandoa manager of Wal*Mart, Jeremy Dyes owner of POC Ice For You, Port O’Connor Subway and Kelly Fox of H. Fox & Co., Inc.

I would like to give a special heartfelt thank you to my wife, Kathryn, who puts up and supports me in my endeavors within our community.

Please be a part of our neighborhood watch program. Go to our website; portoconnorwatch.com and become a member of a community program that is About Neighbors Looking Out For Neighbors.