DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of the official marker for Clara Driscoll, the Driscoll Foundation, and Driscoll Children's Hospital, right here in Nueces County. Now, some names carry weight the moment you say them — and Clara Driscoll is one of those names. Descendant of an early Texas colonist and veteran, born into a family that understood both wealth and responsibility.
Clara was educated in private schools and abroad, and when she returned to Texas in 1899, she came back with a purpose. She had political connections. She had her family's financial capacities behind her.
And she used every bit of both. You may know her best by the title that followed her everywhere she went — the Savior of the Alamo. She worked to preserve historic sites across Texas, and she moved in the highest circles doing it.
She served on the Democratic National Committee, worked with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and supported organizations like the Texas Fine Arts Association. Clara Driscoll was not a woman who sat still. Then in 1929, her brother Robert Driscoll, Jr. died, and Clara inherited the full weight of the family estate.
We're talking real estate, oil and gas development, ranch properties, and a number of civic enterprises. A lesser person might've let it coast. Clara grew it.
Under her direction, the family's holdings expanded. She built the Robert Driscoll Hotel on Upper Broadway. She matched donations to help establish the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi.
The woman had range. But here's the thing about Clara Driscoll that really lands the story. When she passed away on July 17, 1945, she didn't leave that wealth to comfort or convenience.
She left it to a fund — specifically for the creation of a charitable hospital for indigent children. She also established the Robert Driscoll and Julia Driscoll and Robert Driscoll, Jr. Foundation, named for her parents and her brother.
Even in her final act, she was honoring the people who came before her. The Driscoll Foundation Children's Hospital opened on February 22, 1953. And it kept moving forward.
In 1970, the foundation changed the hospital's status from charitable to not-for-profit, which opened the doors wider — more patients could get the care they needed. The hospital went on to be the first to perform an organ transplant and the first to provide emergency services exclusively for children. All these years later, it's still growing, still expanding, still caring for children and patients across South Texas.
Just as Clara envisioned. That's a legacy that doesn't need embellishing — it just needs telling.
What the marker says
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.