DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Connie Hagar, right here in Aransas County. Now, some people stumble into their calling by accident. Connie Hagar stumbled into hers by looking up.
She was born Conger Neblett in Corsicana on June 14, 1886 — came into the world with a musician's ear, got her early training to prove it. But somewhere along the way, she and her sister started paying attention to birds. Not casually, mind you — they went and volunteered with the U.S.
Biological Survey. That's the kind of curious that doesn't stay quiet for long. In 1926 she married Jack Hagar, and together they kept moving through life until Connie made her first visit to Rockport.
That visit apparently had a hold on her, because in 1935, she and Jack picked up and moved there. Just like that, Rockport gained something it may not have fully known it needed yet. Here's the part that ought to stop you cold: Connie Hagar had no formal scientific degree.
She was self-taught. And yet her expertise on Texas birds became so sharp, so reliable, so undeniable, that professionals and amateur ornithologists from around the world came seeking her out. The world, friends.
Not just Texas. Not just the Gulf Coast. The world.
In 1945, the Texas Legislature looked at this waterfront property in Rockport and did something fitting — they designated it the Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary. A self-taught woman who once worked as a volunteer had earned the kind of recognition most credentialed folks never see. She passed on November 29, 1973.
But her name is still on that sanctuary, and the birds are still coming to Rockport. Some things, once they find the right place, just don't leave.
What the marker says
(June 14, 1886 - November 29, 1973) Born Conger Neblett in Corsicana, and married to Jack Hagar in 1926, Connie Hagar received early training as a musician. She and her sister became interested in birds and worked as volunteers with the U.S. Biological Survey. The Hagars moved to Rockport in 1935, shortly after Connie made her first visit here. She became a self-taught authority on Texas birds, and her expertise was sought by professionals and amateur ornithologists from around the world. In 1945 the Texas Legislature designated this waterfront property as the Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary. (1990)