(5-6-08)
We stood in front of the USS Lexington on Corpus Christi beach and the place looks a whole lot different than it did in the 1930's when Doc McGregor took a picture from about the same spot and of course Corpus Christi Beach was then known as North Beach. And as we could see a huge amusement park covered much of the beach area.
Another photo shows the saltwater pool which was popular with the kids. It's those images from our City's colorful past that Ronnie Randolf is trying to save. Randolf works at the Corpus Christi
Science and History museum. Sometimes you can find him inside his darkroom bringing back to life the images of our City which Doc McGregor snapped. "A lot of the negatives are in a state of deterioration i'm trying to get a good archival image off each one of those negatives is my main job here archival meaning it's going to last indefinitely." McGregor took hundreds of thousands of pictures of nearly every event, building and person in Corpus Christi during the 1930's and 40's. A historical collection which allows us to compare then and now. Images of downtown showing hundreds of cars and people. Much different than the few people you find in the area now. There was also a 1930's image of the Princess Louise Hotel. It's still located along Water Street. But back then it was at the waters edge as the bay ran right up to it. There are pictures of the Ritz theater and the County Courthouse. Structures which hadn't physically changed a lot when you compared the old pictures with the present day view.

Michael Gibson 3 News