Corrie Herring Hooks

An early member of the Big Thicket Association, East Texas Nature Club and Texas Ornithological Society, Corrie Hooks was a passionate naturalist, bird enthusiast, and eager traveler (often in league with her friend Bessie Reid) to see and enjoy wildlife. She saw the importance of sharing her interests, and helped support completion of the massive Bird Life of Texas, by Harry Oberholser and Ed Kincaid, a foundational text for Texas ornithology and conservation. This publication partnership with the University of Texas Press, via the Corrie Herring Hooks Endowment, has continued to support natural resource themes for decades. As well, it is notable that her interest in the natural world has continued down through the generations. In 2001, her daughter Verna’s family donated 5 acres on High Island to the Texas Ornithological Society. The protection of this coastal woodland, the site of spectacular migratory fallouts, is an ongoing gift to wildlife and to nature enthusiasts.