Cliff Strain was presented the award by Mark Creighton
Congratulations to Cliff Strain, Director of the Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association, for being awarded the 2022-2023 Daniel E. Kilgore Local History Award by the Nueces County Historical Society. He received the award at the society’s annual banquet on May 2, 2023.
According to the NCHS, Cliff received this prestigious award for his work in maintaining and exhibiting the history of the Port Aransas area as well as historical preservation in Nueces County.
After graduating from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 1979, Cliff moved to Port Aransas to study Marine Science at UTMSI. He received his Captain’s license in 1980 and ultimately became a renowned skipper in offshore fishing tournaments. His dedication to Port Aransas sport fishing and his long association with the Port Aransas Boatmen Association as a board member and volunteer resulted in his being inducted into the Boatmen Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 1990 Cliff began a long and much awarded career teaching Marine Science at Flour Bluff High School. He also taught at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and in Kaktovik, Alaska. He was named Teacher of the Year in 2005 and 2006, was awarded the Environmental Stewardship Award by the Bays Foundation and was a semifinalist for the HEB Excellence in Education Award.
Cliff has been recognized at both the state and national levels for his excellence in teaching the importance of environmental stewardship. In 2012 he was presented with the Presidential Award for Environmental Educators by the White House Council for Environmental Quality. The Texas Commission for Environmental Quality awarded Cliff its award for Environmental Excellence.
Cliff retired from Flour Bluff ISD in 2018, having taught three generations and thousands of students Marine Science and to have a tangible feeling of stewardship for our marine environment.
Upon retirement, Cliff kicked back for eight hours or so and began the next chapter in his ever so productive life by accepting the position of Director of the Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association.
About the Award
The award is named after Daniel E. Kilgore, a longtime certified public accountant in Corpus Christi. Kilgore, who passed away in 1995, was a renowned Texana collector and appreciator of Texas and local history. He was considered one of the state’s most avid lay historians. In addition to collecting Texas history literature, Kilgore also produced it. He authored numerous books and reviews, and wrote articles for local newspapers and periodicals. The society created the award in 2004 to recognize meritorious service to the NCHS or for the promotion and preservation of local and regional history.
