In addition to his work as a conservationist , Harte was also a philanthropist . He donated a known 70 million dollars to local Corpus Christi organizations and institutions like universities , colleges , research labs , and environmental groups . It is likely that his philanthropy extended considerably beyond this amount as he often gave anonymous donations to charities and organizations for decades . Some of contributions included a 3.5 million dollar donation towards a new performing arts center at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi ( TAMU-CC ) , $ 1.8 million for a library in Flour Bluff , and a $ 1 million challenge grant to Corpus Christi Metro Ministries which helped save two homeless shelters from closing . In 2000 he established the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at TAMU – CC , with a $ 46 million endowment . The Institute has since played a major role in helping cleanup of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Edward H. Harte