"Why the Pelican?"

I've heard this question a lot of late. It seems many want to know my preferred and latest identifying symbol. I kept saying,"Check the blog for an answer to that question." Well, Dr. Mac always keeps her promises....

Prior to finishing my dissertation at the University of Texas at Austin (sorry FP Brewer), I began interviewing for a faculty position. I went to small, liberal arts type colleges, some medium colleges and even larger research universities. When I interviewed Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, I knew this was the right fit for what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to teach, provide service to the university and my community, and do some research. TAMU-CC fit the bill. It is an Hispanic Serving Institution, and one of my primary goals was that I wanted to help minority students succeed and graduate from college. Also, I wanted to teach future teachers -- they are our future in so many ways. After my interview day here, I had dinner at a great restaurant in downtown Corpus Christi. As I ate, I jotted down notes from the day. Good moments I wanted to remember, people I met, things to consider, etc. During this reflective time, I looked outside and saw beautiful Brown Pelicans. Scads of them! They were gorgeous!

After getting my job, I happily found that my office faced Corpus Christi bay -- we are literally an island at our university:

As I cross the bridge to come to work, I give thanks for the opportunities I have been given and pray that I will live my purpose. And, as I'm doing this, I often see the pelicans. I can see them from my office window. Yes indeed, I have replaced a front tire as I was so busy watching pelicans, I ran the car off the road! Why are they so special, you ask?


In 1970, the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) was listed as endangered. Poisened by the pesticide DDT, their egg shells thinned to the point of being crushed when the female would incubate her eggs. Because they were not able to produce young, the number of pelicans dropped to less than 100 birds during the years 1967-1974! Since DDT was banned in 1972, pelicans have made a steady comeback.

And comeback they have! These are awesome birds!The brown pelican weighs about 9 pounds and has a 6-foot wingspan. When feeding, pelicans soar in the air looking for fish near the surface of the water. When a fish is spotted, the pelican goes into a dive, plunging 30 to 60 feet bill-first into the water. The impact of hitting the water would kill an ordinary bird, but the pelican is equipped with air sacs just beneath the skin to cushion the blow. The loose skin on the underside of the bill extends to form a scoop net with an amazing capacity of 2.5 gallons!! The pelican drains the water from its pouch and tosses its head back to swallow the fish. They live up to 30 years or more. Young pelicans are fed for about 9 weeks. During this time, each nestling will eat about 150 pounds of fish!

I have lots of brown pelicans in my office - some given to me by friends and students. This is a favorite that JP gave me when I moved in here:
The statue is bronze, and it's name is Happy. You can see Happy in my third floor window, scanning the bay.

Corpus has been a great place for me - I love my job, I love the people here, I have some family here (daughter Annie and granddaughter Audrey) and the only thing missing is JP but we're working on that. For now, Dr. Mac is happy watching the pelicans and thinking that we are all capable of making a comeback and being successful at whatever we love to do.

Note: some information provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife. They are some great researchers and scientists!