b'Left: Artists depiction of flight training at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi during World War II. Miller was instrumental in bringing the base to South Texas. Right: Vice President John Nance Garner, the political legend from Uvalde, was a close ally of Roy Miller who supported major projects in Texas and on the Gulf Coast.Over Millers three terms as Mayor of Corpus Christi, he led practical andGreat Hurricane of 1919, and Roy Millers most impactful contributions to the necessary efforts to modernize the growing town by paving roads for the firstfuture of the Coastal Bend were yet to emerge.time, establishing a paid fire department, creating infrastructure like a re- Roy Miller Changes the Worldtaining wall and terracing on the east side of the uptown bluff, and buildingAs chairman of the Central Rescue and Relief Committee following the hur-the citys first trolley lines. Back in those days, downtown met Corpus Christiricane, Miller spearheaded the rebuilding process of the Corpus Christi Bay-Bay just past Water Street, and Miller advocated for extending the landmassfront, which included his proposed extension of downtown and construction into the bay and building a protective seawall. During his time in office, a newof a protective seawallboth of which came to fruition a decade later. The city hall was built as well as the 1914 Nueces County Courthouse. first stage of the effort to open a deep-water port on the western edge of In the spring of 1919, despite a record of growth and improvement to Cor- Corpus Christi Bay was the dredging of a 45-foot-deep underwater channel pus Christis infrastructure, Miller was defeated for a fourth term by Districtconnecting the Gulf of Mexico to Halls Bayou, funding for which Miller suc-Judge Gordon Boone, an ally of Duval County Democratic party boss Archercessfully lobbied lawmakers in Austin and in Washington, D.C.Parr. Less than six months after leaving office, the city was devastated by theA protege of legendary deal maker Robert Kleberg, Roy Miller became a mas-68THE COASTAL BEND GUIDE TheCoastalBend.com'