About our Donor
Photo: Ricardo "Cuate" Santos
The late (March 5, 1927 - Nov. 19, 2017), Laredo businessman E. H. Corrigan, a passionate supporter of the Arts and President of The E. H. Corrigan Foundation, said that his gift of the Sharkey Corrigan Organ to Texas A&M International University’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall was a statement of an affection for his hometown.
His gift provides this area with one of the finest pipe organs, making real the instrument’s marvelous musical riches for TAMIU students and this Community.
As Corrigan said in dedication ceremonies held Nov. 1, 2012: “Brownsville, Laredo and Hidalgo have been my home over a period of years. Throughout this time, it has been a pleasure to work with México-US Art communities to make sure that the México-US border continues to have access to the satisfaction of music. This gift is a statement of an affection for a community that has been good to the Sharkey-Corrigan families and brought business successes for many years.”
Interestingly, the Corrigan gift drew additional inspiration from former University president Dr. Ray Keck’s lifelong friendship with the arts supporter.
“It was E. H. Corrigan who first provided me with an opportunity to enjoy classical music as a teenager. That experience opened a new world. It became a catalyst to a lifelong fascination with and study of music,” Dr. Keck has recalled.