Article by DMC College Relations Office On Tuesday, Jan. 31, the Del Mar College (DMC) Board of Regents will hold a called meeting at 11 a.m. and scheduled in the Community Room in the Culinary Arts Building located on the Oso Creek Campus at 7002 Yorktown Blvd. (78414). Get online directions and campus map. The meeting also will be livestreamed. Community members may access that meeting by going to the online video link at www.delmar.edu/webcast/ by 10:55 a.m.  A copy of the Jan. 31 Agenda Notice and Board Packet is available using the following link: www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/_resources/agendas/called-meeting-1-31-23.pdf.   Meeting agendas and other resources are also available on the DMC Board of Regents web page at www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/index.html. The health and safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors are a priority for Del Mar College. To view the College’s current guidelines, visit https://delmar.edu/rtc/index.html.     

Article by Melinda Eddleman She’s now part of a special group called Centenarians after celebrating her 100th birthday recently. And, the  burger joint that her late husband Method and brother-in-law Rudy first started in Robstown in 1948 and then expanded into Corpus Christi in 1953 became and still is an iconic destination for locals and out-of-towners wanting that famous Dixieburger, specially-seasoned tacos or down-home fried chicken and onion rings. Snapka’s Drive Inn has been synonymous with quality fast food for almost 75 years in the Coastal Bend, and Maxine Snapka has been a part of that family dream and business when she married Method Snapka in 1949. To honor the family business matriarch, daughters Kathryn Snapka and Marlene Carper––along with the Del Mar College Foundation and other College representatives, friends and guests––continued Maxine’s birthday celebration with a surprise announcement on Jan. 26, which was a $25,000 gift to establish the Method and Maxine Snapka Endowed Scholarship that honors both parents and their deep-seated beliefs about education. Maxine thought she was just taking a tour of the Hospitality & Culinary Arts Institute on the College’s new Oso Creek Campus. Instead, her daughters made the announcement and handed her a plaque to inaugurate the new source of financial assistance for DMC Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management students. During the announcement, Maxine said that the College was an excellent opportunity to start higher education. “Both my daughters went to Del Mar,” she noted, adding, “And, I would have anyone go there first as a good starter school to prepare you for [further education].” Maxine’s own story isn’t just about the family business. Not only did her daughters Kathryn and Marlene as well as her late husband attend the College, the Snapka’s Drive Inn owner is also a member of DMC’s alumni family, graduating in 1941 as Valedictorian from Corpus Christi Junior College (now Del Mar College) with fond memories of the friends she made and the classes for which she excelled. Prior to attending the College, Maxine Winkler moved with her family to Corpus Christi and attended high school at what is now Roy Miller High School, graduating Valedictorian in 1939. Upon completing her studies at DMC, Mary Hardin-Baylor College offered Maxine a scholarship; but the second world war loomed, and her older brother was drafted. Maxine was needed at home. As part of the war effort, Maxine went to work at the new Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi. In 1948, she met Method Snapka, who was buying military surplus where she worked. Education became a top priority for both Method and Maxine Snapka, and they took courses at Del Mar College throughout their lives. They also impressed the importance of education on their two daughters. When Marlene graduated from high school, she began DMC courses that same summer, got her basic courses out of the way and then earned her bachelor’s degree at Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M University-Kingsville). Her sister Kathryn wanted to “go off” to college, but Maxine and Method insisted she stay home for the first year after high school graduation. “I became involved in clubs and student government,” Kathryn Snapka says. “And in the spring of my freshman year, I ran for chairman of the Student Advisory Committee (now the Student Government Association) and won the election. So, I also finished my second year at DMC.”  In fact, her campus involvement and success earned Kathryn an induction into the College’s prestigious Hall of Fame in 1976, and the local attorney’s photo can be found among all the other inductees in the upper hallway of the Harvin Student Center on the Heritage Campus. Kathryn noted that she and Marlene recalled how their father supported his employees who wanted to attend college by arranging their work schedules to accommodate classes. “There were also more than a few loans to help them pay for college expenses,” she added. Happy Birthday, Maxine! The Method and Maxine Snapka Endowed Scholarship is a gift that will keep giving for years to come. To learn more about Del Mar College’s Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management Programs visit the Business Administration and Entrepreneurship Pathways page at www.delmar.edu/degrees/index.html. To learn more about all scholarships available at Del Mar College, visit the DMC Foundation’s web page s at www.delmar.edu/scholarships. Each spring, the DMC Foundation accepts applications Feb. 1 through April 30 for the following academic year, which begins with the fall semester.