CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Bobby Galvan Sr., the father of 94th District Court Judge Bobby Galvan and the son of a founding member of LULAC, has died.
Galvan was a talented and important musical figure in the Coastal Bend.
His father, Rafael Galvan built the Galvan Ballroom at the corner of Agnes Street and Crosstown Expressway on the city’s Westside in 1949. It hosted well-known jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.
The ballroom also helped shine a spotlight on Hispanic musicians and featured the Galvan Orchestra, a fifteen-piece ensemble and the largest orchestra in Corpus Christi at the time they first began performing in 1947. It featured Rafael Galvan and his four sons: Ralph, Eddie, Sammy, and Bobby.
Rafael Galvan also bought what is now known as the French-Galvan House in 1942 (now located at Heritage Park). He was the first Mexican-American police officer in Corpus Christi and was a founder and charter member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
Bobby Galvan, Sr. performed at the first official Texas Jazz Festival in 1960 at the Del Mar Auditorium and was still making appearances at the festival as recently as 2023.
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