Public Works deputy heading to lake, set to retire after 32 years

Mark Stroop, the deputy public works officer aboard NAS Corpus Christi, has served in that position since 2001.

At the end of March, Stroop is calling it a career and retiring after 32 years of federal service, all with the Department of the Navy.

“I feel like it is time for me to just step away from this seat and let new blood come in,” Stroop said about his pending retirement. “I’m really not going off to relax as there are many projects to get started on at home.”

Stroop, a native of Holland, Michigan, began his civil service career with the Navy in 1986.

He said he wanted to work in Texas due to the “oil boom” of the 1980s. He spent a few years in Corpus Christi working in the private sector before taking a position with Public Works.

Stroop notes that he has seen a lot of change throughout his three decades aboard the air station, but the memories that stick out most to him involve two hurricanes that struck the region affecting personnel and operations aboard NASCC.

“In 1988, we had the edge of Hurricane Gilbert bring a lot of rain and wind to the area. While we did not evacuate the base then, I was outside responding to calls for help in our housing community,” Stroop said. “It was then I got to meet our new base commanding officer, Capt. Pierson, who was adamant I went to the emergency operations center ‘because that’s where I need my department heads’ he said.”

Stroop said he did not want to be at the EOC, he wanted to be on the ground assessing damage and flooding as it occurred so that PW could react promptly.

From the most recent tropical storm to run aground here in South Texas, Hurricane Harvey, Stroop said, he worried about how the older buildings on the base would hold up.

“Quite a few of our buildings here are 75-plus years old,” he said. “I knew that the structural integrity of most of them was still really good, but if we would have taken a direct hit from Harvey… I’m just not sure of how the outcome would have been.”

Additionally, Stroop has overseen new housing communities built and the removal of older ones.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say I’ve seen the base grow, as we’ve torn down quite a few old structures but I’ve watched a lot of the old get replaced with the new.”

Stroop said one of the projects on the base he is excited for, but most likely will not get to see its completion is the transformation of the waste water treatment facility here.

“It was built in the 1940s and has not seen a lot of upgrades since,” he said. “Almost everything within the plant is going to be replaced and will be brand new. It should create a lot more efficiency and stability for waste water operations.

“The completion of Building 1 is also going to be a great project once it is complete,” he added. “The exterior should be reminiscent of the original building with modern upgrades inside.”

“The deputy PWO job is incredibly demanding and Mark handles challenges every single day,” according to Cmdr. Kevin Norton, public works officer, PW. “He is modest and low-key, so only a few of us witness his tremendous work ethic as he works late in the evenings and on weekends to address facility, personnel, environmental, vehicle, material, and budget issues and taskers. Mark's dedication to NAS Corpus Christi during his 32 years of federal service is extremely admirable.”

Norton also said that Stroop’s corporate knowledge and experience will be impossible to replace.

Stroop and his wife Barbara live in Corpus Christi but spend a lot of time at their lake house or visit with their granddaughters in near-by Victoria, Texas. Spending more time with his granddaughters is something he said he is really looking forward to.