CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) - For years, retired Capt. Steve Banta and his wife would talk about settling down in Corpus Christi.
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports growing up with his father in the Navy, Banta said he didn’t have a hometown.
Because serving 26 years in the Navy also has taken him place to place, he didn’t have the opportunity to make any place his permanent home.
By taking a job as the executive director of the Lexington Museum on the Bay after retiring at the end of his stint as commander of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, he has made his dream a reality.
His wife Sarah is from Corpus Christi, the place where they met. She has family in the Coastal Bend which brought them to the area often.
“I’ve always had a connection with Corpus Christi,” Banta said. “We’ve always dreamed about coming back here.”
After three years as a commander of NAS Corpus Christi, Banta said he is excited to take on his new role at the Lexington.
“I never dreamed that I’d get to work here,” Banta said. “I have been coming here since I took over the base and I just fell in love with it… This is an amazing job.”
Newly appointed in this position, Banta is responsible for ensuring the ship and its contents are preserved correctly.
Banta, 49, was appointed by the board of directors of the Lexington Museum on the Bay after Rocco Montesano decided to retire after 20 years as the museum’s executive director.
Pat Veteto, president of the museum’s board of directors, said Banta was the best fit for the museum.
“He’s very involved in our community and his wife is very involved,” Veteto said. “Because he’s been in the Navy, he knows the importance of keeping up with the ship.”
Banta said he has some big shoes to fill.
“The hardest thing to do, the hardest job to ever do is to fall in behind somebody who is so successful and who is a beloved leader. The crew really looked to him for leadership here… He was so dedicated here at the ship and the whole community. Those are big shoes to fill.”
Veteto said the board felt Banta has a similar personality to Montesano’s.
“We think he’s going to fill Rocco’s shoes very well,” Veteto said.
Banta said Montesano has inspired him to be a leader and looks forward to the challenge.
“The reason the Lexington is so successful today is because of his leadership. There’s no doubt about that,” he said.
“This is a 75-year-old Navy ship. There’s challenges everyday making sure that we keep it in the right condition for the community and the visitors that come on board,” Banta continued. “We have a very dedicated crew of employees and volunteers. They are keeping the ship going to preserve history. We just love doing it.”
“I’m very honored to be part of this now,” he said. “It was an honor to be chosen, but I can’t do it without the great staff of crew members and volunteers.”
Banta began his career in the Navy after graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1991. He soon completed primary naval aviation training with the VT-27 Boomers at NAS Corpus Christi.
He also completed advanced helicopter training with the HT-18 Vigilant Eagles at NAS Whiting Field, Florida. He was designated as a naval aviator on March 18, 1994.
His naval career came full circle when he assumed command of NAS Corpus Christi on June 26, 2014.
Banta said he and the crew are working to improve the museum.
“There’s always ways to improve,” he said. “We always think what can we do to make our guests experience better.”
Making sure the museum exhibits are modern and engaging is something Banta is interested in. He said a new exhibit will open in late February.
“The Lexington is part of Corpus Christi and we hope people want to continue coming,” he said. “We want to share this history with everybody.”
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