Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2018

61 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestOfMP.com feature T he walls of Ann Edwards’ study overlooking the Charleston Harbor are adorned with pictures of her smiling with Ronald Regan and a host of other political leaders. Edwards and her late husband, Jim, led an extraordinary life together – she was by his side for 63 years, including his tenure as governor of South Carolina, the U.S. secretary of energy and president of the Medical University of South Carolina. Though it’s hard to imagine a woman with this sort of résumé being outdoorsy, she grew up shrimping, fishing, crabbing and water-skiing from the banks of the Old Village, right next to the home where she lives now. When they got into politics, the Edwards’ didn’t even know what a precinct was, but the job wound up taking them to meet communities in every corner of the state and up to Washington. “I never got over the White House or ‘Hail to the Chief.’ It touched my heart that this is my United States, and I was so proud,” she smiled. The lure of the Lowcountry drew the Edwards family back home to Mount Pleasant, where she dedicated much of her time to bettering the community. She had a hand in Mount Pleasant’s sesquicentennial celebration and worked to preserve the Charles Pinckney Historic Site, getting the state and national delegations involved in the endeavor. “Being back here on the waterfront is a privilege that I am thankful for every day,” she said. . . Photo by Thomas Runion.