Would Mount Pleasant have an array of roundabouts, a law protecting trees and the financial advantage of development impact fees if Mac Burdette had decided to put down roots elsewhere? Would Patriots Point be struggling to survive today if it were still trying to make it as a 20th-century museum in a 21st-century world? We’ll never know the answers to those hypothetical … [Read more...]
Honoring a Special History: Local Author Ellen Stoecker Pens Children’s Book
Long before Ellen Stoecker put down roots on Sullivan’s Island, she recognized it as a special place fertile with history to be revered and shared with future generations. A resident of downtown Charleston before she relocated to the beach, Stoecker spent many sunny afternoons in the 1980s riding her bicycle over the Ben Sawyer Bridge to enjoy a peaceful moment of natural … [Read more...]
Darius Rucker: Mount Pleasant’s Best Local Celebrity
In the Lowcountry, when the first notes of a Hootie & The Blowfish or Darius Rucker song stream through the air, look around and you’ll see people bobbing their heads or singing along. It’s been that way since 1994, when “Cracked Rear View” debuted, and Rucker and the rest of his then-Columbia-based band played themselves into the hearts of every South Carolinian who owned a … [Read more...]
Boone Hall Plantation: Adding Depth and Enrichment to History
The Lowcountry is a region richly steeped in American history, and, for those who are dedicated to honoring this history, there are certain special places to visit and take in the past in order to better understand the present. One such location is Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant. A historic plantation that hosts thousands of visitors each year who desire to learn the … [Read more...]
Familiar Sands: Muralist Gretta Kruesi Returns to Her IOP Roots
Sitting in the late morning light in the Dewberry’s living room, Gretta Kruesi looks nearly editorial wearing a graceful white blouse, patent pumps and chunky, drop earrings in a bold cerulean. But the artist sports a casual pony of straw-blonde hair, her cheeks are covered in freckles from sun, and, when she smiles, she beams. You can tell that this woman lives by and for the … [Read more...]
Julian Smith’s Community of Runners
A Community of Runners; A Community of Support Every year on the first Saturday in April, tens of thousands of people flock to the Lowcountry to be part of arguably the most popular event Charleston hosts annually and what USA Today has touted as “one of the largest and most storied 10K races in America” – the Cooper River Bridge Run. For 25 years, Julian Smith has been at … [Read more...]
Not Trump Enough: Sanford’s Strength Was Also His Weakness
Marshall Clement Sanford Jr. never lost an election until June 2018, when he was unseated in the 1st District Republican primary by State Rep. Katie Arrington, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. In his own words, Mark Sanford, as he is known to the people he represented as governor of South Carolina and during two separate stints in the U.S. House, “I wasn’t … [Read more...]
Fulfilling Her Destiny: Lifelong Educator Leads Mount Pleasant Academy
For Mount Pleasant Academy Elementary School Principal Kim Jackson, being an educator is in her DNA. She recalled as a first grader bringing home stacks of worksheets and books from class and “forcing” her friends to play school in her parents’ garage. “So I’ve been a teacher since then,” proclaimed Jackson. “I’ve never thought of being anything else.” After earning … [Read more...]
Not-So-Conflicting Cultures: Local Resident Helps Mold Chinese Leaders
Once a year, 100 or so teenagers from affluent families in China gather on the hallowed grounds of New York Military Academy, located beneath Storm King Mountain in the heart of the Hudson Valley. For three grueling weeks, they live a Spartan existence, learning how to fight, to survive and to lead, and doing it all without the distraction of cellphones, computers or … [Read more...]
Exploring the Mind of Noah Leask
Noah Leask, a student who performed little better than average in high school, excelled as a cyber warrior in the Navy and as a civilian did contract work for the U.S. government at a level so clandestine that he’s not at liberty to discuss the details or anything else about it. He has started one company since his military career ended, and at least two others have benefited … [Read more...]