33 www. ReadMPM. com | www.MountPl easantMagaz i ne. com | www.MountPl easantPodcas t . com Arthur Ravenel loved his family, his town and his state — all to which he was a revered leader and protector. We see that love every time we cross the bridge of his namesake going to and from Mount Pleasant. Sometimes when I cross the Ravenel Bridge, I’ll think of the encounters I’ve had with “Cousin Arthur.” Those thoughts make me smile and take me back to a time when a handshake was the unbroken word, and the term “salt of the earth” was praise like no other. These memories are the ones etched in my mind, the ones I’ve recalled dozens of times before — long before I sat down to write this. I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I like remembering them. One of my fondest memories is of a camera pointed at Cousin Arthur while he is sitting in a lawn chair at his home in the Old Village, with pant legs rolled up, eating fresh watermelon. Being in publishing has taken me on many fun-filled adventures, and this was one of the highlights. At the time — in 1988— we were publishing East Cooper Magazine, the predecessor of Mount Pleasant An Ode to BY B I L L MACCH I O our town Arthur Ravenel Photos prov i ded by the Ravene l Fami l y.
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