Mount Pleasant Magazine May/June 2019

www.CharlestonRetiremen tLifestyle.com | www.Re t iringToSC.com | www.HotRetire mentTowns.com senior living SL Redemption! We finished the season with a 16-2 record and the knowledge that we could beat a very good girls’ high school tennis team. A Child’s First Snowman and a Baby Born Across the ‘Grace’ By Laura McGregor On a mid-February weekend in 1973, when I was 7 years old, Mount Pleasant had a record- breaking snowfall. I had never even seen a snowflake before, and I still recall my overwhelming excitement and sense of joy. After watching “Frosty the Snowman” on television each December, I finally had the chance to build my own snowman in my front yard. My dad loaned us an old broom from the garage. My mom donated a long-neglected hat. We gathered sticks and pine cones, rolled out three large snowballs and stacked them on top of each other. While my brother, David, and I built our first snowman, the Governor of South Carolina activated the National Guard. They patrolled the highways and rescued motorists, saved people trapped in their homes and airlifted food to those who were unprepared for the weather. Thousands of residents lost electricity. Property damages reached into the millions. It was a disaster for many people. I have no idea if my family lost power at our home in The Groves. I don’t remember being cold, although I am sure I spent endless hours outside. My memory is of the crystal-clear, bright whiteness of my small world and of the joy of my first snow. I also recall that our neighbor’s daughter-in-law went into labor at the height of the freeze, and there were no hospitals East of the Cooper. She needed to get downtown, but the only way over was on the rickety, rollercoaster of a bridge named “Grace,” which was closed for the duration of the winter “weather event.” Luckily, they opened one lane for this emergency, and a Mount Pleasant fire truck carried her into Charleston. Her baby was born during that magical weekend. Photo courtesy of Laura McGregor. Laura with her brother, David Dieter. 189 www.RetiringToSC.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.ReadMP.com 1885 Rifle Range Rd. • Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 Independent & Assisted Living Memory Support Short-term Rehab Long-term Care Faith-based • Not-for-Profit Choose to live your way. Your Life. Our Mission. 843.856.4700 • FrankeAtSeaside.org