Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2020

24 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.VOICEofMPpodcast.com an icon of Mount Pleasant and Shem Creek.” Even more impressive was the outpouring of messages reflecting sorrow and love from literally hundreds of men and women in the Lowcountry, whose lives were all touched in important ways by the seaman. Bev Parsley Harris said simply, “My deepest sympathy to his family and friends. God Bless him!” Kenneth Ezell added, “Really gonna miss that guy… Wayne will always be with us.” Even the light at the iconic Morris Island lighthouse was lit to honor the life of one individual, and the environmental conservation organization Carolina Strands offered this tribute: “May you eternally rest under red skies with the wind at your back. You are now part of the stars guiding those left behind, and for this we are grateful.” Noting the recent death of Southern author Winston Groom, upon whose novel the Oscar-winning, shrimp-extolling film “Forrest Gump” was based, Grace S. Edwards said, “How ironic. [He] will be in heaven with the man who highlighted shrimpers’ lives.” Hollywood memorialized the Captain and his vocation in another way as well. Mike Rowe, creator and star of the “Dirty Jobs” series, put in his time as a deckhand on Winds of Fortune for one memorable episode of the show. In his lengthy and touching farewell, Rowe wrote, “Wayne understood what publicity could do, not just for Winds of Fortune, but for the industry he loved. The hospitality he extended us that day was a terrific mix of impatience, tolerance and grace.” He added, “I know that Wayne knew the impact he had on his own industry. He was a shrimping legend. I just hope he knew the impact he had on mine.” Gin Lock suggested to everyone who knew the Captain that, “We should all get together and share some shots and tears…and just remember the greatest legend of Shem Creek.” “Some goodbyes are harder than others,” said Elizabeth Baker. “RIP to the man who taught me how to shrimp, told the best stories and gave me the rare opportunity to fulfill the dream of a day in the life of a shrimper.” “Truly a sad loss of an icon for the fishing community and the entire Lowcountry,” Gary Harwyn remarked. “They should name the bridge after him.” Admitting that her “heart hurts,” Shirley Larsen McLeod noted, “Wayne Magwood isn’t dead at all…he’s completely happy in the beauty of heaven. What a blessing Wayne was!” Dick Pierce took many trips aboard Winds of Fortune. He commented that, “Wayne was a passionate, caring person. I will miss him dearly. Great memories. Rest in peace, Captain.” “What you have done for this community, from teaching everyone who ever asked to shrimp to speaking in Washington, D.C. for turtle conservation to dancing the shag everywhere you could,” Lynda Martin Hodge Melissa Magwood joined her father for a dance at the Blessing of the Fleet Festival. Senator Campsen giving Capt. Magwood the Order of the Palmetto Award at the 2011 Blessing of the Fleet. history