Azalea Magazine Winter 2021

CELEBRATING OUR 50 TH ISSUE OF MODERN LIVING IN THE SOUTH AT HOME WITH THE DONEHUE FAMILY / SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE / THE MODERN BARBER FROTHY BEARD BREWING CO. / A COLD WEATHER COCKTAIL / WISDOM OF THE WATER

IF WHAT WE LOVE DEFINES WHO WE ARE, THERE IS NO DOUBT AS TO WHO ED RILEY IS Field Guide Land manager, Ed Riley photographed in one of his many offices

Winter 2021 AZALEAMAG.COM

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AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

features azalea m ag a z i n e

winter 2021

50 THE LAND MAN

If what we love defines who we are, there is no doubt as to who Ed Riley is

56 BACK TO THE FUTURE

For Elizabeth and Wesley Donehue, the journey back to West Carolina Avenue offered a ticket to the future

Bright Spot A warm and cozy space to welcome guests

contents winter 2021

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31 COLUMNS 35 Natural Woman

by Susan Frampton

06 Editor’s Letter 10 Contributors FIELD GUIDE 11 Christmas 12 Wisdom 14 Landscape 16 Drink 18 The Arts SOUTHERN LIFE 21 Southern Spotlight - Community 27 Southern Spotlight - Style 31 Southern Spotlight - Food & Drink

39 Kids These Days

by Tara Bailey 43 Life & Faith

by Will Thompson

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On the Cover: Land manager, Ed Riley. Photo by Dottie Rizzo 6

AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

THE VILLAGE POET 64 New Year's Eve Has Got Something to Say

editor's letter

It's Tradition Traditions touch the soul. They connect us. And Christmas traditions can be the most heartwarming, and can vary from culture to culture (see page 11.)

When our kids were young, we started our own Christmas tradition. It began with us buying each child an ornament that represented them. From ballet slippers to video game controllers, we covered the gamut. On Christmas Eve they would open their gift and add it to the tree.

But, this has become an evolving tradition. For Dottie and I, ornament buying is like potato chips—you can never have just one. Last year alone, our kids each received five new ornaments that they opened every night leading up to Christmas. We have reinvented the Advent calendar.

Every year the kids put their ornaments on the tree. At this point they each have their own box filled to the brim with overpriced glass animals and superheroes. We play Bing Crosby’s "White Christmas," and the kids get to work, spacing out their memories around the tree. They even hang the partially broken ones from the year the cat sent the tree crashing to the ground at three o’clock in the morning. Each one comes with a story and brings them back to a certain time of their childhood. And like all of us they have their favorites—one that requires careful consideration on the best Frasier fir real estate to hang their pride and joy.

This year it occurred to us that our time with these ornaments are limited. Our oldest is heading off to medical school next year, while our youngest will be a freshman in college, and they have made it crystal clear that they are taking their ornaments with them when they get places of their own. They are theirs after all, and it is what we have always intended. But that doesn’t make it any less sad. These living time capsules will soon be leaving the nest along with the ones they represent.

Until the grandkids come along, I guess Dottie and I will have to continue the ornament tradition, buying for each other. I wonder if they make ornaments of pain relief creams and reading glasses?

Will Rizzo Editor In Chief

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Will Rizzo Editor in Chief will@azaleamag.com Dottie Rizzo Managing Editor dottie@azaleamag.com Susan Frampton Senior Editor Jessica Maier Style Editor

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Kelly Riley Copy Editor Contributors Tara Bailey Eliza Chapman Bailey Diane Frankenberger Ellen Hyatt Lorna Hollif ield Jessy Devereaux Mitcham Diana & Will Thompson Advertising Inquiries Susie Wimberly susie@azaleamag.com 843.568.7830

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10 AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

Golden Light

JULIA ROGERS 2022 Featured Artist Available at Auction 2/17/22

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featured contributors

SUSAN FRAMPTON Writer & Editor

ELIZA CHAPMAN BAILEY Writer

LORNA HOLLIFIELD Writer

Never dreaming that anyone would read her ramblings, Susan Frampton scribbled her way through two wildly different careers before accidently becoming a writer. These days, when away from the keyboard, she follows the antics of her accident-prone husband, nurses pinecone-swallowing wiener dogs, reads late into the night, and counts her many blessings.

A Lowcountry Native, Eliza grew up in Summerville and Mt. Pleasant. She currently resides in Summerville with her husband, two children, three dogs and two cats. An Elementary School Media Specialist in N.Charleston, Eliza has a BS in Political Science from the College of Charleston, and a Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of SC.

Lorna Hollifield is a writer, blogger, and art promoter.

She began her professional writing journey as a tourism and travel blogger, writing stories for both local and national websites before her first novel was picked up in 2017. When Lorna isn’t writing fiction, she enjoys exploring the endless Lowcountry and traveling with her husband Kimsey, and baby daughter, Allyn.

WILL & DIANA THOMPSON Writers

Will and Diana Thompson met while in college at Clemson University and married in 2003. They are parents to three children (Wyatt, Ruthie, and Seth). They have years of experience serving and encouraging others. In their spare time, you can find them supporting their kids at the dance studio, the ball field, or going for a run in Summerville.

JESSY DEVEREAUX MITCHAM Writer

Jessy is a writer and veterinary technician that was born and raised in Summerville.

She enjoys spending her free time with her two children, Scarlett and Finn, exploring the outdoors, kayaking in the Lowcountry, and takes every opportunity to escape to the mountains with her family.

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AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

A B R I E F L O O K at L O C A L C U L T U R E

In Sweden, nearly half of the country watches a Donald Duck Disney TV Christmas special, making it one of the most popular shows in the world.

Only 1% of people in China celebrate Christmas, even though the majority of the decorations the world uses are made there.

Before Christmas dinner begins in Slovakia, the head of the family takes a spoonful of food and throws it at the ceiling.

Because the roads are closed in Venezuela on Christmas Eve, people roller skate to Christmas Mass.

Irish kids put out mince pies and a bottle of Guinness for Santa.

KFC is the favorite Christmas dinner in Japan.

Christmas Traditions

Australians like to spend Christmas at the beach and have a barbeque.

People in the Provence region of France serve a scrumptious feast of 7 main courses and 13 desserts at Christmas!

For Americans it's time to dust off the lights and bake some cookies, but for others around the globe, they will be welcoming the holiday season with some unique Yuletide customs Winter 2021 AZALEAMAG.COM

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field guide

WORDS OF WISDOM

The Perfect Gift

The best gifts come from the heart, not the purse “What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” -Dr. Seuss.

"

There is enough to go around and you don’t have to have the biggest car, best house or brightest teeth.

"

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AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

I once attended a lecture series at our church here in Summerville given by two doctors. They were married and practiced their professions in the Horn of Africa. His—a doctor of theology. Hers—a doctor of medicine. She found in her studies that competition for natural resources and differences between tribes cause the most dissent between people there. When in reality, there was enough to go around but people are maybe just selfish.

In gift-giving, the competition that I see is with who’s the best, brightest and has the

most—although unspoken—is there.

So now we’re going to apply this to Christmas.

Wait a minute—what are you talking about here?

Christmas is coming.

There is enough to go around and you don’t have to have the biggest car, best house or brightest teeth.

Here is an idea for gift giving. The perfect gift, or in other words, the perfect tomato.

Everyone has tomatoes in August. There is enough to go around.

The best gift that I ever recieved was on my

DIANE FRANKENBERGER Diane Frankenberger is owner of People, Places & Quilts and a community activist. Describing herself as “older for sure, and a somewhat wise woman,” Diane says she tries to learn lessons the first time around, "because you will keep getting the same lesson until you learn it!” Diane is the proud great granddaughter of Moses Frankenberger, who she says "came to this country in the 1840's and sold goods from a push cart and then finished up as a well known philanthropist with a nine story department store. My English teacher would have red marks all through this sentence.

But maybe I wanted to be a dangling participle rather than a shop owner?” Diane is a well-respected figure in the Summerville community for her no-nonsense but kind attitude, creative mind, and community stewardship.

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The Perfect Gift Continued

70th birthday (but would have been fine for any occasion). I asked my children to write me letters about the things they were thankful for and enjoyed doing when they were growing up—but nothing I’d need to go to therapy over.

The gift of words can be enjoyed anytime.

Some things they mentioned were: Thank you for my brothers and sisters, for allowing us to have pets, for taking us camping, for not letting us rot our brains out and just watch TV, for teaching us manners and to be kind.

Over the years, the best gifts that I have given are books of wisdom, treasure hunts (river rocks sprayed gold with a map) and boxes of their very own bandaids they can put on all at once.

“What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Because it does! AM

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Winter 2021 AZALEAMAG.COM

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field guide

LANDSC AP E

Location

Max Patch, NC Photographed by

Richard Mallett After a star-lit hike, the prize was a mountain top sunrise

Winter 2021 AZALEAMAG.COM

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field guide

DRINK

Azalea Fall Harvest Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 2 oz Angel's Envy Rye 1/2 oz Laird’s Apple Brandy Fresh Lemon Juice 2 oz Honey, Agave infused Simple Syrup 1 Egg White Garnish Cinnamon Apple peel and cranberries Preparation Add ice and ingredients to shaker.

Shake well. Strain into coupe glass. Top with sprinkle of cinnamon and spear of apple peel and cranberry.

Recipe and preparation by Michael Weist, Head Bartender at The Azalea Bar & Garden

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AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

" With the complimentary blend of Angel’s Envy Rye & Apple Jack Brandy, the Azalea Fall Harvest will be this season’s must try cocktail.

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field guide

TH E ARTS

Setting the Stage Ed Barnes at the James F. Dean Theatre

Curtain Call For many, the James F. Dean Theatre is a place of heritage, hope, and home

By Lorna Hollifield

or conjugate verbs. It might be someone who chooses to become someone else for a few minutes out of the day for the simple sake of escapism. It might be someone like Barnes himself, who dropped out of Princeton just to thumb his nose at his parents. The point is, the arts tend to beckon those with a lot of heart and a little bit of rebellion, and that’s a fortunate thing for the James F. Dean theatre. It was those personality types that fought for it. It was those people who held performances at Ladson Elementary School for 5 years from 1983-1988 to keep the company alive while raising funds to salvage their beloved stage. It was those people who rebuilt that roof Hugo tried to take out of town with him, and who stayed steadfast right through one of the biggest crises in modern history. They do not care what the obstacles are that they may face. They will fight, and they will win. That’s why the building, opened in 1930 as a movie theatre adorned with bizarre animal heads, and converted to the performing arts theatre it is today in 1977, still stands as a comforting thing locals recognize as a hallmark of home.

Recently, the theatre has once again undergone a bit of a renaissance. The board elected a new President, Brandon Lutes, who is passionate about bringing the theatre back to its full thriving potential in 2021 and beyond. There are new opportunities to volunteer, to act, and to attend a host of shows. It’s a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play runs November 26th-December 11th. Steel Magnolias takes the stage January 14th30th. The doors are no longer quiet and sealed; the revenant is awake again and is calling out to Summerville, ready to entertain, to offer sanctuary, and to bring a little laughter back to South Main Street after a tough couple of years.

The fresh faces at the theatre, with the eagerness of youth and possibility, are pairing perfectly with the tradition that has reigned for 90 years. Barnes says, “At its heart, it’s the same. When I walk in this building, there’s a flood of memories, and it’s very peaceful. But when I was new to town, if someone hadn’t invited me, I might have never gone in.”

This is what the happy-go-lucky volunteer of 40 years said—without ever changing his voice inflection—about the James F. Dean theatre that houses The Flowertown Players. It immediately led me to believe that even though the theatre had walked the green mile more than once, maybe he really wasn’t all that worried after all. The reason is his belief in the 200-seat, uniquely decorated theatre that clearly refuses to go gentle. Or is it that Barnes and the others like him, claiming the theatre as their second homes, are the ones who do not go gentle?

Maybe this is your invitation now, to join a family, to find some respite from the news channels, to rebel against routine, and to be a part of something. You might end up giving an interview 40 years later like Ed Barnes, telling some person who isn’t yet born that you met your spouse on stage, or that the director bounced your first born on his knee while you fiddled with the lighting. You might save the theatre from that inevitable flood, or pandemic, or asteroid that is scheduled for the year 2051. Who knows? But if you find yourself looking for something, maybe try something a little less ordinary, and a lot more fun.

Try family. Try community. Try theatre. Try history in the making. AM

The performing arts draws a certain type of person. It might be someone who prefers to sing and dance instead of reconcile equations

For more information about The Flowertown Players visit flowertownplayers.org and follow along for updates on Facebook!

“There were three times that I was worried,” Ed Barnes said. “The first was in ’83 when the building was condemned due to a gas leakage. The second was in ’89 when Hugo blew the roof off. The third time was in 2020 when we had no revenue during COVID-19.”

20 AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

Local Flavor SC foods, recipes, and their stories From the influence of 1920s fashion on asparagus growers to an heirloom watermelon lost and found, Taste the State abounds with surprising stories from South Carolina's singularly rich food tradition. Here, Kevin Mitchell and David S. Shields present engaging profiles of eighty-two of the state's most distinctive ingredients, such as Carolina Gold rice, Sea Island White Flint corn, and the cone-shaped Charleston Wakefield cabbage, and signature dishes, such as shrimp and grits, chicken bog, okra soup, Frogmore stew, and crab rice. These portraits, illustrated with original photographs and historical drawings, provide origin stories and tales of kitchen creativity and agricultural innovation. Historical "receipts" and modern recipes, including Chef Mitchell's distillation of traditions in Hoppin' John fritters, okra and crab stew, are also provided.

Because Carolina cookery combines ingredients and cooking techniques of three greatly divergent cultural traditions, there is more than a little novelty and variety in the food. In Taste the State Mitchell and Shields celebrate the contributions of Native Americans (hominy grits, squashes, beans), the Gullah Geechee (field peas, okra, guinea squash, rice, sorghum), and European settlers (garden vegetables, grains, pigs, cattle) in the mixture of ingredients and techniques that would become Carolina cooking. They also explore the specialties of every region— the famous rice and seafood dishes of the Lowcountry; the Pee Dee's catfish and pinebark stews; the smothered cabbage, pumpkin chips, and mustardbased barbecue of the Dutch Fork and Orangeburg; the red chicken stew of the midlands; and the chestnuts, chinquapins, and corn bread recipes of the mountainous Upstate.

Taste the State presents the cultural histories of native ingredients and showcases the evolution of the dishes and the variety of preparations that have emerged. This is true Carolina cooking in all of its cultural depth, historical vividness, and sumptuous splendor—from the simple home cooking of sweet potato pone to Lady Baltimore cake worthy of a Charleston society banquet.

•

Winter 2021 AZALEAMAG.COM

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L I F E & C U L T U R E from O U R L I T T L E S L I C E of T H E S O U T H

the southern Sowing the Seeds of Love Cementing Lincolnville, South Carolina’s African American Legacy

by Eliza Chapman Bailey

Plant Operations Pernessa Seele inspecting the garden

Featuring Sowing the Seeds of Love pg. 21 / The Master Barber pg. 27 / Reaching for the Stars pg. 31 / Natural Woman pg. 35 / Kids These Days pg. 39 / Life & Faith pg. 43 Winter 2021 AZALEAMAG.COM

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Sowing the Seeds of Love Continued

O

Garden Party Pernessa Seele in the Reverend Richard Harvey Cain Community Garden; not quite ready to harvest

n the corner of Dunmeyer Hill Road and Railroad Avenue in the Town of Lincolnville, South Carolina sits the Reverend Richard Harvey Cain Community Garden.

Traveling down Lincolnville Road, commuters pass this garden without much fanfare or notice.

The same can be said for the houses and town dissected by the well-traveled cut though. Barely noticed, the Town of Lincolnville is in a precarious position, on the far reaches of Charleston County and less than a mile from the Town of Summerville. It is rich with a history close to being forgotten. Pernesa Seele has made it her mission to preserve the integrity of Lincolnville’s past while supporting growth and improvements. The platform for Seele’s mission is a small community garden, a meeting place for residents to commune.

The Society’s goal “enriches and preserves the cultural heritage and intangible attributes of Lincolnville, one of the oldest African American towns in the State of South Carolina..."

Seele, a renowned immunologist and interfaith health activist, founder of Gilead, Inc. grew up in Lincolnville. She is planting seeds figuratively and literally to cement the Town of Lincolnville's contribution to the educational empowerment of Freedmen during Reconstruction in South Carolina. To applaud the community for the 150 years of unobstructed self-governance, Seele founded the Lincolnville Preservation and Historical Society. The Society’s goal “enriches and preserves the cultural heritage and intangible attributes of Lincolnville, one of the oldest African American towns in the State of South Carolina founded in 1867 and incorporated in 1889”. Seele’s great grandparents, Charles Edward Seele and Martha Seele, were two of the original residents of Lincoln-

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ville. She is vested in the Town’s historical and cultural relevance.

In 1871, to escape racial persecution and injustice of Reconstruction, Charleston Reverend Richard Harvey Cain and seven other men purchased 620 acres from the South Carolina Railroad 20 miles outside of Charleston. On this land, they committed to establishing their own town. One where they could govern, handle their own affairs, and take care of each other. Reverend Cain established a meeting house which later became the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church. The land surrounding the meeting house was sold to former enslaved people looking for a better way of life. A place where they could self-govern and control local agencies without fear of retribution. A place where they would be equals able to exercise their unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

According to Seele, the two pockets of thought in the late 19th Century, regarding how Freedmen should handle white oppression, was a determining factor in Lincolnville’s autonomy.

One train of thought was expounded by Booker T. Washington, at Tuskegee Institute. The other

by WEB Du Bois, at Harvard. Booker T. Washington believed, for the time being, that African Americans should accept discrimination. By learning crafts, and industrial and farming skills, African Americans would win the respect of whites. This respect would lead to being integrated in society. Juxtaposed, W.E.B. Du Bois felt Washington’s strategy would prolong white oppression. Believing overemphasis on industrial training would trap African Americans into inferior occupations, Du Bois advocated for educating African American teachers, professional men, ministers, and spokesmen to represent the African American community.

According to Seele, the leaders of Lincolnville followed the path of Du Bois focusing on education as a cornerstone for African Americans to advance in society. The emphasis of education provided the necessary skills to self-govern and prosper.

In the early 20th century, well equipped modern schools were built in the rural South for African American children. The building initiative was driven by philanthropist and President of Sears

.

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Sowing the Seeds of Love Continued

Roebuck, Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington. A Rosenwald school was built in Lincolnville at 141 Broad Street in 1923-24. The National Trust for Historic designation’s website states, “Attending a Rosenwald School puts a student at the vanguard of education for southern African-American children.

The architecture of the schools was a tangible statement of the equality of all children, and their programming made them a focal point of community identity and aspirations.

By 1928, one-third of the South’s rural black school children and teachers were served by Rosenwald Schools. For Seele, “The school was the hub of the community. It was the glue. The teachers were also in our churches, living in our community.”

The churches were prevalent, but the schoolhouse was revered. It protected and educated children from racial prejudice and injustice. Empowering and instilling the fundamental principles of education as a path to equality.

The school was the grounding force for the community. During the day Lincolnville Elementary was a school, after hours a civics center sponsoring community gatherings and events.

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After Brown v. Board of Education, the school was closed. Students were bussed to nearby Charleston County Schools. The bond that held the community together was scattered and people disenfranchised. Seele’s intent is to rebuild the bonds with her garden.

By providing a place where people can celebrate the circle of friendship and community through planting, harvesting and nourishment. Spending time together in the garden, grandparents, parents and grandchildren will share the gift of life-past, present and future. The community garden pays homage to the accomplishments of Reverend Richard Harvey Cain and his followers. It serves to remind longtime community members of the courage and strength it took the Freedmen to incorporate the Town of Lincolnville, to own land and self-govern. It gives the newcomers a perspective of where they have landed. AM

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T

he barber chair is my pulpit.”

A simple, yet profound statement from Trevor Elam, owner of The MOD Barber, located in the heart of Historic Downtown Summerville. His quote could be interpreted in a multitude of ways, but when Trevor says it, those five words tell an entire story. Much like the dark history of Barber shops (more on that later), Trevor’s journey to becoming the Master Barber he is today is one of extreme transformation.

Upper Cut Trevor Elam in his Richardson Avenue shop

The Modern Barber Barber shops are, thankfully, not what they used to be.

The same can be said of Trevor Elam, Master Barber and owner of The MOD Barber.

by Jessy Devereaux Mitcham

Trevor’s tale begins and ends in the hair industry, and until he found the trust to let God lead the way down his life path, he never once considered his future would land him where he is today. With his mother being a hairstylist herself, Trevor grew up in the salons where she worked, unknowingly soaking in information, techniques, and skills that would one day help him change his life. After high school, he began working in construction, staying in that line of work for years with no plans to change his career, until a darkness consumed him and forced him on a different path. The darkness is something that, unfortunately, many people have been consumed or affected by: addiction. He became heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol, a grim, but necessary event that eventually led him to greatness. Once Trevor was sick and tired of being sick and tired, he decided it was time for a change, and went to a rehab on a ranch in California called U-Turn for Christ. After spending a few months getting clean, learning about his addiction, and establishing a new relationship with Christ, he began working for the facility in their maintenance department, and eventually started doing an odd job that one does not typically relate to maintenance.

At any given time, there were between 50-75 men at the rehabilitation ranch.

Many of these men came to the facility homeless, straight off of the streets, from jail, meaning many of them were in need of a haircut and a shave. Trevor, with no formal training in barbery at this point, set up a makeshift barber shop in the back of the rehab’s maintenance building, and began giving these men the gift of a fresh cut, free of charge. “I kind of knew what I was doing.” Trevor explains, as his only experience was secondhand; from watching Winter 2021 AZALEAMAG.COM

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The Modern Barber Continued

his mom and her coworkers cutting and styling hair his whole life, he at least knew the basics.

As a self-taught barber, the recovering addicts got what they got, and they were happy with it. His “rancher cuts” as he called them, got better with time as he continued practicing, yet he still did not see himself pursuing this any further as a career. That is, until his mom came to visit him and they were out shopping in Los Angeles. Noticing a lot of barber shops in the area, his mother mentioned to Trevor that she would love to open a barber shop one day, and asked him if that was something he would be interested in doing. His response?

“Well, I’ve been cutting a lot of hair lately, and I would love any excuse to leave California to go back home.” Once Trevor returned home to Charleston, he knew he needed to take the steps towards opening a legitimate barber shop.

He began his formal training as a full-time student at Cutz Barber College, a school that was located inside Celebritiez Barber Shop in North Charleston. During his year-and-a-half long apprenticeship he was taught how to work on any and all hair types and textures, and at the end of the apprenticeship, Trevor is proud to say his mentors gave him his “G” pass, and as they told him “Trevor ain’t white, he’s lightskinned.”

Having completed the state-required amount of hours of his apprenticeship, Trevor headed to Columbia, South Carolina to put his training to the test, literally. He passed the Master Haircare Specialist Examination with flying colors and was awarded his license to be a Master Barber, proving that anything can be achieved with hard work, determination, and allowing God to lead the way. With his certification in hand, he returned to Summerville where he renovated and designed his studio with a modern, yet vintage vibe. Officially opening in 2017, The MOD Barber is coming up on its fourth anniversary, and business is booming. As a Master Barber, Trevor is able to do just about any hair service you can think of. In fact, there is not much he can’t do. He is able to cut, style, and color any and all hair types, regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity.

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paradisepools-sc.com 30 AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

The history of barbering and Trevor Elam’s story have much in common, though his is much less gruesome. During the Middle Ages, it was mandatory that monks were to have the crowns of their heads shaved, and under their Ecclesiastical law of the time, they were required to be periodically bled as a symbol of their devotion to God. Monks were also known to care for the sick and injured, and at the time,

bloodletting was a standard treatment for a multitude of ailments. Due to their skills with sharp instruments, barbers would often assist the monks with their medical procedures, as well as keeping the crowns of their heads clean shaven. By the late centuries of the Middle Ages, the Church prohibited clergymen from performing medicine. Medical Physicians of the time considered the bloodletting procedures to be a necessary task, but found it too menial to do themselves, so barbers, known as barber-surgeons at the time, took it upon themselves to add bloodletting to their lists of services, which often included pulling teeth, setting broken bones, and performing minor surgical procedures. Traditionally, barber-surgeons were trained through apprenticeships, yet had no formal education and were often illiterate. Despite their lack of medical and surgical education, people of the time were far more likely to visit a barbersurgeon than a physician, as it was often much less expensive. By the mid 1800s, barbersurgeons were no longer permitted to perform medical procedures, though to this day the role

they played in history is apparent each time you see a barber pole.

The original barber pole, with its red and white stripes, topped with a brass ball, was a symbol of the procedures the barber-surgeons would perform. The pole itself represented the rod that the patient would hold tightly during the bloodletting to make their veins more prominent. The red and white stripes represent the blood-stained and clean bandages used during the procedures, while the brass ball was the vessel used to collect the patients’ blood. After the procedure, the bandages were washed and left to dry on the pole outside, where the wind would often twist the bandages together, representing the familiar spiral pattern we see on modern-day barber poles.

Man in the Mirror Clockwise from top left: Elam prepping for a cut; vintage tools of the trade; vintage records fill the studio with sounds of the past

Trevor’s story and the evolution of barber shops both include somewhat of a grim past, a devotion to God, education, and possibly the most important parallel between the two, a willingness to change. AM Winter 2021 AZALEAMAG.COM

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In the heart of Downtown Summerville, comes a new place to gather.

Welcome to The Azalea.

Inspired by the signature style of Azalea Magazine.

Craft cocktails by professional mixologists, specialty curated wines, a selection of local craft beers, and a menu of special Southern favorites, offer uptown sophistication just around the corner. The bar’s historic location and unique urban garden give The Azalea a flavor that is quintessentially Summerville.

the southern

Sip & Savor One of Frothy's best sellers; Frothy Beard Off World is becoming known for more than just its beer

Reaching for the Stars

Frothy Beard Off World Brewery and Taproom is out of this world. Frothy Beard Brewing Company has combined grabbing a pint with exploring the wonders of the universe.

by Jessy Devereaux Mitcham

M

ichael Biondi, the General Manager of all Frothy Beard locations and one of the founding members of Frothy Beard, is a self-proclaimed Star Trek and Star Wars nerd at heart. This is a trait he proudly shares with his two business partners that started the Frothy Franchise: Joey Siconolfi and Steve McCauley, and that “nerdiness” is what helped inspire their newest location. Located on Main Street in the center of town square in Summerville, Frothy Beard Off World truly stands out among the growing number of breweries in the Charleston area.

A (not so) long time ago, in a part of South Carolina that is not so far, far away...Michael, Steve, and Joey were searching for better opportunities for work in their fields of study. They fell in love with Charleston and made it their new home in 2008.

Their collective plan to get into the business of breweries began

in 2010, when they did their research and saw that at that time, South Carolina had nine breweries in the state, and only four in Charleston. Determined to be early to the local brewery game, the trio opened their first Frothy Beard location in 2013 in North Charleston. It was around this time that investor, Wesley Donehue, joined the Frothy team. With their shared love of the nerdier things in life, Michael and his crew were thrilled to add him to their enterprise. Due to their overwhelming success, the original North Charleston brewery was simply not large enough to meet their needs, and in 2017 the entire operation was moved to a much more spacious location in Charleston: Frothy Beard West Ashley, where business continues to thrive to this day. Not even two years after the opening of the West Ashley site, the trinity of taps were on a mission to open a second location. There were viable options in Greenville, Columbia, and several other areas around the state, but an opportunity in Summerville came along Winter 2021 AZALEAMAG.COM

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Space Station Left to right: A collection of Star Wars helmets adorn the wall; packed house; hard at work in the kitchen

photo provided by Frothy Beard

that they couldn’t pass up. Homegrown Brewhouse, already being a respected and established business on Hutchinson Square, was looking to sell, and the Frothy founders were ready to buy. They knew that although the bones of the building were good, there was a substantial amount of work to be done to make it their own, but it was close enough to home that they could be there every day as the necessary changes were being made. Michael himself is very hands-on when it comes to managing his company, and he knew that once the new location was open he would want to be directly involved in its day-today business, regardless of where that new location was. Understandably, he would rather not drive (at minimum) four to six hours each day to oversee the operations of each location, so ultimately, Summerville was a no-brainer.

Michael, Steve, Joey, and Wesley knew they wanted a specific theme for this location; something fun and intriguing that would set them apart from the ever-growing amount of breweries in the area. They already had a company mascot, Finn, who doubles as their logo, and Finn is a traveler, explorer, and adventurer. With the founders’ collective love of Star Trek and Star Wars, they had the idea to integrate the two ideas, and make it so Finn is exploring a new place via space travel, and what a stellar idea it was. The new Off World location is packed with cosmic components in its design, many items coming straight from Wesley Donehue’s personal collection. Lightsabers line the walls, each one unique with an engraved plaque detailing the Star Wars character that it belonged to. UFO lights help to illuminate the room as they hang from the ceiling, similar to the familiar spaceships and space stations of Star Trek that seemingly float above you.

A section of tables come with a screen and two 34

AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

"

The new Off World location is packed with cosmic components in its design.

Lightsabers line the walls, each one unique with an engraved plaque detailing the Star Wars character that it belonged to.

"

gaming controllers that allow you to play a plethora of old-school video games, from Mega Man to Super Mario World. The amount of cosmic creativity that has been put into Off World is astounding, and with Michael planning to add similar elements to the space as time goes on, the entire concept can be compared to the Universe itself: ever-expanding, and full of infinite possibilities.

Frothy Beard Off World Brewery and Taproom had its official Grand Opening event in October of 2021, however, the proverbial Frothy Beard space rocket landed in Summerville in May of the same year, when the location was acquired by the Frothy Beard Company. They remained open throughout the renovations, working before, during, and after their normal hours of operation, only closing for a day or two when it was necessary for the more invasive parts of construction. With a wide variety of rotating taps and frozen cocktails, coolers filled with canned brews available for purchase to take home to enjoy, and a stellar selection of upscale pup fare on their “Original Gravity Menu,” there is something for everyone to enjoy. When the Frothy Beard team embarked on this journey, that was their goal. In Michael’s own words, “It may be cheesy, but all are welcome in our house, so take a load off, have a beer and a smile.” Mission Accomplished. AM Frothy Beard Off World Brewery and Taproom 117 South Main Street Summerville, SC 29483 (843) 285-5520 Website: www.frothybeard.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/Frothybeardoffworld Instagram: @frothybeardoffworld

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the southern

The Hunger Games

N AT U R A L WOMAN

From lipstick to lettuce, grocery shopping is a whole new game

by Susan Frampton

I

am spellbound by the way lipstick spreads like sweet strawberry jam across my mother’s lips. A wayward curl is captured and sprayed into submission, and swirling knots of gold are deftly fastened to her earlobes. Satisfied with her reflection in the mirror, she turns to me and sighs. Touching her finger to her tongue, she reaches out to coerce my cowlick into cooperating but then smiles with affectionate resignation. Gathering the purse that coordinates with her smartly casual attire, she herds me to the door. We’re off, not to Sunday School or a fancy lunch. We’re headed to the grocery store.

A half-century later, I turn into my driveway, with cans and bottles rolling across the back of the SUV and a rogue lemon wedg-

ing itself under the seat. Stepping from the car in tennis shoes, shorts, and a sweatshirt that began its day on the bedroom floor, I imagine my mother rolling her heavenly eyes in exasperation. If my naked lips weren’t concealed behind the mask that covers me from eyes to chin, I’d be looking for lightning bolts to shoot from the sky. I duck just in case. It’s a new day, Mom, and the civility of the grocery shopping experience you once knew has left the building. Today, it’s every man for himself.

I’m not sure when grocery shopping became a full-contact sport, but the pep talks I give myself each time I pull into the parking lot of the neighborhood market speak volumes about the new mindset. This afternoon’s quick run-to-the-store-for essentials trip soon morphed into an hour-and-a-half odyssey. Having to park a quarter-mile away and search for a cart before I even made it in the door should have been enough to warrant turning around. But

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N AT U R A L WOMAN

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If I’d had a corkscrew, I’d have headed to the wine aisle and drunk straight from the bottle.

As if the sticker-shock weren’t enough, a skirmish at the lettuce bin left me wisely deciding to take salad off the menu. I’m not sure if the senior on a scooter won the day or the mother of three kids under the age of five emerged victoriously. I swerved into the berries and grapes section to avoid fresh vegetables entirely. I’m almost positive that the man that clocked me with his cane at the dairy counter was simply searching for a later expiration date on 2% milk.

Still, there was no doubt that he backed his cart over my foot on purpose. I grabbed a quart of 1% and outran him to the egg section, where at least a quarter of the cartons oozed yellow yolks as if the eggs had been lain via flyovers. If I’d had a corkscrew, I’d have headed to the wine aisle and drunk straight from the bottle.

Since the beginning of time, each generation has worked to be better than the last—to live better and wiser, to have more things and more time to enjoy them.

But what have we sacrificed to get there? Neither my folks nor theirs before them had very much. But rich or poor, there was a graciousness to the way those generations lived that we rarely see anymore. I miss it at the

38 AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

drive-through window and the home improvement store. I miss it on the evening news and in music on the radio, and in traffic and almost everywhere there are humans. Civility has become a luxury item on the menu, and we’re so desperate for it that we’ll pay a premium price for courtesies that used to be the norm.

If all of this seems like a lot to ponder because of a trip to the grocery store, then you’d shudder to be inside my head. It’s exhausting, even on a slow day. After self-scanning and self-bagging all the things I fought valiantly to get in my cart and then into the car, it took me, my husband, and a neighbor (thank you, Jordy!) to unload the haul. I found the lemon a week later, slightly squished but still squeezable.

I’ve sworn to myself to be more gracious in the future and promised my blessed mother I’ll wear lipstick the next time I go out.

I fully understand why upscale grocery stores increasingly offer café seating, wine by the glass, and paper bags with neat, twisty handles. Though I’m not organized enough to take advantage of them, I also see the value in curbside pick-up and grocery delivery service. I’ve sworn to myself to be more gracious in the future and promised my blessed mother I’ll wear lipstick the next time I go out. But the times being what they are, when I venture to the grocery store for the weekly hunger games, you can bet I’ll be ready to rumble in the Romaine, and we’ll have salad for supper. AM

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the southern

K ID S THESE D AY S

Current Resident

by Tara Bailey

T

he holiday season officially arrived in our house the last week of October. Its vehicle wasn’t premature storefront decorations or the Christmas cards I ordered for the first time in a decade. Nor was it the songs sung daily by my students, who have rehearsed all semester for a school Christmas program that was sadly canceled last year along with so many other points of joy. (For the record, little makes me happier than hearing children sing.) As has been the case for countless years now, my first stirring of Christmas glee arrived in the form of a damaged, archaic piece of mail: the Signals catalog.

Ahh, the Signals catalog! Such fun it is to pour over pages and pages of sweatshirts identifying your role in the family, mugs and tees clarifying how much you love your pets, books, gardening, or wine, puzzles of works by the Old Masters, and novelty umbrellas. The Grinch is right! Christmas doesn’t come from a store—it comes from nerds in research and development, corny

marketing, and a warehouse.

It’s not so much that I desire hoodies with puns, personalized doormats, or Nativities with cat or dog figurines (it offers both, by the way). It’s the fun of pouring a glass of wine while overlooking the garden with my pets by my side and enjoying that there are people who actually buy this stuff. I want to know these people. I guess because…I am these people.

Nonetheless. Signals is not the only catalog that appeals to middle-aged dorks who live on NPR and free promotional calendars, also a USPS delivery favorite. I can’t wait to dive into the National Wildlife holiday book later tonight and fish LL Bean and Lands’ End out of the recycling bin when nobody’s looking. This is not a clandestine act because I have any shame digging through my own trash; it’s because I don’t want anyone thinking I still order from a catalog. But if I did, would that be so wrong? Tomorrow I will make time for Williams-Sonoma, mostly because I enjoy browsing mail-order pears that cost as much as my electric bill.

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KIDS THESE D AY S

The stylized table settings make me feel cozy, though my own flawed, amateur table is much warmer.

The handmade items from my mother’s church bazaar will soon make their annual appearance, and no Cloisonne Napkin Ring Set of 4 for $99.95 can compete. But it’s sure fun to look.

Catalogs have long been staples of the holidays. There’s a collective nostalgia we have in remembering the four-pound Sears catalog and the power we felt as children circling everything we wanted within its pages, though we rarely got it. The ritual prepared us for the simultaneous rush and disappointment we experience as adults when voting. However, the circled pieces of plastic shaped like small houses, cars, or people gave insight to my parents, who would then go scouting for more affordable, attainable versions of those desired, moulded plastic shapes. As I’ve learned over fifty years, a large percentage of joy is anticipation, so whatever the result of all I circled was always fine with me.

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When Amazon released its first print catalog in 2018, the world marveled at the irony. What began as a digital bookstore designed to replace physical bookstores was using physical books to advertise its digital business. But like him or not, Jeff Bezos is no Krampus.

Ever the opportunist, he saw and filled the void felt by brokenhearted children and the parents slyly reading over their shoulders when the Toys "R" Us seasonal catalog vanished alongside the giant retailer. Once again, kids had a magic book of seemingly infinite musings from which to choose.

Like a school board ballot, but less emotionally-charged.

So, why all the catalogs during this near-paperless age? Are these businesses dumb, desperate, or just

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dated? Believe it or not, they’re just responding to the market.

According to the February 11, 2020 edition of Forbes, “response rates from catalogs increased by 170% from 2004 to 2018.” The article goes on to explain that responses are not just from Luddites and papyrophiliacs, but Millennials and modern digital shoppers, as well.

The reason? The same reason that vinyl records—and brick-andmortar bookstores—are experiencing a resurgence. People form relationships with businesses that they can connect with, and people connect with what they experience with all of their senses. Well, most of their senses. As much as I love catalogs, I’ve never eaten one.

Close your eyes. Now, imagine opening your mailbox and seeing the bottom of a catalog, sitting there with your bills and campaign flyers. Which of these excites you the most? Now picture glancing at your bills with dread, the flyers with ennui or worse, and then… it’s catalog time! Is it Nordstrom?

REI? Hardware? Tools? Can you feel the thin, cool pages, hear their rustling as natural as the scent of your father’s old pipe, smell the ink? Are you imagining with whom you would match each item? Are you mentally giving gifts to people you barely know, because you see something that is just perfect for them? Catalogs are an experience, a puzzle, an entire tome of anticipation.

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I hope I’m not coming across as too materialistic. Maybe it’s the holiday stress that forces me to sit down and peruse pictures of things and how much they cost as an escape. Or maybe this is just the time of year when I am inundated with catalogs, or this could just be when I notice them. As I said, I don’t really want a t-shirt that says, “Just a Small Town Girl.” But, I know someone who might. AM

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the southern

L IF E & F A IT H

Wisdom of the Water

by Will Thompson

M

y wife recently took a weekend trip with my two oldest children (13 and 10), leaving me with a rare two and a half days of one-on-one time with our 6 year old son. When I have one of my three children to myself I try to create a special memory. On this particular weekend, I decided to take my little guy kayaking along the Wando River. We put in at Remley’s Point and made our way to the tip of Daniel Island. It was a great day; the water was smooth and boat traffic was light. My guy had a great time helping spot boats traveling near us. We played on the beach, built a sand castle using oyster shells as tools, and found a few shark teeth too.

So the next day we pretty much did the exact same thing. Again on the paddle back we saw a cargo ship heading out to sea.

However, it was pulling out from the port as we were ferrying across the river. We had to decide to quickly pass in front of it or slow down and let it go first. We chose the latter. We didn’t get too close, but close enough to see details like the workers and a basketball hoop installed on the back of the boat.

On the paddle back to the landing we happened to see a cargo ship pass under the Ravenel Bridge on its way out to sea, which of course my son watched in wonder. That’s a tight fit for such a big boat! That evening he asked if we could go again the next day.

How could I say no?

James 3:4-5 states, “a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong.

So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.” Though the rest of our bodies are large in comparison to the size of our

As we floated in place watching it pass, we were in awe of the size of the vessel. This observation led to a conversation about how it was controlled by only a rudder and a propeller (which are so small in comparison to the size of the ship). We then started to talk about our “rudder.”

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LIFE & FA I T H SERVING SUMMERVILLE FOR OVER 20 YEARS tongues, it’s that small muscle (or these days also our typing fingertips) that controls the mark we leave on others and this world. We can wreak havoc by lashing out or arguing or we can speak encouragement and life, even to those with whom we may disagree.

Just like a cargo ship steered in the wrong direction can do significant damage, the uncontrolled tongue can sever relationships. We live in a volatile world where everyone has an opinion and often doesn’t hesitate to shout it out without the awareness of what it may do. One thing that won’t ever change is that we are still all in this together—living among one another, pursuing life and the betterment of our community and world.

I’d like to encourage you to think before you speak or type. Does your opinion need to be shared in this way, or at all? Is it based on truth? Will it hurt or help others? Will it improve relationships? Will it move us toward unity, or will it create further division? Will it communicate to people that they matter?

That “rudder” in between your teeth can make mighty moves for the betterment of the world around us. Let’s use it to encourage and build up each other. Let’s take the time to listen more than we speak. And when we speak, let’s speak life over each other. Think about the little ears, like my young son, who need us to have learned this lesson and share it with them.

One final thought, and a great way to start the day: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord.” (Psalm 19:14) Begin each day with this prayer and oftentimes your tongue will guide you well. AM

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843-871-6745 / maggieroseboutique.com

LAURA JONES & COMPANY

PEOPLE, PLACES, AND QUILTS

SOLE SHOE COMPANY

A home furnishings and accessories shop. We have a constantly changing showroom featuring beautiful furniture, garden elements, and thoughtful gifts with an acquired look.

A premiere fabric and quilting emporium, with books, patterns, beautiful displays, classes, sewing machines, and good times throughout this wonderful store of 6,000 Sqft!

Sole Shoe Co. is a modern shoe company, committed to bringing the most modern/chic/comfy/casual shoes and accessories for both men and women.

SU MMERV I L L E, SC

SUMMERV ILLE, S C

SUMMERV ILLE, SC

843-875-0609 / laurajonesandcompany.com

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SHOPPING

AZALEA MARKET

SUMMERVILLE ANTIQUE GALLERY

VINTAGE VIBES ON MAIN

110 booths full of antiques and uniques.

"Enter as a Customer, Leave as a Friend"! Over 6000 sqft of vintage treasures, local artisans, fair prices and some of the friendliest smiles in Summerville!!

SU MME R V I L L E, SC

facebook.com/SummervilleAntiqueGallery 843-873-4926

Y O U R

G U I D E

For information on being a part of the Azalea Market section, contact Agela Burnem at 843.343.7561

SUMMERV ILLE, SC

www.facebook.com/vintagevibesonmain/ 843-879-9529 T O

S H O P,

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S T A Y

features a z a l e a m ag a z i n e w i n t e r 2 0 2 1

50 THE LAND MAN If what we love defines who we are, there is no doubt as to who Ed Riley is.

58 BACK TO THE FUTURE For Elizabeth and Wesley Donehue, the journey back to West Carolina Avenue offered a ticket to the future.

Dog Show Dogs on point at a recent South Carolina quail hunt

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THE Grass Roots Ed Riley in a dove field; fresh quail ready for the kitchen

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By

SUSAN FRAMPTON

Photos by

DOTTIE & WILL RIZZO

LAND

IF WHAT WE LOVE DEFINES WHO WE ARE, THERE IS NO DOUBT AS TO WHO ED RILEY IS

MAN

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Upper Management Opposite page clockwise from top left: On the hunt; ready for work; a controlled burn; some tools are bigger than others

In the fields just outside of Santee, SC, sunflowers hang their heads. Exhausted from chasing the summer sun, they are shadows of their former golden selves. Nearby, rows of corn stand like weary soldiers, their longdried silk tassels languishing in the breeze.

Though both appear to be resting, in fact, they are working hard to feed numerous wildlife species through the winter.

We don’t think as much as we should about managing the land, short of pulling up our summer annuals and putting in pansies for the winter. For most of us, land management is purely ornamental. But Mother Nature has been at it since the beginning of time, and she has more important things on her mind than just our flower beds. Fortunately, there are those like Ed Riley to lend Mother Nature a hand managing the land and the diverse wildlife it supports.

He began his career at Santee Cooper straight from college, and because he loved to be outdoors, surveying was the perfect place to start. After four years, he moved into property management for the company. Through the years, Riley learned forestry and controlled burn practices. “Everybody pitched in. If a forester was burning, I was burning. I started at the bottom, but by the time I retired I’d done a little bit of everything and I was supervisor of all the electric cooperative’s developed properties.” Those tracts included the thousands of acres developed around both Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion.

After retiring from Santee Cooper, a move into real estate seemed like a natural progression. Riley moved into real estate sales, specializing in large tracts of land. He sold one such tract in Georgetown, and the owner hired him to manage the property for quail hunting. It has famously been said that we cannot protect something that we do not love, cannot love what we do not know, and cannot know what we don’t see, hear, or sense. The new owner soon discovered that even in places where nature abounds, its preservation does not always happen naturally. Riley’s experience and lifelong appreciation

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of South Carolina’s rich resources led him to develop his own land and game management program for quail.

Game management is defined as being a system that provides for the judicious use of natural resources. It ensures the availability of wildlife for the purpose of hunting, while at the same time helps to maintain a stable wildlife population that best ensures the survival of each species. Having found success with his methods, Riley’s program soon further developed to include dove, ducks, deer and small game. Word spread, and today Riley Outdoors, LLC manages more than 5,000 acres.

His clients are both private individuals and corporate entities.

Some lease the land out for hunting, while others use it for their employees to enjoy. “It takes working with the property for about two years to make it huntable, but I don’t just do everything for them—I teach them how to do it.”

If it seems that Riley might have the most fun job anyone could ask for, that’s not far from the truth.

If it seems that Riley might have the most fun job anyone could ask for, that’s not far from the truth. “I used to tell my dad that I was going to hunt and fish for a living. He used to laugh at that.” Riley chuckles at the memory. He’s gone now, but who’s laughing now?”

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Wonderland Clockwise from top left: Got it; young growth; on point; dogs on the hunt; a hunter's paradise

Many of the landowners he works with have placed conservation easements on their properties through entities like The Nature Conservancy or Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust. “I really like working with those folks. They are very strict, but they’re also very smart.”

Habitat conservation and preservation through proper land management provides a mutually beneficial relationship for both landowner and natural resource, encouraging biodiversity and helping to safeguard protected species. It can also include the removal of invasive species of plants and animals. Though there has yet to be a sighting of one of SC Department of Resources most wanted invaders, the black and white Tegu Lizard, wild boars have become the bane of many land managers' existence. “We’ve done just about everything to control them, because we feed our wildlife year-round,” says Riley.

We’ve had to go to trough feeders up off the ground. We tried trapping them, and having people go after them with dogs.

They can destroy a tract of land overnight, particularly quail habitat. You can’t walk through it when they’ve been rooting. They dig out holes so deep you can’t even run a tractor over them.”

For those who have ponds on their property, Riley has also devised a management plan to keep the water in balance, which in produces healthy fish. “You have to work with the water just like you do with the land.” Controlling the water also encourages waterfowl. “We have some impoundments that we’re flooding right now for ducks. We released a few birds in the past to get things started, but we don’t do that anymore. If you keep everything in balance, the ducks will be there.”

Along with the services he offers for land and game management, Riley offers hunting and fishing guide services. While that might seem to be a contradiction to some, according to US Fish and Wildlife Service, hunters and fishermen are the driving force in natural resource preservation and conservation. In the words of President Theodore Roosevelt, “In a civilized and cultivated country wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen.”

Riley does his best to be on site for dove or 56 AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

quail shoots. “I bring my gun along, but early in the season when it’s hot, I go around and make sure that all the hunters are hydrated.”

Unsurprisingly, given the rich traditions of Lowcountry culture, quail hunting is Riley’s favorite. “I love to walk along with them (quail hunters) whether I shoot or not.

If what we value defines who we are, the land could be in no better hands. “The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now,” writes conservationist Rick Riordan. “Remake the world a little at a time. You cannot wait for anyone else to do it for you.” Unless, of course, that person is Ed Riley, the land man. AM

"...ACCORDING TO US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, HUNTERS AND FISHERMEN ARE THE DRIVING FORCE IN NATURAL RESOURCE PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION."

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Back to theFuture

FOR ELIZABETH AND WESLEY DONEHUE, THE JOURNEY BACK TO WEST CAROLINA AVENUE OFFERED A TICKET TO THE FUTURE. By

SUSAN FRAMPTON

Photos by

DOTTIE & WILL RIZZO

A Z A L EA MAG A Z I N E W I N TER 2 0 2 1

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A Grand Tour The boys offer the warmest of welcomes

Ever since man has grasped the concept of time, we've been fascinated by our place in it, and time travel has long been a recurring theme in literature and film.

Back before a mystical stone sent us back to ancient Scotland, we famously strapped ourselves into a souped-up Delorean to travel back to the mid50s with young Marty McFly. Pretty far-fetched stuff. But occasionally, the unexpected happens, and we're offered an extraordinary opportunity. When fate issued Elizabeth Donehue a ticket to time travel, she and her family hopped on board for the ride.

Elizabeth and Wesley Donehue grew up in the Lowcountry. However, college and careers bounced them from Columbia to San Francisco for over ten years before Elizabeth's hometown of Summerville lured them back east.

Wesley admits that despite their travels across the country, "We always knew that we would come back here. It's our favorite place in the world." They found the perfect house, a beautiful, centrally located brick home on a verdant corner lot, and soon Harlowe and Tennyson arrived to fill the rooms of the sprawling house. Then out of the blue, a phone call from a realtor changed everything. "Your house is for sale," announced the agent, informing Elizabeth that her childhood home had recently been placed on the market. As though it was destiny, the wheels began to turn, and more quickly than they had

Neutral Wonder The living room is filled with neutral hues and natural light

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Stair Master Clockwise from top left: A double grand staircase; the home is filled with images of family; a fine place to break bread; The Donehues; the kitchen is fresh and bright; arched windows surround the kitchen table; Lawton shows off his climbing skills; a perfect landing

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ever imagined, the Donehues traveled back in time to a new future.

The West Carolina Avenue home where Elizabeth grew up was built by her parents, Dwight and Sharon Beavers. While it was being built, the family lived in the circa 1820 cottage on the grounds. Her parents put tremendous time and imagination into the design. Sharon's interior design background provided an eye that spared no detail. Due to their diligence, the Georgian-style home blended seamlessly with the cottage that shared its lush green lot. Their selection of heart pine floors and soaring, arched openings paired with authentic antique banisters, doors, and hardware added to the air of timeless grace.

Even after the family moved, the house remained in her thoughts. "I was not happy when we moved to Daniel Island," Elizabeth says. "I loved that house. It was a great house." The realtor reminded her she had once vowed that she would buy it if the house ever became available. "I never imagined it would actually happen. We were very happy right where we were." But Wesley was also open to the idea, and things quickly fell into place as so often happens when fate makes up

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its mind. Their house sold, their offer was accepted on the old-new house, and the deed was done.

With the home's perfect bone structure, making it their own was primarily a matter of paint, wallpaper, and Elizabeth's own impeccable taste. Lawton's arrival made the family complete. The house's blend of classic elegance and comfortable warmth appears as effortless as the Donehues' easy charm— no small task when combined with the couple's full-throttle schedules and the endless energy of three small boys.

Despite the couple's professional, entrepreneurial, and charitable roles in the community, family is at the very center of their world.

"

Despite the couple's professional, entrepreneurial, and charitable roles in the community, family is at the very center of their world.

"

Both Elizabeth and Wesley are committed to a healthy lifestyle, hitting the downstairs home gym around 4 am every morning to start the day. The gym they created in a ground-floor room was perhaps the most significant change they made to the house.

Their athletic prowess is evident in a collection of medals, signifying the completion of marathons, halfmarathons, and other high-intensity competitions around the globe. Wesley points out an alarmingly sophisticated-looking stationary bike set-up. "I'll spend five hours down here on the bike tomorrow," he says of his most recent Iron Man training regime.

Throughout the house, sunny creams and blues rooms are soothing backdrops for the busy family.

There are glimpses of each parent's time and attention in its small inhabitants' beautiful manners and big personalities. Each is as delightful as he is handsome. The more serious, 7-year-old Harlowe displays a striking eye for design in his impressive Lego creation. "It's an orphanage," he explains of the unique, multi-storied building. "The one from Harry Potter." In the meantime, Tennyson shares hugs with every set of legs his 5-year-old arms can reach around, declaring, "I love you," to whoever is at the top. "I'm very creative," he says, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Lawton toddles with a travel book from the bottom of the staircase for Wesley to read to him. Though he follows every page, he clings to a tattered copy of The Three Little Pigs, a nod to his discerning 2-year-old taste.

We've all experienced the sensation of walking into a place and feeling as though we have been there before. That occasional unnerving feeling is called déjà vu, a word derived from the French phrase "already seen." For Elizabeth Donahue, it's a feeling that brings the pleasant sensation of remembrance.

She will always treasure the whispers of her parents and their young family that remain in her childhood home. But for Elizabeth and Wesley Donehue, the sounds that truly resonate are those of Harlowe, Tennyson, and Lawton. And in the love and laughter discovered on the journey back to the house on West Carolina Avenue, what they hear most clearly are the voices of the future. AM

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village poet NEW YEAR'S EVE HAS GOT SOMETHING TO SAY

by Ellen E. Hyatt

If I must be on this threshold between two years yet again, I'd prefer to be the tiny gold leaf that once landed in simple beauty on your windshield when traffic gridlocked Main Street.

No need for tiresome, glittered noise jostling mad-minutes to midnight.

If I must be on this threshold between two years yet again, I'd prefer to be ellipses among words spoken or read.

Not dashes—they crash into words— but three dots . . . just enough space to reflect and respond with a smile, a sigh, a nod, a tsk, a kiss . . . or a cry.

If I must be on this threshold between two years yet again, I'd prefer to be rests in music. Marked with symbols, those pauses make melody memorable.

Each small silence helps to create rhythm, a soft pattern of before and after. It's set.

It comforts because it promises us that what we've heard will occur again.

If I must be on this threshold between two years yet again, I'd prefer NOT to be Janus still looking both ways. I want to be Time, if . . . given the luxury of more time.

Time for learning missteps of the past year.

Time to share our epiphanies about hope.

Time to carry that hope over the threshold, with you, into light of this newest January.

66 AZALEAMAG.COM Winter 2021

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