Incentive to Save

529

SAVINGS

INCENTIVE

CHANGES TO PLAN COULD BENEFIT GRANDPARENTS

BY HILTON HEAD MONTHLY

Grandparents don’t have to worry about spoiling their grandchildren thanks to changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

A New York Times report noted that funds taken from grandparent-held 529 college savings accounts won’t affect a student’s eligibility for federal aid. The money will no longer be counted as untaxed student income.

The new FAFSA will also no longer include a question asking about cash gifts from grandparents.

The change likely won’t take effect until the 2024-25 school year, according to the New York Times, but the new FAFSA would be based on income from the tax year of 2022.

This is a potential big plus for grandparents who want to help their grandchildren pay for college – and students won’t miss out on the extra funds.

Other advantages of grandparent-held 529 plans, according to Forbes, include the funds being able to help cover college books and supplies, and internet access and room and board and the opportunity to change the beneficiary if needed.

2022 INTRIGUING PEOPLE

OF THE LOW COUNTRY

THE LOWCOUNTRY IS IMMERSED WITH FASCINATING PERSONALITIES. ALLOW MONTHLY TO INTRODUCE YOU TO A FEW OF THE AREA’S MOST INTRIGUING PEOPLE.

BOB LACEY KEEPS ENTERTAINING RADIO LISTENERS NATIONWIDE

STORY BY MARK E. LETT | PHOTO BY RUTHE RITTERBECK

Like many Hilton Head Islanders, Bob Lacey can be found many mornings enjoying life from his sunroom.

Ah, but there’s a difference. From a transformed space at the rear of his Sea Pines house, Lacey is at work in his broadcast studio, busily sending his popular radio show to some 70 U.S. markets and more than 170 nations.

Lacey is the “Bob”’ in the “Bob & Sheri Show,” a syndicated program hosted by Lacey and Sheri Lynch for nearly three decades. The show is a deft mix of talk, comedy, advice and entertainment — all presented with gentle humor and good nature.

For Lacey, the show is a cherished part of a career that has covered a half century, starting in Fall River, Mass. From there, he moved on to become such a mainstay in Charlotte television and radio that he was named to the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2019.

Not bad for a native of New Haven, Conn., who decided against a career as a teen singer while fronting a garage band (“I really wasn’t that good,” he concedes). Through chance, talent, hustle and friendships, Lacey made his way in the world of radio and TV.

While a singing voice wasn’t his ticket to a career, his mellifluous speaking voice has served him well as a broadcaster.

“It’s been a wonderful ride,” said Lacey.

His career caught an early break in Fall River, where radio producer John Lambis brought him aboard. The two became fast friends.

A few years later Lacey was visiting Lambis in Charlotte, where the producer had taken a job at a bigger station. When a member of the station’s broadcast team quit while on the air, Lambis swung into action

“I told Bob, ‘Let’s go into the studio and make a demo tape,’ ” Lambis said.

It worked, and Lacey was hired for the Charlotte station. In the years ahead, Lacey became a familiar voice on local radio — and a familiar face for a decade as TV host of a local edition of the national PM Magazine.

Lacey’s morning drive-time radio show took a fresh turn in 1992 when he recruited Lynch as co-host. The two clicked immediately, Lynch said.

“It was instant,” said Lynch, who abandoned plans to become an anthropologist after “Bob corrupted me to go into radio.”

“He was hysterically funny and strategic. Now we are like brother and sister going through life together. If I wasn’t doing a radio show with him I wouldn’t want to do radio.”

These days the twosome works separately, with Lynch in Charlotte and Lacey at his Hilton Head home. Work weeks generally include mornings and early afternoons putting together their independent talk show for distribution to stations and through the Armed Forces Network. The podcast version of the show draws more than 300,000 downloads per month.

The pair has gained a following and critical acclaim. They have been nominated for a dozen Marconi Awards for radio excellence. Lynch also has won a fistful of Gracie Awards, given annually to women in broadcasting and named for the late comedian Gracie Allen, the partner and wife of legendary comedian and TV star George Burns.

Lacey, who developed a fondness for Hilton Head while visiting former in-laws on the island, bought a place in Sea Pines in 2014. When the pandemic made working from home a desirable option, he and his wife, Mary, in 2020 made Hilton Head their fulltime home and the base of operations for his radio activities and her work as a therapist.

As chance would have it, Lacey said, he wound up living three doors down from his old buddy, Lambis.

“It’s crazy. It wasn’t planned, but that’s how it worked out,” said Lambis, who worked in radio and operated his own public relations firm in Atlanta before moving to Hilton Head eight years ago.

For Lacey, 72, Hilton Head has become a perfect blend of work and play. Among his favorite haunts: island restaurants, The Jazz Corner and Tower Beach for walking his dog, Finn, a 6-year-old Labradoodle.

“It’s a great place to be able to escape. There’s a certain freedom. Besides, Finn loves crashing in the water. He’s got a good life.”

And, Lacey will tell you, so does he.

A FAMILIARvoice

UNBREAKABLE bond

HHI FIRE CAPTAIN LEE JENKINS SAVORS HIS LOVE OF HORSES

STORY BY JUSTIN JARRETT | PHOTOS BY LLOYD WAINSCOTT

When Lee Jenkins was a teenager, he was aboard his beloved Palamino stallion, riding at top speed, when the saddle snapped. Jenkins went hurtling face first into the dirt road. When he looked up, he expected to see Smokey bolting away.

But he didn’t. Stallions have a reputation for stubbornness and a bit of a wild streak, but Smokey turned around and returned, lowering his head so Jenkins could pull himself up.

“He could have kept on running, right on back home to the barn,” Jenkins says. “He came back and picked me up. It’s just a bond between a horse and a human that is so rewarding, but it’s one that you don’t ever want to take for granted.”

It’s a bond that has helped shape Jenkins into the man he is today — a decorated Fire Captain and paramedic with Hilton Head Island Fire and Rescue, and a budding horse breeder, even if he likes to keep some of the details to himself.

Jenkins started riding horses when he was just 4 or 5 years old — “I was probably able to ride a horse before I could walk,” he jokes — and they’ve been an integral part of his life since he can remember.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina in 2004 and returning to the Lowcountry, Jenkins was searching for something to feed his competitive spirit.

Though he is private about the details, Jenkins is an upand-coming breeder who was deemed worthy of a profile in Speedhorse Magazine, and he sits on the American Quarter Horse Association’s Racing Committee. He is noted for his relentless quest for more knowledge, picking the brains of the biggest names and brightest minds in the industry every chance he gets.

But at home, he’s just a guy hanging with his horses.

“I’m blessed to go home every day and see my animals,” Jenkins says. “When I go home, man, it’s like paradise for me. Some people want to go to Hawaii. Some want to go to the Grand Canyon. I just want to go home.”

He jokes that his wife, Kerry — they were married on Nov. 6 — thinks he loves the horses more than her (“But she’s got the edge by a little bit”).

“Oftentimes I tell people I’d rather be around horses than people because horses have a way of communicating that is just so phenomenal and awesome,” Jenkins says. “Of course, they don’t do it with words, but they do it with body language.” Jenkins believes growing up around horses, and learning to read their cues, has helped him flourish as a first responder, rising to the rank of Fire Captain in 2018, just 12 years after joining Hilton Head Fire and Rescue. He earned the department’s Fire Officer of the Year award and the Rotary Club of Hilton Head’s Firefighter of the Year honor in 2020, an honor he doesn’t take lightly, especially given the timing during a worldwide pandemic.

“I think that’s what has enabled me to be a pretty decent first responder and helped me achieve the status that I have now,” Jenkins says. “It’s basically just being a human being and possessing empathy. It’s learning how to read people’s body language, understanding that words are just one form of communication. I learned all of that from horses and animals.”

Jenkins never expected to become a firefighter. His cousin Earl Green was a battalion chief with Hilton Head Fire and Rescue for years, and every time they bumped into one another at church or around town, Green would ask if Jenkins was ready to join the department.

Then he found himself in business slacks and a buttondown shirt and tie, rushing to clean out rental cars in the blazing Lowcountry summer when the call came offering a position at Hilton Head Fire and Rescue. He was ready.

“She began to talk about salary and all of that stuff, but I didn’t hear another word,” Jenkins recalls. “I blacked out. I think all I heard was fire department, and I thought to myself, ‘Should I finish washing this car?’”

He takes pride in his work, which he describes simply as, “you get there fast, you treat them nice, you do your best to mitigate their emergency, and you move on to the next one.”

“This is a very selfless profession,” Jenkins says. “People call us heroes, but we aren’t heroes, we’ve just made a decision to put people before us, people we don’t even know, strangers. All for the good of humanity.”

BEING IN THE moment

ANDREA BROWN RIDES TO FIND HER INNER ADVENTURER

BY JESSICA FARTHING | PHOTOS BY LLOYD WAINSCOTT

Registered dental hygienist Andrea Brown rides to work on Hilton Head Island every day on a Honda Shadow Aero 750 named Bella.

Rain or shine, she navigates traffic from Savannah in her signature pink helmet to assist with the patients of Dr. Kowalyk, seeing to their comfort.

As the daughter of a career officer, Brown had always wanted lifetime military service. With dreams of becoming a helicopter pilot, she entered the Army and trained as a combat photographer. At the time, digital photography didn’t exist, so she learned to work in the dark room developing prints. Brown’s service included the Gulf War, giving her status as a veteran.

But she ended up leaving the Army before she could retire.

Post traumatic stress disorder-military sexual trauma (PTSD-MST) is defined by the Department of Veterans Affairs as sexual contact against the will of a veteran. Brown said she was assaulted by her superior officer during her service. The case was reported but she said she wasn’t believed, finding herself placed under his supervision again. Having a situation of abuse from a superior eroded her selfesteem and gave her trauma.

When she left the military, Brown worked to improve her PTSD-MST symptoms.

It wasn’t until she went to the Veteran’s Administration to ask for help that she found relief. She was officially diagnosed and found a therapist who was pivotal in her recovery.

That breakthrough led to a new love.

“I’ve always wanted to ride a motorcycle, but I just didn’t have the confidence I needed because of everything that comes with PTSD,” she said. “When I found the right counselor, she was able to unlock a lot of doors and release a lot of pain and anger. Then I was able to pursue the bike riding.”

With her comfort level and the evidence of her adventures on her compelling Instagram, you’d think that Brown had ridden motorcycles for years.

Actually, she started in October 2020 as COVID restrictions began to ease. She attended the New Rider Academy at Savannah’s Harley-Davidson and obtained her license. Since she started, she’s logged 20,000 miles on her odometer. One of her first trips was to Asheville, N.C., with her 5-year-old-poodle named Jasper riding along. They took in the scenery and learned about another chance to ride nearby, the Tale of the Dragon in Deals Gap, N.C. Unaware of what she was signing up for, Brown thought it might be a fun ride. For 11 miles she and Jasper traversed over 300 twists and turns with names like Wheelie Hell and Beginner’s End. She was proud, “I had to learn on the job how to maneuver those curves. I might have been a little slow, but I made it. It put a hunger in me to start conquering different things. On my next trip, I went west.”

As a mother of four, grandmother of nine with seven grandsons and two granddaughters, Brown stays busy with family and friends. The kids are pretty sure that their Yaya is the best, or at least the coolest grandmother that’s ever ridden a motorcycle.

She’s glad they’re proud of her but mostly thankful to have the ability to regain control of her life and defeat fear.

“The longer I ride, the better,” she said. “Since I’ve been riding, I don’t suffer like I used to, though if I didn’t tell you, you would never know I was suffering.”

She credits the bike with retraining her mind to cope with her PTSD-MST symptoms and taking back control of her life. “Being on Bella, the one thing I do know is that I have to be in the moment. That’s huge for me because with PTSD I can choose to live in the past. To be able to have command of such a machine is absolutely wonderful to me.”

Brown plans on keeping Bella forever, but wants to add a Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero for long-distance trips.

“I didn’t realize I was going to enjoy being alone so much. I’m a long-distance rider,” she said. “I wanted to be a helicopter pilot; now I’m flying on the ground.”

DENNIS STOKELY CONTINUES TO DAZZLE IN THE LOWCOUNTRY

STORY BY BARRY KAUFMAN | PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN

It is a perilous understatement to say that these past few years have been, well, interesting. Apart from everything else, though, one of the most intriguing developments of these early 2020s has been the rebirth of the mullet. If you’re one of the fashion-forward folks who have brought back the Kentucky waterfall, we have good news for you.

Dennis Stokely, hairstylist to the stars, thinks you look amazing.

“I am team mullet,” he said with a laugh. “I’m thrilled that we are living in a time that is embracing all of these unique and fun looks… I think humanity in general seems to be a little more embracing of things outside the norm, and I think it’s freeing people to be themselves.”

Where the rest of us see business in the front and party in the back, Stokely sees unrestrained selfexpression. But it’s that unique eye that has let him create dazzling hairstyles for celebrities and common folk alike, garnering a name in the industry for his beautifully inventive looks.

And if the mullet represents an evolution, that is something Stokely knows well.

“I was a geeky kid. I was the drum major, winning the spelling bee, being voted Most Likely to Succeed. I was really nerdy,” he said. “My personality didn’t evolve until college.”

Attending the University of Georgia’s school of journalism, Stokely would carry hot rollers in his backpack, doing a brisk trade in $5 hairstyles among the coeds. The rush of being snuck into sorority houses and dorm rooms was second only to the rush of finding his true calling.

“I came back to Savannah, got my license and immediately moved to New York,” he said. “I got to interview with Mr. Kenneth at the Waldorf-Astoria. It lasted one minute. He said, ‘You’re too young and inexperienced, but you’re a nice young man and you can answer the phones.’ ”

Watching the likes of Liza Minnelli, Gloria Vanderbilt and Jackie Kennedy get styled, Stokely knew he was following his passion. And like anyone, he had to start somewhere. After completing his training at the Frédéric Fekkai studio in Los Angeles, he answered the call to style the Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleaders for their inaugural photo. And while he looks back fondly on his time with the Jags, it was when he returned to Los Angeles that his career truly blossomed.

It was here that a chance to work with renowned makeup artist Alexis Vogel at a wedding led to what would have been a one-off chance to style Paula Abdul for a photo shoot.

“It was a 10- to 12-hour shoot and I had to give her all these different styles,” he said. “After the shoot she kissed me on the forehead and said, ‘I have to work with you again.’ The next day Idol called.”

For two seasons of American Idol, Stokely was by Paula’s side during auditions, tapings, PR events and makeup shoots.

“It was the most magical time,” he said. “Paula is a sweetheart…it was just a pinch-me moment for a kid from the Lowcountry.”

No matter where he went, he took the Lowcountry with him, both in his Southern accent and in his impeccable manners and charm. Celebrities noticed, with the likes of Carmen Electra, Jessica Simpson, Eva Longoria and Fox News’ Dana Perino seeking out his talents.

“Getting a chance to have Dennis style my hair is always more than just a hair appointment — it’s an immersive experience,” said Perino. “You get his creativity and talents, plus hilarious stories that put you at ease.”

Stokely has since returned to the Lowcountry, where he now makes every appointment a redcarpet event.

“For me, doing private clients has been a breath of fresh air,” he said. “The Lowcountry has a really laid-back sophistication. This is really a pretty special area.”

HAIRSTYLIST TO the stars

TENNIS teacher

ENDLESS ENERGY OF ALFREDO SOLIZ HELPS TOP JUNIOR PLAYERS MAXIMIZE POTENTIAL

STORY BY JUSTIN JARRETT | PHOTO BY RUTHE RITTERBECK

Alfredo Soliz followed his tennis dreams everywhere they took him, from his native Bolivia throughout South America and across the pond to Europe.

And when his dream reached its ceiling, he came to Hilton Head Island and started a new one.

For more than 30 years, Soliz has used the skills and lessons his own tennis journey instilled combined with his relentlessly positive attitude and energy to help top junior players reach even greater heights on the court than he did representing the Bolivian national team as a teenager — and it all started here on Hilton Head.

Soliz began playing tennis at the age of 7 and quickly developed a passion for the game. He rose to become one of the top junior players in Bolivia, competing internationally. He made a run at a professional career but regularly ran into top European players in the early rounds of qualifiers and eventually tired of the grind, recognizing his future in the sport would not be as a player.

He poured himself into learning how to better teach the next generation of standout junior players and sought out the biggest names and brightest minds in the game to help him develop as an instructor.

One of the turning points in Soliz’s young coaching career came in 1988 at an International Tennis Federation conference in Paraguay, where he met noted instructor Richard Schonborn, who coached Steffi Graf and Boris Becker as juniors. Soliz knew that Schonborn and others like him were the key to becoming the coach he wanted to be.

“If I didn’t play, I wanted to help others learn to play,” Soliz says. “I was passionate about the game, and I wanted to learn from the best.”

It was Schonborn who introduced Soliz to Nick Bollettieri, helping to launch a long career coaching top junior players. The Nick Bollettieri Academy boasted an alumni list that included household names such as Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Bjorn Borg, and Anna Kournikova, and Soliz was coaching the next generation of players who were on their heels.

After wrapping up his playing career in 1988, Soliz returned home to Bolivia and began coaching for a local club. A year later he came to Hilton Head to take part in Dennis and Pat Van Der Meer’s Tennis University, setting him on a new path.

“I said if I wanted to become a tennis pro, I had to learn from the best,” Soliz said of the Van Der Meers, who revolutionized how the game was taught through Tennis University and the Professional Tennis Registry.

After honing his skills and passion for coaching around the world, he returned for good in 2000, accepting a role at the Van Der Meers’ Professional Tennis Registry, which standardized the tennis instructor certification process and provides continuing education and resources to teaching pros. In the interim, Soliz sought out every opportunity to work with the biggest names in the sport, including a stint at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, the precursor to the renowned IMG Academy.

He continued adding to the list of world-class coaches who helped mold him, first with the Van Der Meers, then at the Ivan Lendl International Junior Tennis Academy in 2011.

When the IJTA closed in 2015, Soliz became the academy coach at Smith-Stearns Tennis Academy, working with yet another legend of the game, Hilton Head’s own former world No. 1 Stan Smith.

“Every day I’m surprised I’m working next to this guy,” Soliz says. “He’s one of the legends, and I learn every day from him.”

Soliz knows all too well that most of his students will eventually hit the same ceiling he did at some point in their careers, whether that’s at the college level or in the professional ranks. He is focused on helping them maximize their potential and allow their passion for the sport to take them as far as possible.

That’s where Soliz’s relentlessly sunny disposition comes in handy.

“When these guys come and ask me how they’re playing,” he says with a smile, “I say, ‘You’re playing good! Someone else is just playing better.’”

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR SIDNEY WILSON PENS BOOK TO INSPIRE OTHER KIDS

STORY BY TONY KUKULICH | PHOTO BY RUTHE RITTERBECK

On the cusp of graduating from high school, Sidney Wilson is at an age typically marked by a desire to fit in — to conform. But that’s not Sidney. She’s embraced what makes her different and has written a children’s book encouraging others to do the same.

“My book is supposed to teach children that it is good to be different from one another and to accept children that are different from them,” Sidney said.

Part of what makes the Hilton Head Island High School senior special is that she was born with Cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome. It’s an exceedingly rare genetic disorder that can affect the heart, skin and face; cause developmental delays and impair intellectual development. There are only an estimated 400 CFC cases worldwide. The rarity of the syndrome can make it very difficult to diagnose, a fact the Wilson family understands all too well as it took 14 years to get Sidney properly diagnosed.

“From 6 months old, we started to notice that something was off,” said Sidney’s dad, Brad. “From that point on, it’s been a moving target. Mom’s the one who buckled down and spent years trying to figure out what it was.”

CFC is undeniably a factor in Sidney’s life, but it is far from what defines her. Initially a little shy, she is warm and friendly. When Tanner and Carley, Sidney’s older siblings, are together with her, the bond shared between them is genuine and immediately apparent. And for all the affection, Sidney isn’t treated with kid gloves. She is not spared from the good-natured ribbing that goes on between the close-knit family.

“That’s something I’ve gotten out of this little nerd — the sense of humor,” Tanner said with a smile, illustrating the point. “She and I share an identical sense of humor.”

The book, “It’s ‘Cool’ to be Different,” was the result of a school requirement that every student complete a personal project. Knowing Sidney’s love of books, a teacher suggested that she write a book for her project. “I have always wanted to write a book, and I saw it as the perfect opportunity,” Sidney said. Sidney’s love of cats made the choice of a cat as the main character a natural choice. Along with photos of cats that appear in the book, Sidney added her own illustrations. “We wanted it to explain a little bit about people with special needs, that it’s not so bad being different,” added Sidney’s mom, Cathy Wilson. “The book kind of explains that she knows that she’s different, it doesn’t bother her, and people shouldn’t feel sorry for her. She does want to have friends, and it’s more interesting to have friends that are different from you. It encourages friendship with people that are different from you.”

Getting the book started was a little stressful, Sidney said. She worked through a lot of rough drafts as the storyline was shaped and finalized. Since its release, the book has gotten much more notice than the family ever expected.

“First we printed a couple of copies for us,” Cathy said. “All of a sudden people started asking how to get one. People we don’t even know have reached out to us asking how to get one.”

Sidney said she doesn’t know if she’ll write another book. She is kicking a couple of ideas around, including a book that focuses on the relationship she has with her brother and sister. And while it’s uncertain if she’ll write another book, books will likely play a big role in her future, as she explains: “I want to work at a library.”

To prepare for that future, Sidney is working every day in the school library. She’s also recently joined a Special Olympics kayak team. Though the challenges of CFC are real, Sidney’s future appears bright. “She just makes everything better,” Cathy said. “I don’t know what it is. She just makes everyone smile.”

To purchase Sidney’s book, visit lulu.com.

ENCOURAGING acceptance

SEVENTH-GRADER LUKE HARO HELPS PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

STORY BY AMY COYNE BREDESON | PHOTOS BY MADISON ELROD

Luke Haro was attending a private online school when he was assigned a project that inspired him to change the lives of people around the world.

Last school year, the Bluffton boy attended Valor Global Online, a Christian school that focuses on philanthropy and entrepreneurship. In his global impact class, Luke was required to lend $25 to an individual through a nonprofit organization called Kiva and to create a video asking others to do the same.

Luke decided to go way above and beyond what his teacher required of him. He spent his entire spring break building a website and setting up a GoFundMe page to raise more money so he could give out loans to more people.

“I saw a great opportunity,” Luke said. “It was something so simple yet so big.”

Luke didn’t really think he’d be able to get people interested in helping with the project. But once he got into it, he was having so much fun that he didn’t want to stop.

Kiva uses crowdfunding to provide loans to people in underserved communities around the globe, allowing people to start businesses, pay school tuition or just provide necessities for their families. Loans start at $25. The loans are vetted and approved by the organization.

Luke was able to choose whom he wanted to lend money by going on Kiva’s website and looking through the various requests for funding. His first loan went to Joshua in Nairobi, who needed money to purchase a vehicle to deliver clean water to cities and towns in need.

After creating the video and GoFundMe page, Luke’s mother, Melanie Haro, created a Facebook page called Luke’s Loans that Change Lives.

“I had raised $500 when I woke up the next morning,” Luke said. “It was insane.”

Now a seventh-grader at McCracken Middle School, Luke continues to change lives through Kiva. His original goal was to give out 100 loans by the end of 2021. He reached that goal in November, and by early December the 12-year-old boy had given out 107 loans worth a total of $3,575. “It’s great, but I know there are so many more people, so I’m going to keep going,” Luke said. When Luke told his mom that he wanted to give out 100 loans, she didn’t think it was possible. “Seeing him fulfill his vision has been so inspiring,” Melanie said. Another one of Luke’s goals is to lend money to people in as many countries as he can. So far, he has covered 43 countries. According to Kiva’s website, the organization serves borrowers in more than 80 countries. “He got a big wall map and labels each new place as the loans go out,” Luke’s father, Chris Haro, said. “He’s like a James Bond villain in reverse. ‘Where’s this one located? Have I funded anyone there yet? I have to loan there too.’”

Luke’s busy schedule includes Civil Air Patrol, Chinese language classes and piano lessons. He just wrapped up another season of baseball and can’t wait to play again in the spring. He also enjoys playing golf, building things, sketching and reading.

Luke was just certified in CPR through Civil Air Patrol, and he took his first orientation flight in November. In June, he won “Top Gun” at Aviation Challenge Camp, which is part of Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala.

Luke hopes to study abroad in high school through the U.S. Department of State’s National Security Language Initiative. After high school he plans to study engineering at the Air Force Academy and eventually become an astronaut.

To learn more or to help Luke continue changing lives, visit Luke’s Loans that Change Lives on Facebook, go to lukeharo.wixsite.com/loansthatchangelives or visit gofund.me/54c0c46b.

CHANGINGlives

NOT A WORD out of place

ROGER PINCKNEY WRITES FOR HIS LOVE OF THE LOWCOUNTRY

STORY BY BECCA EDWARDS | PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN

Just like his writing, Daufuskie resident and prolific author Roger Pinckney is succinct and entertaining. His voice is in cadence and in keeping with his salty, southern upbringing, drawing out some syllables, omitting others and always reflective of his hard-won wit and love for the Lowcountry. In a virtual interview with Monthly, Pinckney, a voodoo aficionado (one of his works is, “Got My Mojo Workin’: A Voodoo Memoir”), discussed some of his bestsellers like “Blue Roots” and “Reefer Moon,” his most recently published work “Washed in the Blood” and an upcoming project he is co-writing with Michael Dewitt Jr. about the Murdaugh family and “a culmination of missteps going on for over one hundred years.” With insightful one-liners like, “I learned young not to buck the tide,” Pinckney also talked about his respect for the outdoors and “nature’s ability to change the human heart.” What’s influenced his work? Pinckney references the Mark Twain quote, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter— ‘tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

Pinckney — who believes “getting it right is the most important thing” — continued, “Hemingway’s economy of words immediately draws you in to his story.”

One of Pinckney’s favorite reads is a lesser-known essay Hemingway wrote in the middle of winter about shooting game birds, Pinckney said.

Apparently, Hemingway hired a kid to throw pigeon clays for him to conjure up powerful memories, creating a work that “is beautifully written and not a word out of place.”

Pinckney says writer Cormac McCarthy “taught me not to be ashamed of paraphrasing or using the King James Bible.”

There’s no definitive writing process for Pinckney, who has published 15 books of fiction and nonfiction. Instead, it’s all about grabbing that moment of inspiration. “If you get an idea at 3 a.m., you better write it down because you will forget it by daybreak,” he said. “If an idea comes in the middle of the night, I don’t turn on the computer, but I do write down five to six words on a scrap piece of paper to trigger my memory.” Pinckney also believes in writing what you know because “it won’t take a savvy reader any time to know if you don’t.” One thing he knows well is the Lowcountry. There’s no need “to make stuff up.” “I know the people. I know how to rearrange and massage [their stories] and then I’ve got a story,” he said. He also knows where to find motivation. “My greatest influence is the power bill. Writer’s block is not a luxury I can afford,” he said. It is for this reason his days are structured. His 140-pound Labrador retriever gets him up at first light (generally around 6:30 a.m.). Pinckney gets coffee, takes the dog out, checks his emails, sees “what business” he has generated on Facebook, eats a big breakfast at mid-morning and then starts writing. Pinckney said he does not waste time. “If I produce 700 words, and I mean good words a day, that’s enough. Sometimes I’ll even do 1,000,” he said. “But if I don’t do more than 200, I feel bad about myself.” Animals often appear as almost characters in his books. Pinckney said it’s all about keeping the plot moving. “Huck Finn had the river. Chaucer, the road to Canterbury. With a road or a river, you always have something to move the plot forward,” he said. “Same thing with an animal. Animals are going to act like animals, and they will always move the plot forward.” When asked which of his books is his favorite, Pinckney said “Reefer Moon” and “Blow the Man Down” but then, like an outgoing tide, he changed directions and talked about his essay, “Souls of Poets, Washed Ashore” which recounts his experience with being struck by lightning. In the essay he writes, “The ancestors may have died, but they ain’t dead. They walk among us every day. They watch our moves and discuss us privately amongst themselves. Properly petitioned, they can help or hurt.” The powerful passage ties well into Pinckney’s belief that, “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.”