IslandVibesIOP.com 3 NEWS ‘Goodwill ambassador’ Spangler honored with Spirit of the Island Award posthumously By L. C. Leach III “Very knowledgeable, responsive and honest. We have bought and sold over 20 homes and never experienced the quality of service that Andrea provided” “...extremely helpful in making recommendations to get our house market-ready. With her suggestions for home improvements, our house sold in a week at the high end of market value.” 843.532.3010 - AndreaRogers1@gmail.com CALL ANDREA ROGERS SOUTHERN PROFESSIONALISM A way of life, The way to be The island’s next July Fourth, Labor Day, Halloween and Christmas season won’t be quite the same as in years past because the smile, handshake, hug and feel-good influence of longtime resident Dudley Spangler will be missing. His untimely death last autumn left a notable, hard-to-replace void in the community – so much so that he was posthumously honored with the Spirit of the Island Award for his unflagging, independent citizen support of Isle of Palms police, firefighters and public service workers. The presentation to his wife Glenda took place on Feb. 24 at the city council meeting and received a standing ovation from all in attendance. “While these dedicated public service servants spent their holidays away from their families to keep ours safe, Dudley and his family stepped in to make sure they were never forgotten,” said IOP Fire Chief Craig Oliverius. IOP Mayor Phillip Pounds added, “Dudley was always quick to show support whether it was cooking meals for the teams or just stopping by with an encouraging word.” Spangler becomes only the sixth recipient of the award since its inception in 2022 to recognize an individual’s or organization’s remarkable singular achievement, community service or volunteer efforts to benefit the island. The formal recognition came two months after his nomination by former IOP Mayor Jimmy Carroll, who said Spangler was not only a dependable friend going back to his time on the city council in 2011, but a perennial “community morale booster.” “He helped cook hot dogs, hamburgers, etc., on the Fourth of July for well over a decade for our public safety personnel and also organized and cooked an annual Thanksgiving feast,” Carroll recounted. “He made them feel like they were part of the community, which I wish more people would do.” Longtime Councilman Jimmy Ward, who created the Spirit of the Island Award, said that while Spangler was most visible to city employees, other residents felt his care as well. “He would go around and see elderly people to see how they were – he thought of others before he thought of himself.” “Hurricane Hugo in 1989 took out almost all of our palm trees and so citizens started a Plant-A-Palm initiative,” Carroll said. “I donated 15 oaks to the city in the early 2020s and Dudley promised to donate one. Glenda called me after he died and said she still wanted to give the tree that Dudley promised. So, in a way, he is still here and standing by his commitment postmortem, which we didn’t expect. He was like a goodwill ambassador for Isle of Palms. I miss him and I miss the kind of example he set for the island.” While family and friends still expect to see Spangler when they round a corner or hear his voice the next time their phones ring, Carroll pointed out that while Dudley’s passing “caught everyone by surprise,” his presence is still being felt as if it was trying to complete unfinished business on a promise. Spangler becomes sixth recipient of honor. Dudley Spangler (far right) alongside a few of the island's public safety workers, who he long supported.
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