IslandVibesIOP.com 17 for refusing her acceptance into the squad. She finally got the nod when Anthony Stith became Sullivan’s Island’s fire chief, and the squad members voted her in. In 1985, Graham began a full-time career at the Isle of Palms Fire Department where she became the island’s first certified firefighter, later earning the rank of captain. In 1994, she was hired as fire chief, a position she held for 26 years. Graham retired in 2020 after 35 years with the Isle of Palms Fire Department, leaving an indelible mark on improvements in safety and professionalism. Kathy Carroll A wearer of many hats Today’s residents have also benefited from the contributions of scores of women who don’t hold elected or official positions, but whose efforts have nonetheless enhanced our lives. One of those women was Kathy Carroll. In 1959, when the Isle of Palms was just beginning to see its first full-time residents, Carroll and her family became part of that wave, renting the second floor of a house on 22nd Avenue and joining the many other Navy families who chose to live on the island. As a Navy wife whose husband was often away at sea, she was the backbone of the family but also became very involved in the community, which consisted of only several hundred full-time residents at the time. Carroll’s passion was her volunteerism with the Ladies Playground Auxiliary, the forerunner of the Isle of Palms Recreation Department, where she served as Auxiliary director. Among the club’s many initiatives, the group held fundraisers to purchase playground equipment rather than ask the newly formed city council for money. Back then, just as now, the Recreation Center was seen as the heart of the community, and the department has expanded its mission today to include a variety of services and programs that benefit island residents, both young and old. Carroll later earned her South Carolina real estate license and established Carroll Realty with her son Jimmy in 1981. He went on to be elected mayor, crediting his mother with teaching him the fiscal responsibility necessary for the job – a skill she had honed both as a Navy wife and as a community leader. For more than a century, March 8 has been celebrated across the globe as International Women’s Day to recognize the roles and sacrifices of women in all facets of society. But only one day set aside to laud their contributions is certainly not enough, and in 1987 the U.S. Congress designated the entire month of March to honor the contributions of all women, those both prominent and less known. The tradition has since spread to other countries. Because after all, half of the human race is made up of women, all who leave their own mark in our lives and communities. FEATURE Former IOPFD Fire Chief Ann Graham Kathy Carroll established this hometown real estate agency Carroll Realty building Photo by Bill Macchio
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