84 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen nurses training, the war was over and the polio epidemic was going on, so that took precedent. So, we took care of polio patients wherever the Red Cross would call us.” As a twist of fate, during this time, Edwards’ brother had a chance encounter with Jim Edwards, who was serving in the Merchant Marines. The men had known each other as children when living in the Old Village. That’s how Ann and Jim Edwards began a lengthy courtship which led to a 63-year marriage. The pair had actually gone to elementary school together, a couple grades apart. Early in her marriage, Edwards worked as assistant chief nurse at Louisville Regional Blood Center. When her husband later became president of MUSC, she pushed for the renovations of the school’s College of Nursing facilities. Her portrait hangs in the drawing room there, and in 1999, the school established the Ann Darlington Edwards Endowed Chair of Nursing. The couple also became a staple in local and state politics. It all started when the couple hosted a cookout to raise money for Barry Goldwater’s presidential run in 1964. Then, Edwards served as Committeewoman in the East Cooper Republican Women’s Group when her husband was chairman of the county’s Republican party; he was eventually elected governor in 1974. “I had never been in the governor’s mansion when Jim was elected governor. So, I didn’t’ know anything about anything,” Edwards admitted. “Mrs. West, the outgoing governor’s wife, asked my daughter Cathy and me to lunch. At that time, inmates from the prison served as butlers and maids and cooks in the governor’s mansion. They did a really fine job. It was a new experience. I told Mrs. West, ‘I need to meet your secretary so she can help me,’ and she said, ‘Oh, she’s going home. She was a personal friend.’ So, we had to start with a new crew. But I didn’t ask anything of anybody that they didn’t try to help me. I treasure the people I met. Each one brought me something, do you understand? Different things. It was a learning experience for me. And I enjoyed that.” One person whom Edwards met — and became one of her favorite people — was a doctor in Anderson. “Dr. Ann Alston Young was something else. She graduated in 1915 from medical school and was valedictorian of her class. She was the only woman to sit for the South Carolina State Medical Board Exam and practiced obstetrics until the age of 94 years old in 1983, delivering over 11,000 babies. Somebody that worked on our campaign called me and said that I must call Dr. Ann and have her to the mansion — and that she was somebody special. So, I called her and said, ‘This is Ann Edwards at the governor’s mansion.’ And she hung up on me! So, I had my secretary call her back. When we finally spoke, she said, ‘Mrs. Edwards, I thought it was someone playing a joke on me!’ I asked her if she could come to the governor’s mansion for lunch when it was convenient for her because she still had patients. She was inspirational. I recommended her to the South Carolina Hall of Fame.” Edwards also has fond memories of her husband’s campaign for governor. “I had to campaign all over the state, so I saw South Carolina like I never would’ve seen it otherwise. Different cultures. Tobacco in PeeDee and the peach culture… and to go and visit those places and talk to the people and find out what was going on. It really enabled me to know my state. The people were genuine, wonderful people. And they were proud of their state. It was a learning experience and it was wonderful.” One of the most memorable occasions Ann had while serving as First Lady was meeting Queen Elizabeth in Philadelphia when the royal yacht visited in 1976 for our country’s bicentennial. “She invited all the governors and their wives. That was quite an occasion. It was a beautiful yacht and a wonderful experience. When we were there, Jim asked the queen if she’d come to Charleston. He told her, ‘You know, it is named for your forebear.’ She knew all about it. But she said, ‘I can’t — I’m booked up. But I’ll MUSC President Emeritus Dr. James B. Edwards and wife, Ann Edwards, at the dedication of the dental clinical building at MUSC in February 2010. Photo by Anne Thompson Charleston Women in Philanthropy
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