Dolly Dangerfield Cannon, center, with Pamela Marsh and Carol Truslow
The Isle of Palms Exchange Club celebrated 75 years of service through its four programs: Americanism, Child Abuse Prevention, Youth and Scholarship, and Community Service on April 24, with more than 100 members and guests in attendance.
Some of the highlights of the club’s history were provided by Pamela Marsh, a past president of the Isle of Palms Exchange Club; Dolly Dangerfield Cannon, whose father served as an Exchange president in 1951 and 1952; Carol Truslow, who grew up on the Isle of Palms and participated in many Exchange-supported activities during her childhood; and Elizabeth Grantham, a past IOP Exchange Club president and past National Exchange president.
Another highlight of the evening was having President David Johnson present to Robbie Berg and the IOP Exchange Club the National Exchange Club’s Resolution “Expressing thanks and appreciation to the Exchange Club of Isle of Palms, South Carolina.” He announced that with 235 members, the local club is only eight members from being the largest Exchange Club in the nation.
The Exchange’s history is a history of the “who’s who” on the Isle of Palms. In 1948 and 1949, Frank J. Sottile was the first president of the club, with Clyde M. Dangerfield serving in 1951 and 1952 and S. V. Sottile serving in 1953 and 1954 – to name just a few of the club’s 65-plus presidents. During those early years, the island’s first firetruck was purchased by the Isle of Palms Exchange Club, and, a few years later, the island’s mosquito fogging truck. The money raised at oyster roasts and dances helped pay for these needed island services. Few islanders are aware that water ski shows on Hamlin Creek also helped finance various club projects.
Dolly Dangerfield Cannon, daughter of Clyde M. Dangerfield, remembers being told by her father about the Exchange Club’s first building. It was moved from Sullivan’s island to a site opposite the current IOP Post Office on Hamlin Creek. Carol Truslow and Dolly both grew up playing on the baseball fields known then as “The Playground” and today as the IOP Rec Center. They played on the girls team named the Sharks.
Elizabeth Grantham told about the moving experience she had as an Exchange member placing flags at Marion Square for the fallen soldiers in the Iraq war after 9/11. While they were placing 1,800 flags on the square, some tourists asked if they could erect a flag for their fallen family member.
Elizabeth also helped organize what is now known as the IOP Connector Run, held the first Saturday in October every year for the past 30 years. As everyone knows, the Connector is named after Dolly’s father, Clyde M. Dangerfield.
How many current islanders know that Isle of Palms had an airstrip that paralleled the Intracoastal Waterway along the landward side of the Isle of Palms? The Exchange Club, the Aero Club and the Beach Company worked to get the 1,800-foot strip built. Dolly said her house was built on or near the airstrip.
Many more stories could have been told of service during those first decades, but those will be shared with members during the club’s anniversary year. The current members of the Isle of Palms Exchange Club know they have a rich legacy to keep alive and move forward through “unity in service” in the coming years.
