Highway Commission and the South Carolina Legislature agreed to name the bridge after Arthur Ravenel Jr., though some locals still refer to it as “Te Cuz Way.” When illness kept him from fully participating in the opening ceremonies for the bridge, he joked, “Maybe you shouldn’t name things after people before they’re dead.”
While the soaring bridge between Charleston and Mount Pleasant is
tion, Ravenel and his former wife, Louise, crusaded for better education and care for the mentally handi- capped. In 1972, Look magazine, now defunct, did an in-depth article on how the Ravenel family coped with William’s special needs. When asked about the impor-
tant events of his long public career, he paused to consider the question, long enough for his wife, whom he affectionately calls “Ric,” to shout
... Ravenel was instrumental in establishing widespread reform for the treatment and care of the mentally handicapped in South Carolina. ...
the most visible of Ravenel’s accom- plishments, he takes greater pride in other projects. An ardent environ- mentalist, he served on the Heri- tage Trust Advisory Board, which purchased and now protects thou- sands of acres of land on preserves throughout the Palmetto State. When the Navy Shipyard in
North Charleston closed in the early 1990s, Ravenel played a large role in securing business proposals for the land. He pointed out that the number of people working on the site today is the same as when the Shipyard was fully functioning. In the late 1960s, Ravenel was
instrumental in establishing wide- spread reform for the treatment and care of the mentally handicapped in South Carolina and was named president of the South Carolina As- sociation for Retarded Children. His fifth child, William, born in 1965, was diagnosed with Down syndrome. Rather then hide William’s condi-
from an adjoining room, “Marrying me.” Ravenel chuckled at her quip; it’s obvious they share a quirky sense of humor. He then turned serious and stated that meeting Nelson Mandela, when Ravenel was a congressman and South Africa’s first democratically elected president addressed the U.S. House of Representatives, was near the top of his list. “He was leaving the House, and I was in his path, so I just stuck out my hand and he reached out and shook it,” Ravenel recalled, savoring the memory. Te Ravenels are surrounded by
family. Together they have 10 chil- dren, his six and her four. Tey start each day on their screened porch with Ravenel bringing his wife a cup of coffee. He also enjoys spending time with Ric at their cabin and listening to her play the piano – only because he’s lost some of his hearing, she joked. Laughter remains a large part of their lives.
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