The heroic work of Jeanne Sams Aimar

That generation of Beaufortonians, those giants who were instrumental in creating the Historic District in the early 1970s, and who have been incredibly supportive of our most precious Historic District ever since, now sadly are slipping away from us. Jeanne Sams Aimar was a genuine citizen heroine, waging war on those who would damage our unmatched historic legacy. Outspoken, but true to her belief that we had something here most special to protect, she, among others, led the fight to protect our patrimony.

Even though many of her contributions to our community were remembered recently in her lovely and poignant obituary, I wanted to take a brief moment to acknowledge two incredibly important contributions she helped make possible during my tenure as mayor, which were especially near and dear to my heart.

Almost single-handedly, by her insistent perseverance, appearing before Town Council repeatedly and effectively pleading the citizens’ case, Council chose to prohibit the large tour buses from The Point, where they routinely broke boughs of our wonderful oaks, departing in a chocking haze of blue/black diesel smoke.

Likewise, by dint of her forceful dedication to the public good, she also convinced Council to “open the unpaved street ends” throughout The Point, and to keep them maintained. Some adjacent property owners had become used to considering these vistas part of their own property, depriving the community at-large from enjoying the unequaled views, which belong to all our citizens. This was anathema to Jeanne’s view of “the public good.”

Jeanne will be greatly missed, but we have been blessed to have had her steadfast leadership with us for as long as we did. Good job, Jeanne.

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 12:40 PM with the headline "The heroic work of Jeanne Sams Aimar."