Known as the “unofficial mayor” of Charleston and the “official mayor” of Ansonborough, Lorraine Perry was a philanthropist who contributed to the Center for Birds of Prey, served as a docent at the Gibbes Museum of Art, and was the first woman to be invited as a member of the Charleston Yacht Club and a patron of the Charleston Symphony.
According to her friend, Theresa Templer-Sanders, “One of the reasons we have such a high-caliber symphony here is because Lorraine arranged for Charleston residents downtown to host visiting musicians in their homes. This strategy helped attract the best of the best performers to our city. Lorraine loved supporting these and other causes that are relevant to the Lowcountry and our quality of life. She was always coordinating and connecting people behind the scenes.”
Outside of her charitable work, Perry was renowned for her annual “Mermaid Meeting,” where a sisterhood of approximately 80 women of every age, body type and background gathered around her Mediterranean-esque pool overlooked by an olive tree, a block of cypress trees and a lone eagle circling lazily against an azure sky.
“The Mermaid Meeting was a chance to celebrate the uniqueness of the feminine,” explained Templer-Sanders. “Mermaids are beautiful in their own ways. We understand and support each other. That was Lorraine. Because of her, we created connections and lasting friendships around the shared bond of what it means to be a mermaid.”
Perry’s attention to every detail, no matter how big or small, commanded success for every one of her Mermaid Meetings. Guests were greeted at the front gate by mermaids and a select crew of mermen wearing bikini T-shirts. Their sole purpose was to keep the wine flowing throughout the evening. Everyone brought an appetizer and a bottle of whatever they were drinking.
Beneath a tent of trees draping a cobblestone walkway that was decorated with mermaid paraphernalia, tables brimmed with platters of deviled eggs, tea sandwiches, scratch-made crab dip, fresh shrimp and other delicious potluck delights. Entertainment included a performance by well-rehearsed synchronized swimmers dressed as mermaids or mermen wearing speedos. Wine, food, chatter, laughter and music pulsated under the sultry midsummer night’s sky.
“The Mermaid Meeting was an unencumbered event,” Perry’s friend, Renee Odierna, recounted. “We didn’t feel self-conscious about how we looked in our bathing suits and we didn’t eat like birds. The experience was about the wonder of being a woman and celebrating our differences. Thanks to Lorraine, women who never would have met each other outside of the Mermaid Meeting became close friends. It was the greatest sisterhood event there could ever have been.”
Odierna continued, “Lorraine was full of life and energy. She touched so many peoples’ lives in thoughtful and meaningful ways. For example, when our friend’s 10-year-old daughter, Sophie Rose, asked how old she had to be to attend the mermaid party, Lorraine decided she would start hosting an annual mini-mermaid meeting the following year for the next generation to learn about supporting one another starting as young girls.”
Rose, now 13, recalled, “I remember our friends made up our own water ballet routines because we wanted to be like the mermaid performers.”
Tragically, in December 2024, Perry lost her long battle against ovarian cancer. Before she departed this world, she left her mermaid decorations to Templer-Sanders, who plans to carry out the mermaid and mini-mermaid tradition at the pool behind her new home, which she coincidentally purchased from Odierna just before Perry’s passing.
And so the circle of life, love, laughter and women supporting women continues on, a testament to Perry’s legacy.
By Sarah Rose