Sherry Shealy Martschink

In February forty years ago, Sherry Shealy, a junior in college, became a candidate for the SC House of Representatives. 
   
The voting age in 1970 was 21, not 18, and Sherry wasn't even old enough to vote.  Election Day was November 3rd, and she would turn 21 eight days before the election. 
   
Forty years ago, it was extremely unusual for a woman to run for office and just as rare for anyone under 30 to become a candidate. 
   
In a close election, Sherry won, and became the youngest person in the United States in a state legislature.  As such, she was interviewed on NBC's "Today" show by Barbara Walters and Joe Garagiola; she appeared on "What's My Line?" and on "To Tell the Truth."
   
Two years later, Sherry was re-elected to the House, receiving more votes than any candidate had ever received in Lexington County. 
   
During her four years in the House, Sherry became a popular speaker throughout the United States, including an address to the North Carolina legislature and at seminars, workshops and conventions as far away as Nebraska and Arizona, as well as in other states.  She brought attention to the need for women and young people in the governmental and political processes. 
   
Late in 1973, Sherry married a Charlestonian, so when her second term ended, she moved to Charleston County.  In 1974, she was sought out to become the Republican candidate for Congress in the First District, and soon was the party's nominee for Congress.  Not long thereafter, she learned she was pregnant and suffered with extreme morning sickness, so she withdrew as a candidate. 
   
In the 1980s Sherry was called on to fill an unexpired vacancy on the Charleston County District 2 School board; she did so, then was elected to a full term, serving as vice chair and chair. 
   
When state Sen. Arthur Ravenel was elected to Congress in 1986, a special election was called to fill his unexpired term.  Following a very contested primary, run-off and general election, Sherry Martschink was elected to the state Senate, thus becoming the first person in South Carolina to be elected to the legislature from two different parts of the state and under two different names. 
   
Sherry filled out the term, then was reelected to a full term in 1988, serving on the legislative delegations of Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester counties.  Coincidentally, her father, Ryan Shealy, was a member of the Senate, representing Lexington and Aiken counties.  They were the only father-daughter duo serving together in a single legislative body in the United States.
   
In 1989, then-Gov. Carroll Campbell asked Sherry to run for lieutenant governor.  In the midst of  weeks of serious consideration, Sherry's Senate district was devastated by Hurricane Hugo.  With damage and losses to her constituents in McClellanville, Awendaw, Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palms, Folly Beach and surrounding areas, as well as to her own home, Sherry put the lieutenant governorship out of her mind. 
   
By early 1990, though, she was asked several more times to run, so, in February 1990, Sherry became of candidate for lieutenant governor in the primary.  She had a 14-week campaign against a candidate who had been running for almost two years, but still managed to get 49% of the vote. 
   
In 1992, Governor Campbell appointed Sherry as commissioner with the SC Workers' Compensation Commission, a position she held for 12 years, until 2004.
   
More recently, Sherry attended Charleston School of Law (CSOL) and just sat for the SC bar exam in February 2010. Although the oldest person in her evening class at law school and the second oldest in the entire school, Sherry was elected vice president of the Student Bar Association, becoming for the first student officer at the new law school (other races were involved in run-offs.)   While at CSOL, she served as an intern for Federal District Judge Henry Floyd in Spartanburg, was selected as a Teaching Fellow and was a member of the Barristers' Ball Committee all three years.
     
Over the years, Sherry has earned numerous awards and recognitions:

  • Named South Carolina's Outstanding Young Woman of the Year and subsequently one of America's Ten Outstanding Young Women of the Year;
  • One of 10 US representatives at a NATO conference  in Brussels, Belgium; one of 40 women nationwide on the Department of Defense's Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS);
  • Consumer representative on a product safety advisory committee for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission;
  • Winner of Valley Forge Freedom Foundation award; 
  • Delegate, two national political conventions and member of Rules Committee for convention; 
  • Speaker, 1976 National Republican convention;
  • Seconded nomination of Gerald Ford for president at national convention;
  • SC representative to a White House Conference on Aging;
  • One of 10 from US to participate in three-week business/government exchange program in Australia through American Council of Young Political Leaders;
  • Named Career Woman of the Year by Ft. Sumter Chapter, Business & Professional Women's Club, 1986;
  • Named Woman of the Year by Charleston Federation of Women's Clubs (federation of 21 women's groups), 1986;
  • Named Citizen of the Year by Mt. Pleasant Police Department, 1986;
  • Named SC's Stylemaker of the Year, based on professional & volunteer contributions to community/state by SC Cosmetologists Association, 1977.
  • Selected by readers of THE NEWS AND COURIER as one of "most influential people" in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties in 1987 readership poll, "Seats of Power"; only woman among the 10 selected; one of only two legislators (the other was Sen. Rembert Dennis).

Sherry has served her community, state and nation in many ways as well:

  • Co-editor of the American Cancer Society's First Lady Cookbook, several years;
  • Active with cancer society at county, regional and state levels in several capacities;
  • Volunteer with March of Dimes, local, state and national levels;
  • Chaired IMAGE (Important Messages About Good Education), Charleston County;
  • Received Superintendent's Award (Charleston County) for Outstanding Contributions to Public Education;
  • Judge, Charleston County Teacher of the Year - 2 years;
  • Judge, SC Professor of the Year - 1 year;
  • Member, Charleston Trident Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, with committee service on  Military Affairs, Red Carpet, Education, Dining In and Governmental Affairs; Chair, Chamber's Task Force on Reapportionment; Vice President, Governmental Affairs Division;
  • Organized first-ever "Christmas Parade of Boats" to promote tourism in Charleston area and chaired parade for 12 years;
  • Member, Board of Directors, Palmetto-Lowcountry Health Systems Agency, 1975-1S76;
  • Member, Steering Committee, Charleston Trident Dining In. 1983;- Member, YWCA's Women's Breakfast Club, 1986 & 1987;
  • Coordinator, East Cooper Cares, community group involved in youth-oriented issues;
  • Member, Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, 1979-1981;
  • Moderator, Lowcountry Walk for Autism Awareness, 2005;
  • Member, Greater Summerville Music Forum, 2003 – 2007;
  • Volunteer, Kids' Chance of SC, 2002 – present;
  • Member, "Our Community at the Crossroads" planning committee, 1986;
  • Member, Board of Governors, NCAA Division 1-AA Football Championship, 1983 & 1984;
  • Member, Advisory Committee, Womanfest'88;
  • On-air co-host, Charles Webb Center/Easter Seals telethon, 1980;
  • Member, "Taste of Charleston" planning committee (event sponsored by Charleston Restaurant Association), 1982;
  • Member, Miss USA Executive Planning Committee (nationally televised event held in Charleston two years), 1977 & 1978; head chaperone for two-week program both years;
  • Chairman, Charleston County Magnet School Study Committee (led to establishment of 1st countywide magnet school), 1983-1985;
  • Co-Chair, Greater Charleston YWCA's "Tribute to Women in Industry and Business", 1986-1987;
  • Planning Committee, Mayor Riley's D-DAY ON DRUGS, 1987; 
  • Member, Board of Directors, Juvenile Restitution Program, 1983.
Always active in church, Sherry is a former member of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Charleston, where she taught the high school Sunday School class, was a primary department teacher, chaired the Family Night Committee, was a choir member, and music leader for Vacation Church School.  She also was organizer and chair of the Lowcountry Lutheran Field Day for 12 area Lutheran congregations, and was Coastal District Reporter for the SOUTH CAROLINA LUTHERAN, monthly statewide publication, with reporting duties for over 25 Lutheran churches from John's Island to Myrtle Beach. She entertained at the popular Spoleto Tea Room sponsored by St. Matthew's Lutheran Church.

Currently Sherry is a member of St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Summerville, where she has been or remains active as follows:  member, Congregational Council; newsletter editor;  Sunday School teacher; ad hoc personnel committee; substitute organist; Music Worship Team; Music Advisory Board; Organ completion committee; Chair, New Hymnal Purchase and Introduction;  Interim Director of Music Ministry; and delegate, SC Synod Assembly.
   
A graduate of the University of South Carolina and of Charleston School of Law, Sherry received certification for judicial course work at Arizona State University's Workers' Compensation College and earned a Certificate in International Commercial Arbitration from Johannes Kepler Universitat in Linz, Austria, in 2006. 
   
Sherry is a consultant, mediator, writer, editor and columnist, and is a contributing writer to "See Mom Run," a book published in November 2009 by Plain White Press of New York.  She teaches tap dancing to a group of women over 50 and hosts weekly live trivia at Ivory Moon in Summerville.  She formerly hosted a weekly radio talk show and also created crosswords for Sandlapper Magazine for seven years. 
   
Although Sherry limited her outside activities while attending law school and preparing for the recent bar exam, she has remained active.  She is a member of Kids' Chance of South Carolina Board of Directors and of Synod Council, South Carolina Lutheran Synod of ELCA.
   
Sherry is the mother of three grown children: Sgt. Tiffany Martschink, Ft. Belvoir, Virginia; Tree Martschink, an attorney in Washington, D.C.; and Mandy Martschink Brantley, a grand opening consultant with Chick-fil-A, who lives in Murrells Inlet with husband, Adam, and their son, Harrison.