Friends of Fisher House Charleston's Executive Committee

Edward Dolan
Operations Director

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Fisher House Charleston

Edward Dolan

Edward V. Dolan, II serves as the Operations Director for Friends of Fisher House Charleston. A recent Business Administration graduate from the College of Charleston, Edward brings entrepreneurial experience from co-founding startups in water filtration and AI-generated art. His background spans food service, team management, and marketing. Edward's longstanding commitment to community service, including previous work with Fisher House Foundation, aligns perfectly with our mission. His innovative approach and passion for making a positive impact drive our operations forward.

Joshua Strimple
President

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Fisher House Charleston

Joshua Strimple

Joshua Strimple, a Major and Military Intelligence Officer with the US Army Reserve, was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for his service with Operation New Dawn in Iraq in 2010-11. While continuing to serve in the Army Reserve, Joshua founded the Charleston Classic, a golf and tennis tournament that supports the national Wounded Warrior Project. Joshua is also a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management in Charleston, SC and has previous job experience in retirement plans for non-profit organizations, as well as construction management for school districts.

Chris Ward
Vice President

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Fisher House Charleston

Chris Ward, US Navy (Retired)

Chris Ward has served the Department of Defense community for over thirty years. As anInformation Professional in the U. S. Navy, she was responsible for deploying and securingmission ready networks across the Fleet. Since her retirement in 2005, she has worked as aConsultant to help match technology gaps within the Department of Defense with Industrysolutions. She served previously as the Executive Director at Friends of Fisher HouseCharleston and now joins the Board as a member.

Butler Carson Derrick
Secretary

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Fisher House Charleston

Butler Carson Derrick - Secretary

Born in Edgefield, SC. Butler moved to Washington, DC with his family when he was a young boy. Returning to SC in 1990 to attend USC, he eventually moved to Charleston which he has called home for close to 20 years. He works with Carriage Properties and has enjoyed working in the real estate market for over a decade. He is a member of the Order of St. John Volunteer Corps which led him to find the Fisher House, and also The Society of Cincinnati, the oldest patriotic organization in USA.

Butler, his wife and two young daughters enjoy life by the water, an active sporting life along with the culture, arts and great cuisine the Lowcountry offers in abundance. Butler’s family is familiar at the Charleston Fisher House as they sometimes join him for his Thursday cooking routine and grocery shopping for the Veterans and their families. Butler has been a weekly volunteer since they opened in January 2018. Serving the Veterans and their families in their time of need has brought Butler great joy. His work there constantly renews his appreciation for The Fisher House which fills a much-deserved need for those who have served our Country.

James Elsey
Treasurer

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Fisher House Charleston

James Elsey - Board of Directors

Dr. James Elsey had a 30 plus year medical career in the Atlanta area while simultaneously serving in a US Army MASH unit as a reserve officer.

His clinical specialty is Vascular Surgery and he recently served on the Board of Directors of the American College of Surgeons. He currently serves on its Health and Policy Advocacy Organization. He has long history of civic involvement in child abuse prevention.

One notable honor was the opportunity to run the Torch prior to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He recently moved to the Charleston area is looking forward to supporting the Fisher House mission.

Blase Carabello
Board of Directors

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Fisher House Charleston

Blase Carabello - Board of Directors

Dr. Blase Carabello, MD is a cardiovascular researcher and clinician whose work has appeared in more than 500 medical journals, books and editorials. Dr. Carabello earned his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and cardiology fellowship at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital of Harvard Medical School. He was the recipient of the American College of Cardiology Distinguished Scientist Award and the Harriet P Dustan Award for Contribution of Science to Medicine. He has served for 4 years on the FDA, is a past president of the Society for Heart Valve Disease and also of the Association of University Cardiologists. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He is currently the program director for the Valve Program at Roper St Francis Hospital, Charleston SC,

William Cramer
Board of Directors

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Fisher House Charleston

William Cramer

William E. Cramer, M.D. Is a practicing Anesthesiologist who primarily cares for veterans in the Charleston area. He retired from the Navy after twenty-four years as a duel designated pilot and physician before entering private practice for ten years and finally focusing his full attention on Veterans’ perioperative care.

As a naval aviator, Will flew the F/A-18 Hornet from aircraft carriers in support of military operations in Iraq, Serbia, and Yugoslavia. After receiving his M.D. and training in Aerospace Medicine, he served as a U.S. Navy Flight Surgeon and a U.S. Department of Defense Manned Space Flight Surgeon in support of Space Shuttle operations. He later specialized in Anesthesiology and deployed to Afghanistan with a U.S. Navy Forward Surgical Team in support of Special Operations.

Will is active in inshore and near shore ocean racing sailor as well as an avid boater who, with his wife, enjoys exploring the Low Country shoreline.

Kathryn Cox
Board of Directors

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Fisher House Charleston

Kathryn Cox - Board of Directors

Kay arrived in Charleston from Connecticut in 2018 just in time to be a volunteer as the house opened. She is one of a number of the Order of St John members who support Fisher House Charleston.

A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist she was also very active in several charitable organizations including the New Britain Museum of Art, the Hartford Stage Company and the Renbrook School.

Steve Poulos
Board of Directors

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Fisher House Charleston

Steve Poulos - Board of Directors

Steve Poulos retired after nearly 34 years of service in the USAF and Georgia Air National Guard as a Colonel. He was a B-1B and E-8C pilot before serving on the headquarters staff at the Pentagon. He retired as a Maintenance Group Commander from the 165th Airlift Wing in Savannah, GA. Steve is an avid inshore fisherman who also enjoys woodworking and spending time with his wife and two children when they are home from college. He is active in supporting additional Veterans’ charitable programs such as The Elk Institute for Psychological Health and Performance and the Pegasus Equine Therapy.

Trux Emerson
Co-Founder

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Fisher House Charleston

Trux Emerson

Trux Emerson has a background in investment and real estate. He became a stockbroker in Washington, DC in 1972 with Legg Mason then Blythe, Eastman, Dillon and Sade & Co. and Thompson, McKinnon successively before co-founding Nye, Parnell & Emerson Capital Management in 1987, a registered investment advisor and ultimately sold in 1999.

After relocating to Bozeman, MT, Mr. Emerson commenced his career in real estate largely with Bridger Realty. After nine years in the Rockies, the Emersons moved to Tryon, NC, where Mr. Emerson co-founded Walker, Wallace & Emerson Realty in 1998, that specializes in premiere properties including horse farms in the Foothills of the Carolinas, Landrum, SC and Tryon, NC.

Most importantly, Mr T. Truxton Emerson is a direct descendant of Commodore Thomas Truxton, one of the first six officers in the US Navy. Commodore Truxton was the commanding officer of the USS Constellation during the War of 1812. The most current USS Truxton (DDG 103) was commisioned at Goose Creek, SC on April 26,2009.

USS Truxton Film
Commissioning of the USS Truxton

Incidently, Truxton Avenue is located on the old Charleston Navy Yard.

"It is this military legacy that has driven my desire to 'give back' to our Veterans through The Harbour House initiative, and now Fisher House here in the Charleston area"

Durbin Emerson
Co-Founder

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Fisher House Charleston

Durbin Emerson

"I have no military background, but I did graduate from college in 1973, the era of Viet Nam and a time of tremendous turmoil in so many aspects of our lives. In November of 1982, the Viet Nam War Memorial was dedicated at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. At the time, my husband and I were living in Alexandria, VA with our 3 year old and 7 month old daughters. I had taken them for haircuts and on the way home we passed the National Cathedral where I knew the names of the Viet Nam War Memorial Wall were being read. It was cold, dark, rainy, the children were tired and I knew we would be late getting home, but I felt this compulsion to go into the Cathedral and listen for just a little while to the reading of the names on that haunting Wall."

"At the time the reading was being done in the War Chapel which is a relatively small space beneath the nave of the Cathedral. At first, my children and I were the only ones there, but then I noticed several men in dark suits and a college classmate of mine that I knew worked in New York for a network news program. I asked her what she was doing there and she said, "The better question is, what are you doing here? President and Mrs. Reagan will be here any minute!" Within a few minutes, President and Mrs. Reagan came in and sat a few rows in front of us. To be in that lovely chapel at that moment, to listen to those name being read with my precious children and the President of the United States was an experience that to this day gives me chills."

"My only regret is that Tyler, now the mother of our two adorable grandchildren, and Alex were too young to remember or appreciate the significance of what happened, but I never get tired of telling them how special that day in November was. Since that time I have never been able to pass a person in military uniform without trying to thank them for their service. Harbour House, and now Fisher House, is a way to do that on an ongoing basis and has given me a purpose in my life for which I am profoundly grateful."

We are about giving back to our patriots that have secured our freedom.

The need for a Fisher House in Charleston was undeniable.

There are 75,000 Veterans and active military in the 22 coastal counties in South Carolina to Georgia. Due to high hotel room prices in Charleston, up to 25% of treated Veterans had family members sleeping in their hospital room or in their vehicle.

A Fisher House was needed.

The problem was that the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center didn’t have enough land to qualify for a Fisher House.

No Problem Too Big

Most people would have stopped there. With some out-of-the-box thinking and a whole lot of determination, Trux and Durbin Emerson, co-founders of Fisher House Charleston, came up with a plan that lead to raising $4,000,000 to purchase the current site in August 2014.

Perfect Solace

Today and Tomorrow

Fisher House Charleston Mission

To provide warm and inviting temporary accommodations to Veterans and their families while the veteran is receiving medical attention at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC.

Friends of Fisher House Charleston's Executive Committee

Edward Dolan
Operations Director

Joshua Strimple
President

Chris Ward
Vice President

Butler Carson Derrick
Secretary

James Elsey
Treasurer

Blase Carabello
Board of Directors

William Cramer
Board of Directors

Kathryn Cox
Board of Directors

Steve Poulos
Board of Directors

Trux Emerson
Co-Founder

Durbin Emerson
Co-Founder

We'd Love to Hear From You!