City rakes in Southern Living reader awards

Charleston charms Readers of Southern Living magazine recently showed their love for the Holy City. In the magazine's 2005 Readers' Choice Awards, Charleston held the record as favorite city among the magazine's voting readers. It also was the second-place winner, after Atlanta, for the best shopping destination. Other local honors included top seafood restaurant, Hyman's Seafood, and two of the top splurge restaurants in the South, Magnolia's and Charleston Grill. Charleston also boasted second-place finishers in two of the accommodations categories: Two Meeting Street Inn and Charleston Place. The magazine's Web site, southernliving.com, offered these thoughts on visiting the city: "The historic district packs a lot into a small area, so you don't need to worry about driving from place to place. Just park, and walk to a slew of superb restaurants, shops, and galleries. Factor in carriage rides and a waterfront, with everything from a first-class aquarium to old-fashioned swings in which to sit and watch ships passing and dolphins playing, and you have the makings of a fabulous stay. In fact, if you're like us, you'll hate to leave." Readers who participated in the 2005 survey were eligible to win a prize through a random drawing. The booty? A trip to Charleston. Giants of generosity Two of South Carolina's biggest businessmen got some ink last week for being two of the country's most generous philanthropists. Bill Goodwin, the leader of a cadre of investors who own Kiawah Island Golf Resort, and his wife, Alice, grabbed the No. 30 slot on the "Slate 60," a roster of the top 60 donors compiled by online magazine Slate.com. The pair gave some $32.5 million last year to the School of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Goodwin earned a degree in medical technology from the institution. William Godfrey, president of Hilton Head-based real estate firm Trinity Associates, grabbed the No. 47 spot by giving $25 million worth of land to Indiana University, his alma mater. It was Godfrey's first time on the list. The Goodwins were on the roster in 2002 for an $88.5 million gift. Slate says the idea behind its list is to make philanthropy competitive so big wheels will stretch to be recognized for their giving the same way many of them jockey for a slot on net-worth rosters like the Forbes 400. The strategy appears to be working. In the 10 years Slate has been compiling the roster along with The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the annual amount given by those listed has more than tripled to $4.3 billion.

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