Chick Stapleton (class of ’96), formerly known as Carolyn Dowd, loved the high school and took advantage of all that it offered, from music, sports, and clubs to school-sponsored activities. After graduation, it was a natural segue for an outgoing and kind young woman to enter the field of hospitality at Boston University. However, she continued to love kayaking, and traveled to Cape Breton to secure further certification, remaining there to work in wilderness camping and kayaking, where she encountered bears and moose as well as pods of whales.
Chick saw herself as a combo of Julie from the television show “The Love Boat” and an environmentalist who introduced the world of kayaking as a way to learn about nature, so that people would respect the outdoors while having fun.
Chick started Island Spirit Kayak on Martha’s Vineyard in 2000 with only a few kayaks. She continued to support herself through bartending, along with her small kayak business. However, in the off-season, she continued her travels to different locations: Australia, Thailand, Laos, and Puerto Rico — all the time kayaking!
She returned summers to the Vineyard and her Island Spirit business. During one of her summer returns to the Vineyard, she met her husband at a concert at the old Hot Tin Roof. They traveled to Vieques, Puerto Rico, where they lived seasonally both before and with their two kids for 18 years. Each summer, they returned to Martha’s Vineyard to build and improve Island Spirit into the amazing business it is now, with 18 employees. Chick’s company
works with the schools, providing opportunities for both our Island and tourist populations.
She also has another passion, The Friends of Sengekontacket (FOS), where Chick protects and cares for our Island through the “Carry In/Carry Out” posters that are created by schoolkids, the many beach cleanups, and a myriad of other ways FOS connects with our schools, instilling an awareness of our Island environment. Thanks, Chick, for always giving back to your Island home.
Marge Harris was a teacher at MVRHS for 27 years. You can contact her at margeharris@comcast.net. This column appears twice a month.