The following is the fifth in a series of articles focusing on those who have served Pine Knoll Shores in the role of mayor.
Mary I. Kanyha
First Woman Mayor of Pine Knoll Shores
This unique community we are honored to be a part of is rooted in a past filled with exceptional people, including our 10 mayors who have been guidingthe ship since 1973 when the town incorporated. By charter, the Board of Commissioners is our governing body, and members are elected by our citizens. In 1973, the first Board of Commissioners chose one of their own members to serve as mayor.
Fast forward to 1991 and Mary Kanyha, the first woman chosen to be mayor of our town through the same process experienced by the previous male mayors. A member of our History Committee sat down with Ms. Kanyha in 2019 to learn more about her journey to Pine Knoll Shores and her service to the town. The events she shared are in a live video interview that will become part of the History Committee’s archives.
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| Corrine Geer swears in Mary Kanyha as Mayor of Pine Knoll Shores, December 1991. |
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| Mayor Kanyha already at work in her office at Town Hall, December 1991. |
In 1969, Ms. Kanyha read in The New York Times (or was it The Wall Street Journal?) that Teddy Roosevelt’s ancestors were starting a place on an island called Bogue Banks in North Carolina for people wanting to enjoy a beach and waterways. The advertisement went on to say it would have a country club, a canal, access to the beach and to everything else anyone would ever dream of having. Ms. Kanyha had begun thinking about when she would retire, but she was way too young. She was still teaching junior and senior high school math and coaching swimming and tennis. Yet, the advertisement was intriguing.
She decided to go to Bogue Banks, check it out, choose a lot and maybe buy it before anyone else did. Ms. Kanyha said they had considered retiring in Florida. One of their four children lived there, but no island in Florida had a golf course, and Florida was wall-to-wall concrete buildings and had too much congestion; when she reached Pine Knoll Shores, she was met with greenery and trees. She loved that, and isn’t that something we hear all the time from those living here or visiting?
Ms. Kanyha had a beach house in New
Jersey where the beaches were getting crowded and was an avid golfer and tennis
player. On weekends, she had to get up at 5:30 a.m. to fight traffic to the
mainland to play golf and tennis. Having a country club around the corner would
be perfect. Like so many do, she went home to think about it. Upon her return
in 1972, she saw more houses had been built and that it was time to choose her
property. Being familiar with property at the beach, she knew she had to pick a
property that was at least 10 feet above sea level. As we all know, that’s not
a problem in Pine Knoll Shores. Since the town was, in her words, wall-to-wall
trees, there was no way to see what she was buying. The lot she chose was on
Salter Path Road, across the road from the beach and Ocean Park, so when she
left to return to New Jersey and her teaching job, she was confident that the
lot she had just bought would be perfect.
Ms. Kanyha returned in 1977 and
built her home on that lot and continues to own it to this day. She said at the
time she chose her lot she was told there would be a private bridge from the
mainland right to town connecting with Pine Knoll Boulevard and in the 160
acres of maritime forest there would be stables where you could keep your horse.
With a stable for your horse (she grew up on a farm and had her own horse), a
golf course, tennis courts, the beach and a waterway where she could keep her
boat in her backyard, it would be heaven. Could things get any better? Although
the bridge and horse stables didn’t make it through final planning, the town
offered so much more that did please her.
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| PKS Garden Club's Arbor Day Memorial Planting, March 20, 1992 Shoreline Photo |
In 1981, when Ms. Kanyha retired
from teaching after 30 years, she traded her second-home owner status for
full-time resident and moved to Pine Knoll Shores. In the early ’80s, as others
who read the same advertisement began moving here and no one knew anyone, the
country club became the social hub of the town. New transplants made sure there
was a party somewhere every night to bring neighbors together. At one point,
Ms. Kanyha joined and served as the president of the Women’s Club—what a great
way to meet people.
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| Mayor Kanyha and organizer Lois Jean O'Keefe lead the celebration of the Town's 20th Anniversary of Incorporation, April 1973-1993. |
With a B. A. in accounting and masters
in both mathematics and computer science, Ms. Kanyha wanted to put her skills
to work for the town. She first applied for a position on the Planning Board to
no avail. She felt that may have been a signal to learn more about the town so
she began familiarizing herself with the town ordinances. Eventually, she did
become a member of the Planning Board and served for four years. Her next goal was to serve on the Board
of Commissioners. With no prior political experience, it was time to hit the
campaign trail. Being proficient on the computer, she used her computer skills
to create a flyer to hand out to town residents highlighting her
qualifications, identified the town’s voter base and developed a strategy.
Since so many property owners are second-home owners and not registered voters
here, she met with each of the HOA managers to identify those who were permanent
residents. Then, armed with that critical information and her flyer, she
started canvassing town on her bike. That personal face-to-face approach, along
with her pleasant, happy, determined personality, won her a spot on the Board
of Commissioners in 1991.
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| Mayor Kanyha, conference speaker at the NC Association of Municipal Clerks, 1993. |
At that time, commissioners were
elected by the voters but the mayor was chosen from within the ranks. Ms.
Kanyha laughingly said her fellow commissioners, all male, chose her as the
mayor because the mayor didn’t have a vote and they didn’t want a woman voting
on the issues.
One of her first crusades was getting the state to add a two-foot bike lane on the new Salter Path Road that had just been installed. That took a trip to Raleigh, and the bike lane you take for granted today was not there prior to the concern Ms. Kanyha had for the safety of our citizens. She did mention during the interview that she was disappointed the town sidewalk system was on the north side of the road, whereas the sidewalks on the rest of Bogue Banks were on the south side.
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| Former Mayor Kanyha salutes EMS & Fire Department volunteers at annual Christmas party, Garner Park, December 2003. |
One could safely say that Ms. Kanyha did not really retire when she moved to Pine Knoll Shores. In addition to serving on the town’s Planning Board, Community Appearance Commission and Board of Commissioners, she served as a block captain for the Civil Preparedness Organization, a reporter for The Shoreline, president of the Bogue Banks Country Club Tennis Association, chairperson for Emergency Housing, and held many positions in her church. She practiced what she preached: “You should go all out every day and not wait until tomorrow to live life.” And in so doing, she contributed immeasurably to our community.
Ms. Kanyha spends more time away from town now with family, but her love for this piece of paradise has not waned over the years. When she returns on visits, she is once again drawn to the beach and Ocean Park. She remembers fondly the daily gatherings at the sittum where you would meet new people and renew old friendships.
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| Mary Kanyha and Mary Cam Boudreau join fellow LGA members for a round of golf in May 2015 at the Country Club of the Crystal Coast. Photo by Jean Macheca. |
We hear it so often: What makes Pine
Knoll Shores so special? Yes, the beautiful maritime forest we are committed to
protecting is special, but it’s the people—those like Ms. Kanyha who share
their talents as they create a much richer environment for all who are
fortunate to call Pine Knoll Shores home.
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Post Author: Kathy Werle with assistance of Martha Edwards’ oral history interview, August 2019
Published in The Shoreline, July 2020