RIDGE SPRING, S.C. - Louise Boatwright Alexander of Fair Pines Plantation, Ridge Spring, South Carolina, died February 22, 2010. She was the widow of Fred Calvin Alexander. Born January 19, 1920, into one of the pioneer families that settled the Ridge section of South Carolina, she was the daughter of Benjamin and Henrietta Moore Boatwright. Mrs. Alexander graduated from Ashley Hall, Charleston and attended Converse College, Spartanburg. She studied at the Kingsmith Studio School, Washington, DC and received a degree in piano. She also attended The Julliard School in New York City where she studied piano pedagogy. She then taught at the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland. Among her students was Jacqueline Bouvier, who would later become First Lady of the United States, Mrs. John F. Kennedy. After the death of her father in 1955, Mrs. Alexander managed the family peach farm which she actively ran with her partner, James O. Grice, until her retirement in 1972. Respectful of South Carolina's agrarian roots, she was a tireless steward of the land ("they are not making any more of it"). She had an extensive knowledge of agriculture of the Ridge and maintained a lifelong interest in horticulture and gardening. An avid student of history, she was especially interested in the history of South Carolina and the Edgefield District. She was widely read with an extensive library and read the New York Times daily as her father had before her. Shortly before her death, she was interviewed about Robert Frost and his daughter, the late Leslie Frost Ballantine, with whom she had lived in Washington and had formed a life-long friendship. She also enjoyed entertaining, hosting relatives and friends on many festive occasions. Mrs. Alexander spent most of her life in Charlotte and Ridge Spring. While in Charlotte, she was a member of The Charlotte Country Club and Christ Episcopal Church before returning to Ridge Spring and her home church, Grace Episcopal, of which her Grandmother was a founder. She was a member of the Garden Club of America and was President of the Palmetto Garden Club of South Carolina from 1982 through 1984. Mrs. Alexander was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the South Caroliniana Society, where she served on the executive council, a Life Member of the Edgefield County Historical Society and a Charter Member of the Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society. She was also a member of The Edgefield History Class and the Green Boundary Club. She is survived by her two sons, Richard Boatwright Alexander and his wife Anne Harper of Charlotte, NC and Benjamin Boatwright Alexander of Weirton, W.VA; three step-sons, Fred Calvin Alexander Jr. and his wife Janet of Alexandria, VA, William White Alexander of Hendersonville, NC, and Markham Robertson Alexander and his wife Linda of Atlanta, GA; four grandchildren, Fred Calvin Alexander III and his wife Holly, Elizabeth Spotswood Alexander Spencer and her husband Glen, Richard Boatwright Alexander Jr. and his wife Christie and Louise Boatwright Alexander, as well as two great grandchildren, Fred Calvin Alexander IV and Montgomery Spotswood Alexander. A rite of the Burial of the Dead will be held at 2pm on Thursday, February 25, 2010, at Grace Episcopal Church, followed by interment at Ridge Spring Cemetery. After the services the family will receive friends at Mrs. Alexander's home, Fair Pines Plantation. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, Ridge Spring or the South Caroliniana Library, Columbia. Edgefield Mercantile Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Sign the guestbook at AugustaChronicle.com
The Augusta Chronicle-February 24, 2010
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