Frank “Alec” Alexander Gould, Jr., died peacefully surrounded by his family on September 7, 2022, at the age of 83. He was born on January 26, 1939, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his mother, father and stepfather, Kathleen Carpenter Wine, Frank Alexander Gould, Sr., and O. Walton Wine, Sr. He is survived by his wife, Kristine “Kristy” Lee Gould of Cedar Park, Texas; his sister, Mary Carpenter Gould Coulbourn and her husband, Tom, of Richmond, Virginia; his stepbrother O. Walton Wine, Jr. and his wife, Judie, of Harrisonburg, Virginia; his daughter Amy Carpenter Nolan and her husband, Kirk, of Austin, Texas; his daughter Haley Gould Schurz and her husband, Walker, of Lusaka, Zambia; his son Lee Alexander Gould of Brentwood, Tennessee; and his son David Ballard Gould of Springfield, Missouri. He had seven grandchildren, Benjamin Nolan, Claire Nolan, Timothy Schurz, Jessica Schurz, Austin Gould, Dylan Gould, and Colby Gould. His grandchildren called him “Pops.” Alec graduated from Davidson College in 1961 and was a member of the ATO fraternity.
He began his career with the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Colonial National Park in Yorktown, Virginia in 1962. After working four years at Fort Donelson National Military Park in Tennessee, he returned to Colonial as an interpretive supervisor. In 1970, he moved to Appomattox Court House, Appomattox, Virginia as Superintendent where he started a living history program that continues today. As Superintendent of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park from 1972-1981, in Johnson City, Texas, he worked with President and Mrs. Johnson to develop the LBJ Ranch as a historic site with cattle operations and an interpretive bus tour. His next superintendency was at Buffalo National River in Harrison, Arkansas. In 1987, he worked as a deputy regional director in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania helping to oversee parks in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and Virginia. Alec returned to Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown, Virginia in 1989 as Superintendent and retired from the National Park Service in 2011, after a 42-year career.
Alec was known professionally for his fair and principled leadership, and sought the good of each community where he served. He was active in local churches in each town where he lived, having been raised in the Presbyterian Church. Alec loved history, music, and was an accomplished golfer in his retirement. Above all his interests were his love and commitment to his family. He regularly sacrificed his time to support his wife, children, and grandchildren. He loved his mother Kathleen Wine, and visited her weekly until her passing at age 101. His wife Kristy reflected, “If you look up the word ‘gentleman’ in the dictionary, you would find Alec Gould’s name.” Alec moved with his wife Kristy to Cedar Park, Texas in 2019 and became active in many areas at The Enclave retirement facility. The family invites all friends to attend a memorial service for Alec on September 17th, 2022 at the Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills Funeral Home in Austin, Texas at 10:00 am.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com for the GOULD family.