Solon “Russ” Russell Cotton, Jr. ’61

Russ passed away in his sleep on January 12, 2023, at The Gardens of Trent in New Bern. He had been a patient there for one month.

He was born January 9th, 1939, in Smithfield, N.C. to Nelda and Solon Cotton. He was preceded in death by his parents and his mother and father-in-law, Gladys and John Harper. He leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife, Sandi of 61 years; his daughter, Kim; his son, Rusty (Fran); and his three grandchildren, Brin, Lindsey, and Will Cotton.

Russ graduated from Red Springs High School in 1956. He was a post graduate of Randolph-Macon Military Academy in Front Royal, VA, in 1957 where he played football and baseball. He then attended Davidson College for 4 years and graduated in 1961. In his freshman year he was selected as Outstanding Freshman Athlete.

Following in his parents’ footsteps, he began his career in education and served as teacher/coach, principal, and assistant superintendent. In his 38 years he served in many N.C. school districts and received many honors and awards. He ended his tenure as superintendent of Pamlico County Schools in 1999. At his retirement he was awarded The Order of The Long Leaf Pine by Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr.

Thankfully, the superintendency of Pamlico Co. Schools brought us back home. Russ always had an affection for Pamlico County where he once lived. He was a dedicated educator and felt that was his “calling”.

The family will receive friends and relatives from 2 to 4:00 p.m., Sunday, January 15th at Daniels-Sadler Funeral Home. Private interment will be held in Amity Christian Church Cemetery.

May he rest in peace and know that he was well loved by faculty, administrators, friends and family.

Flowers are appreciated or contributions in his memory may be made to one’s favorite charity.

Frank “Alec” Alexander Gould, Jr. ’61

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.

Charles Marvin Parker ’61

Charles Marvin Parker died peacefully on August 29, 2022 in Roland Park, Maryland.

He was born in LaGrange, Georgia on March 29, 1938 to Charlie W. Parker and Marion Parker (née Hart).

He married Sue Marion Williams in LaGrange on December 20, 1958 and they had two children, Glenn P. Parker and Allison Parker-Abromitis.

In his early years Charlie was a musician, playing the trombone and was a part of the all district band. He was his high school drum major and voted most talented in his senior year. 

Charlie attended Davidson College in North Carolina on an ROTC scholarship and received a B.A. in English.

Charlie was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army in 1962 and served in military intelligence and counterintelligence for almost 40 years. He had tours of duty in South Korea and Vietnam, and was later stationed with his family in Tokyo, Japan and Nürnberg, Germany, before settling in Northern Virginia. In 1979, he earned a Master of Arts in Government from Georgetown while serving in the military.

Charlie was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Meritorious Service Medal, Legion of Merit, among others.

After retiring from civilian life, he trained to be a docent at the Library of Congress. As a student of history, it was a job he loved, but illness soon made it impossible for him to continue.

Charlie is survived by his children Allison and Glenn, Glenn’s wife, Faith, and by his granddaughter, Mariliza K. Parker. Charlie was predeceased by his wife, Sue, on July 29, 2022.

A celebration of life for Charlie and Sue will be held in October.

In lieu of flowers, his family suggests a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org).

Charles Lloyd “Pete” Wyrick ’61

Charles Lloyd “Pete” Wyrick of Charleston, South Carolina, husband of Constance Hooper Wyrick died on August 5, 2022, at the age of 83, leaving a loving family, wonderful friends and a legacy of lifelong support of the artistic and literary arts as vital parts of our community life. Known throughout his life as “Pete,” he was in turn an educator, museum director, photographer, artist, musician, sportsman, historic preservationist, writer, editor, publisher and often more than one of these things at a time. Born in May of 1939 and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, Pete was the eldest son of Charles Lloyd Wyrick and Edythe Ellis Wyrick. He graduated from Indian Springs School in Birmingham, Alabama (1957); Davidson College (1961); The University of North Carolina (1964) and continued his pre-doctoral studies at the University of Missouri while serving on the faculty of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. A member of the ROTC throughout college, Pete served a 4-year term of duty in Army Intelligence at Fort Holabird (Maryland) and Fort Bragg (North Carolina). Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he served in arts administration at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; as director of the Delaware Art Museum (Wilmington, Delaware) and the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston. During his tenure, he was selected for membership in the Art Museum Directors Association of America, and represented the United States in cultural exchanges with China and Costa Rica. An intrepid writer, art and architecture critic for the Richmond Times Dispatch, and award-winning poet, he increasingly focused his career on literary pursuits and in the 1980s acquired and edited Poor William’s Omnibus, a “slightly irreverent” monthly newspaper and founded Wyrick & Company, a Charleston-based book publishing enterprise that specialized in Southern authors, artists and food cultures, and brought together the skills of many talented writers, editors, designers and book production specialists. The company, established in 1986 was acquired in 2005 by Gibbes Smith Publishers of Utah. An enthusiastic supporter of the unique character of the Carolina Lowcountry, Pete served multiple terms and as chairman of the City of Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review; was a founding member and first president of the South Carolina Coastal Carolina Conservation League (1989-1995); and a tireless fundraiser for numerous non-profit organizations. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Connie; sons, Charles (Katherine) of Little Rock, Arkansas, Christopher (Sandi) of Los Angeles, California; grandchildren, Charles Harrison, Helen Constance, and Silas McSween; brother, Louis; sister, Melinda Ogburn (Jim); and many cousins, nephews and nieces. Memorial services and entombment will take place in the fall of this year at First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. Memorial contributions in his memory to the S.C. Coastal Conservation League (nancya@sccl.org); Gibbes Museum of Art (jross@GibbsMuseum.org); Historic Charleston Foundation (HistoricCharleston.org); or the American Heart Association (Heart.org/lowcountry contributions) would be greatly appreciated. Pete was an accomplished, erudite man of wit, charm and spirit who will be greatly missed. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel. A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.

George F. Reeves ’61

George F. Reeves, 82, of Avondale Estates, was born in Columbia, MS on October 13, 1939 and passed following a brief illness on June 5, 2022 in Decatur, GA.

George was educated at Davidson College followed by Columbia Theological Seminary and later Georgia Tech. He was a pastor for five years and then worked in computers all the way from punch cards to networking. A lifelong amateur radio enthusiast, he was passionate about music, singing, travel and family. He was active in the Presbyterian Church his whole life.

George is survived by wife, Marion Reeves, Avondale Estates; siblings, Blanche Woodiel, MO, Robert Reeves (Barbara), CA, Carol Adams (Paul), MS; children, Elizabeth Randolph, Lula, GA, Judi Stuart, Burlington, NC, G. Martin Reeves (Michelle), Decatur, GA, Catherine Aiken (Chris Place), Avondale Estates, GA; 6 grandchildren, 1 great-grandson as well as a large extended family.

Memorial to be held 10:00 AM, June 25, 2022 at North Decatur Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity, the Pastor’s Fund at North Decatur Presbyterian Church, or Clifton Sanctuary Ministries.