The Oscar and
Mamie Reynolds
Alexander Family

Oscar and Mamie Alexander had two daughters and five sons:

The oldest, George Smith Alexander, (photograph above, upper row, center) was born February 19, 1906 in Moore County, where he attended Elise High School. He then attended Duke University and became a dentist, establishing his practice in Kannapolis. He married Glenna Satterwhite, who was born November 21, 1907 in Atlanta, Georgia. George died March 2, 1967, and Glenna died September 8, 2002. Their grave is in Carolina Memorial Park in Kannapolis.

Ernest Raymond Alexander (photograph above, lower row, far left) was born in Moore County on August 21, 1908 and attended Duke University. He practiced law in Cabarrus County, where he was County Court Solicitor and judge of Cabarrus County Recorder's Court. He was also a member of the North Carolina Commission for the Blind. His wife, Mildred Parker, was born November 23, 1906 and died August 18, 1986. They are both buried at Carolina Memorial Park. Their son, Raymond, was an attorney and judge in Greensboro, N. C.

William Edgar Alexander (photograph above, upper row, far left) was born in Moore County February 9, 1910. He attended Duke University. From 1933-38 he taught Mathematics and Science at Elise High School in Robbins, N.C., where he also coached and was Dean of Boys. His beginning salary was $600 a year.

As Dean, Edgar used to threaten the boys with a bottle of Castor Oil when they tried to cut class by pretending to be sick. He joked that the sight of the bottle itself was a cure, while most medicines had to be swallowed.

He also had some trouble curing the boys of cursing, which he punished by assigning them to cut up firewood for the furnace in their dormitory. At that time they were burning railroad ties, which required a lot of labor with a crosscut saw. When Edgar accidentally spilled tacks in the hallway and several barefoot boys came running through, he acquired a lot of woodcutting help.*

After military service in World War II, Edgar attended Emory University School of Dentistry and established a practice in Robbins, N. C. He married Frances Plonk of Kings Mountain. He died November 9, 1987. They were both buried at Mountain Rest Cemetery in Kings Mountain.

Hugh Quincy Alexander (photograph above, upper row, far right), was born in Moore County on August 7, 1911. He graduated from Duke University in 1932. He worked in the textile mills in Kannapolis, then attended law school at the University of North Carolina and graduated in 1937, when he was admitted to the bar and began practice as an attorney in Kannapolis.

Hugh married Myrtle Elizabeth White and had four children. From 1942-46 he served in the U.S. Navy, almost three years of that time overseas. He went to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1947 and 1949. He was the solicitor of the Cabarrus County Recorders Court from 1950-1952 and was the State commander of the American Legion in 1951.

Hugh served as a Democratic Congressman from North Carolina from January 3, 1953-January 3, 1963. After that, he served as chief counsel of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee from 1963-1976. A 33rd Degree Mason, he was also a Shriner. He continued to live in Kannapolis, N.C., until his death there on September 17, 1989. He was buried at Carolina Memorial Park.

A daughter, Alma Glenn Alexander, was born September 19, 1914 and died July 20, 1915. She was buried at Euphronia Presbyterian Church in Lee County, next to her grandparents, John Smith and Margaret M. Alexander.

Margaret Ann Alexander (photograph above, lower row, far right) was born May 12, 1917 in Moore County. She earned a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University and taught school in Cabarrus County. She received a master's degree in speech therapy from Western Carolina University and also worked in the Iredell County Schools. Margaret died September 25, 1974 and was buried at Carolina Memorial Park.

Ralph Lewis Alexander (photograph above, lower row, center) was born December 10, 1919. He attended Wake Forest University and passed the bar in 1942, just in time before he entered the Navy during World War II. He left the service as a Lieutenant. He married Julia Ann McKnight April 8, 1943. He and Julianne have four children. Lewis served as attorney for the town of Elkin, N.C. for 54 years.

Sources:

*West, Edwin Arthur, Elise High School and Upper Moore County (New Bern: Owen G. Dunn Co., 1974)

accounts of family members

From Mecklenburg to Moore: Four North Carolina Families    /The Oscar and Mamie Reynolds Alexander Family
© 2001 by Glenda Alexander, updated April 2007        Standard copyright restrictions apply.

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