James C. Alexander Jr. ’43

Jim died Dec. 6, 2020, in Naples, Fla., his winter haven. He was 98.

Jim was born and raised in Fort Smith, Ark. His father was a gentleman farmer and vice president of Merchants National Bank. In the Nassau Herald, Jim said he expected to “engage in farming” upon graduation. His long life took him in many directions, but none of them toward farming.

Jim graduated with honors from Princeton with degrees in public and international affairs and in electrical engineering. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, came in second in the Lynde Prize Debate, was on the Woodrow Wilson Honorary Debate Panel, and was a member of Cloister Inn.

After graduation Jim was hired by Tennessee Eastman Corp. and then worked on the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tenn. In 1947 Jim went back to Fort Smith to work for Merchants National Bank, like his father. Except for a short departure to volunteer in the Navy in 1950, where he received his commission as a lieutenant, Jim spent most of his working life in Fort Smith. He retired from Merchants National Bank as CEO and director but remained active as president and an owner of the Revere Corp., an oil and gas exploration company.

Jim was predeceased by his wife of 42 years, June Boulogne, in 2017. The two participated in numerous civic, charitable, and business activities in Fort Smith. Chief among them was the Fort Smith Hospital and the Boys and Girls Club, for which June and Jim established the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Scholarship Fund.