Mary Ellen Alexander passed away peacefully on Thanksgiving Day, (11/28/2004) surrounded by family members in Cary, North Carolina. Mary Ellen was born in Hattiesburg on January 21, 1921 and moved to Long Beach in 1923 with her father, Geoffrey Steele Watrous, and mother, May Quarles Watrous, the daughter of William James Quarles -- farmer, postmaster, schoolteacher, merchant and a founder of Long Beach.

Mary Ellen was educated in the Long Beach schools, graduating in 1938, and was awarded a scholarship to Gulf Park College. She transferred to Mississippi State College for Women and graduated cum laude in 1942. Following graduation, she taught high school science in Tennessee and then in Pass Christian. She married her high-school sweetheart Frank W. Alexander in 1946 and worked as a home economist for the Mississippi Power Company until their first child was born. Her husband completed law school in 1953 and practiced law in Gulfport until he was elected Chancery Judge in 1967.

Mary Ellen was a lifetime member of Long Beach Presbyterian Church and served as pianist and organist for nearly 45 years. She served as President of the Women of the Church in both the Presbytery and the Synod of Mississippi. In 1964 she represented her denomination at the World Presbyterian Alliance in Frankfurt, Germany. She was ordained as a Ruling Elder of the church and was the first woman Moderator of the South Mississippi Presbytery in 1982. She served on the Presbyterian Board of World Missions, the Board of Directors of Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, and on the Synod of Mississippi Institutions Committee. She served for 12 years as Clerk of the Session of the Long Beach Presbyterian Church and later was honored as Elder Emeritus.

After her beloved husband Frank died in 1994, Mary Ellen devoted her energy to a number of projects. She updated her book, Rosalie and Radishes, A History of Long Beach, Mississippi. As the Historical Coordinator for the City of Long Beach, she was a frequent speaker at local events. In 1997, she organized a steering committee that led to the founding of the Long Beach Historical Society and served as its first president. Mary Ellen was honored by Long Beach as its Citizen of the Year in 1997. The following year, the Long Beach Historical Society established the Mary Ellen Alexander Lifetime Achievement Award in her honor.

After moving to Cary, NC in November of 2002, she became a resident of Glenaire Presbyterian Retirement Community, and enjoyed being closer to her children and their families. She returned to Long Beach several times during 2003 before her health prevented her from making further visits home.

Mary Ellen is survived by her brother William F. Watrous of Long Beach; her son William James Alexander, MD and wife Laura of Cary, NC; her daughter Janet Griffin and husband Christopher of Hyattsville, MD; grandchildren Alyssa Alexander, Brian Alexander, and Deirdre Griffin.

Long Beach understands its history better than most small towns for one reason, the late Mary Ellen Alexander, who published "Rosalie and Radishes" in 1980 and updated it in 2001.

This "Mrs. History" is remembered for her passion to get facts right and to chronicle the smallest details of the growth of her hometown and those who helped it grow, including her own Quarles and Watrous relatives.

Because of her research, such tales as the legend of Captain Pitcher, a pirate who left behind a curse when his angry men burned him to death, are preserved for future generations. So are the names of the families, churches, businesses, politicians and educators who shaped Long Beach.

"Its history depicts the courage, the commitment and the perseverance of its early settlers, the forebearers of many present-day Long Beach residents, as they cleared the land, built their homes, their churches and their schools, made for themselves and their families a meager livelihood and overcame obstacles such as those which were faced by all early pioneers."