It is with great sadness that Golf Canada, Alberta Golf and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame mourns the loss of R. Keith Alexander, who passed away Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at the age of 84.
In further sadness, the Alexander family is also mourning the loss of Keith’s wife Vanessa who passed away one day earlier on Remembrance Day, Tuesday November 11, 2014.
Born July 23, 1930 in Vulcan, Alta., Keith Alexander was an accomplished Canadian golfer who took his passion for and commitment to the sport from the golf course to the boardroom.
The 1960 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion and six-time Alberta Men’s Amateur champion went on to win the 1992 Senior Golf Championship of Canada before turning professional and focusing his attention on the Senior PGA Tour in 1993.
During his amateur playing career, he represented Canada at numerous international competitions including six times at the World Amateur Team Championship (1960, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1972, and 1976) and five times in the America’s Cup Team Matches (1960, 1961, 1963, 1965, and 1967).
A long-time member at the Calgary Golf and Country Club, he was a six-time Alberta Men’s Amateur champion (1957, 1964, 1966, 1977, 1978, 1981), represented the province on 26 occasions in Interprovincial Team play and won a pair of Alberta Open titles (1967, 1980).
As an administrator and volunteer, Alexander was an instrumental part of the Alberta Golf Association (now Alberta Golf) from 1968 through 1982, serving as President of the Association in 1977.
Through his affiliation with the Alberta Golf Association, Alexander was a driving force working with the provincial government in the development of Kananaskis, the Robert Trent Jones designed, 36-hole golf course in Alberta’s Kananaskis country.
Off the golf course, he was a member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly from 1979 until November 1985 when he resigned to allow Premier Don Getty to have a seat in the Legislature.
Alexander’s contributions to the game of golf were honoured in 1986 with induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Keith was also an inductee of the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at First Alliance Church, 12345 – 40th St. SE Calgary at 11:00 am.