Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Nugent Courvoisie (October 16, 1916 – April 30, 2006) was a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
Officer and Assistant Commandant of Cadets at
The Citadel
The Citadel Military College of South Carolina (simply known as The Citadel) is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1842, it is the third oldest of the six senior military colleges ...
who was the subject of ''
The Boo
''The Boo'' was the first book by writer Pat Conroy
Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016) was an American author who wrote several acclaimed novels and memoirs; his books ''The Water Is Wide (book), The Water is Wide'' ...
'', the first book authored by famed novelist
Pat Conroy
Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016) was an American author who wrote several acclaimed novels and memoirs; his books ''The Water Is Wide (book), The Water is Wide'', ''The Lords of Discipline'', ''The Prince of Tides (no ...
and the inspiration for “The Bear” in Conroy's novel ''
The Lords of Discipline''.
Biography
Born in
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
, he attended
Benedictine Military School, graduating in 1934. Starting in the fall of 1934, Courvousie attended The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, until health problems forced him to withdraw 2 years later. From 1936 he served as a crew member on a freighter, later joining the Georgia National Guard in 1938 and seeing combat in a field artillery unit during
The Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Returning to The Citadel in 1950 as a veteran student while serving as an instructor with the
South Carolina National Guard, he graduated in 1952 and was commissioned into the U.S. Army, serving in the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. In 1959 he was assigned to The Citadel as an Assistant Professor of Military Science and after retiring from the military in 1961 was appointed Assistant Commandant of Cadets for Discipline.
Courvoisie became a feared but respected figure and gained a reputation as a stern disciplinarian; his nickname “The Boo” came about when cadets described his hulking figure as "looking like a caribou" and then shortened the description. He famously referred to his charges as “Lambs” and addressed them as “Bubba” if all was well, or “Bum” if not. Despite his gruff exterior and demanding personality he could also be compassionate, bailing cadets out of jail or even paying for their class rings. He also worked behind the scenes to help smooth integration when the first black cadet matriculated in 1966. Pushed out in a political struggle with the administration in 1968, he was reassigned as warehouse supervisor and retired from the college in 1982.
Courvoisie's legend grew with the publishing in 1970 of ''
The Boo
''The Boo'' was the first book by writer Pat Conroy
Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016) was an American author who wrote several acclaimed novels and memoirs; his books ''The Water Is Wide (book), The Water is Wide'' ...
'', Pat Conroy's collection of short stories and reminiscences of his years on the campus; he was also the basis for the fictional character of Colonel Thomas Berrineau (“The Bear”) in Conroy's 1980 novel ''
The Lords of Discipline'', played in the 1983 movie version by actor
Robert Prosky
Robert Prosky (born Robert Joseph Porzuczek, December 13, 1930 – December 8, 2008) was an American actor. He became a well-known supporting actor in the 1980s with his roles in ''Thief (1981 film), Thief'' (1981), ''Christine (1983 film), Chris ...
. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by The Citadel in 2000 along with Conroy (who was ostracized by many alumni after the release of the book whose thinly veiled account of his time as a cadet was seen as an unflattering depiction of his ''alma mater)''. When the school opened a new alumni center in 2001, Conroy led a fundraising campaign to pay for the fitting out of the banquet room which was named “Courvoisie Hall.” Courvoisie was also awarded the
Order of the Palmetto, the highest honor given by the state of South Carolina, and received the
Bronze Star
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
for his combat service in World War II.
Legacy
Courvousie died of natural causes in 2006 at the age of 89 and was interred at the
Beaufort National Cemetery in
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, North Carolina) is a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston, South Carolina ...
. His first wife Elizabeth Genevieve Cosner, an Army Nurse whom he met during his military service, died in 1985; he was survived by third wife Helen Shanley and daughter Dr. Helen Courvoisie of Baltimore, Maryland. His son, Alfred Courvousie II (1947-2009), also attended The Citadel, graduating with the Class of 1969. Alfred did not follow his father into the U.S. Army, instead becoming a football, baseball and basketball coach at St. Andrew’s Parish High School in Charleston, South Carolina for 30 years.
Courvousie is featured prominently in two of fellow Citadel graduate Pat Conroy's books; the first, ''The Boo'', published in 1970, detailed stories of cadet life at The Citadel in the 1960s and how feared and respected Courvousie was in the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, as well as the political struggle that saw Courvousie transferred away from the Commandant's office. Conroy later wrote in an updated edition of ''The Boo'' of how Courvousie helped him come up with the first line of Conroy's best-known novel, ''The Lords of Discipline'': "I wear the ring."
Courvousie Banquet Hall, The Citadel's alumni center since 2001, was renovated in 2017 and continues to honor "The Boo" and his love for his ''alma mater''.
[https://citadelalumni.org/about/holliday-alumni-center/courvoisie-banquet-hall/]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courvousie, Thomas Nugent
United States Army colonels
1916 births
2006 deaths
United States Army personnel of World War II
United States Army personnel of the Korean War
Georgia National Guard personnel
South Carolina National Guard personnel