The Alexandria City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to place a memorial at Bringhurst Golf Course in honor of Scott Overton Brame. Brame, who was instrumental in leading efforts to renovate the historic golf course, died March 31 at the age of 90.
“He fundamentally rebuilt the golf course,” Councilman Chuck Fowler said as the motion was presented to the City Council. “It’s a good thing to honor such a wonderful person.”
The memorial will feature a plaque and six crepe myrtles, one representing each of Brame’s children – Catherine, Grady, Scott, Ann, Michael and Jack. The memorial will be placed on the approach to the
sixth hole. “We wanted a spot where it wouldn’t be in the way,” explained Jack Brame, the youngest of the six children. “There is a bench there, and you could sit on the bench and watch players on the course without worrying about getting hit.”
The 9-hole course, which was built in the 1920s and is considered the oldest par 3 in America, had fallen into such disrepair in the early 2000s it was nearly unplayable and closed in 2006. As founder and president of The Friends of Bringhurst, Brame helped raise tens of thousands of dollars to renovate the course in a two-year “Save the Brink” campaign. The course re-opened in 2010 and is part of the City of Alexandria Parks and Recreation Department.
“He was single-handedly responsible for the growth and maintenance of Bringhurst Golf Course,” said Councilman Harry Silver after the meeting. “And because of what he did, it will be sustained for a long, long time.”
The Alexandria native was also instrumental in establishing an annual junior golf clinic for area youth. Clubs and balls were provided at no charge and Brame and other area golfers helped teach the participants. “He did it out of a love of golf and of kids,” Fowler added. “It’s amazing to see what it was and what it is today.”
A graduate of LSU, Brame was best known in his business career as the former president and CEO of Cleco. He started with the electric utility company in 1949 and stayed with Cleco until retiring in 1993, with the only break in service coming when he served in the Korean War.
In addition to his support of Bringhurst Golf Course Brame had an extensive legacy of civic involvement. He was the first board chair for Working People’s Free Clinic, now Community Healthworx, and a founder of Handi Works Productions. He was also a founding member of the LSUA Foundation. He served on the board of organizations including Central Louisiana Community Foundation, Family Counseling Agency, United Way of Central Louisiana, Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital, Coughlin Saunders Foundation, the Rotary Club of Alexandria and many others. Beyond Central Louisiana, Brame was a former board chair for Council for a Better Louisiana, a member of the Louisiana Board of Regents and a former board chair for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Louisiana.
