Carol S. Anderson

Carol Jean “Ace” Scogland was born in Brooklyn New York on July 7, 1941. She often recalled that her earliest memory was of sitting on a mailbox in Brooklyn on a day that everyone around her was going bonkers with happiness. That day was V-J Day and the end of WW2.

She was the first child of Eugene Vincent Scogland, a reserve Army Officer and Muriel Agnes Maclin. She was followed by two younger brothers, Richard and Steven. Shortly after the conclusion of World War Two, the family moved to Bethpage, Long Island and stayed there throughout her high school years. While there she played softball for her high school earning a varsity letter and worked in the butcher department of the local grocer. The Brooklyn Dodgers broke her heart when they moved to the left coast. Carol graduated from Island Trees High School in 1959 and, as was the custom of the day, gave up the opportunity to go to college so that her brothers might.

She immediately entered the workforce and quickly became the executive assistant for the VP of the electronics division at Sperry Rand corporation at Hanscom Field AFB just outside of Boston. It is there she met William “Bill’ Anderson in early 1962 and after a whirlwind courtship they were married on December 22, 1962 in Sudbury, MA. They adopted their first ‘child’ a beagle mix hound named Sos who lived with them for nearly 19 years.

Soon Bill received orders and they moved to the small town of Brindisi on the east coast of Italy. Thus began the next 17 years of Carol’s life as she followed and supported Bill in his Air Force career across the globe. When Bill was sent to Vietnam in 1963, she returned to stay with her in-laws in Arlington, VA, dutifully keeping the secret of Bill’s location. Upon his return, they were then posted to Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, NM; Dobbins AFB, Atlanta, GA and finally the Pentagon and USAF Systems Command. They settled in Alexandria on Wolfe Street in July 1969. It is there where her real challenge began in earnest, raising their only son, Scott. With unfailing dedication, Carol taught her young son the value of integrity, timeliness, and manners. I cannot recall a day when a standard was not upheld, a meal was missed, nor an appointment or promise not kept. Carol was an exceptional chef as anyone who attended her many dinner parties can attest. To the very end, Carol could whip up a world class meal with just a few items and insisted on making dinner an event for her husband and son despite her infirmities.

Throughout her life, Carol traveled extensively, visiting places that not many have the privilege of witnessing. She was in West Berlin before the fall of the Wall, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the Acropolis at Athens, the Great Pyramids at Giza, Cairo among many other places. She brought tales of these travels and the people she met home to her young son, fueling his imagination and desire to see the world.

Carol’s strength of character, dedication and loyalty, attention to detail, and intelligence that served her so well as a wife and mother and in her short career at Sperry Rand came to bear as she flourished in Old Town civic and social life. Throughout her 57 years in Old Town Carol remained active in numerous local charitable, historical, and social groups, often being elected to or volunteering for leadership positions. She was a member of The Twig, the Junior Auxiliary of Inova Alexandria Hospital since 2007, a past president of the Old Town Civic Association, the secretary for Old Town Walled Garden Club, a member of the Alexandria Association, the Lyceum, the Alexandria Historical Society, and a volunteer and part-time employee for the American Red Cross. Along with Bill she was a founding member of Antiques in Alexandria, and she routinely attended meetings of the Washington Map Society and at times was a regular at the Old Dominion Boat Club. Members of these organizations and her neighbors repeatedly mentioned her gracious and selfless manner and warm smile. Carol could make anyone feel valued and respected within moments of meeting her even if you were daft enough to be a Yankees or Dallas Cowboys fan.

On August 27, 2026, Carol’s loving family, Old Town Alexandria, the U.S. military, the United States and the world lost the Grande Dame of Wolfe St; an incredible woman, devoted wife and mother, and champion. She will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on November 6th, 2026, to await her husband, Bill. She is also survived by her younger brothers Richard and Steven Scogland, her son Scott, his wife Margo, her grandchildren, Nathan, Cameron, and Abigail and her ‘adopted’ son Jon. Godspeed Mom, I’ll see you soon.

LUMS

Virginia Beach, VA

21 Oct 2026