Alec was born in Boston on October 22, 1937. The third of three sons, his family lived for many years on the South Shore of Boston, before moving to Tilton, New Hampshire, where they operated a small dairy farm until it burned to the ground in 1954. Following a move to “the next town over,” the family converted their farm into a golf course named Den Brae Golf Course, a name that comes from Scotland, as did Alec’s dad. According to Alec, his “Ma was a Boston Baked Bean, horsebun aristocracy as some might say.”

After high school, Alec attended Keene State College, where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education, before moving on to Syracuse for his Doctorate. For 28 years his career centered around Special Education. In 1987 he began studying for the ministry at Bangor Theological Seminary in Bangor, Maine, and was ordained as a UU minister on June 17th, 1990. He began his ministerial career at The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sangerville in Maine, and retired from the ministry to move to Florida on December 30, 2000. Retirement did not last long, however, as Alec was soon called to serve with Rev, Susanne Nazian at the St, Petersburg church, where he stayed for 3-1/2 years. After another shot at retirement, Spirit of Life convinced him to un-retire once again and accept a position as our Consulting Minister during our transition between ministries.

Alec married his wife, Penny in Laconia, NH on July 13, 1985 at the UU church there, bringing along two children from a previous marriage, Geoffrey and Emily. The Craigs have two granddaughters, Allora, who lives with them, and Hannah. Penny teaches at Madeira Beach Middle School, and enjoys playing music and participating in local theatre productions.

Though ministry was “on the back burner from age 12”, Alec says it came at the right time for him in 1987, and once the decision was made, his dedication became so strong that he still seems to find it difficult to retire, even though he has tried now twice. Spirit of Life is proud to have been able to persuade Alec to hang in there a little bit longer, and we are happy to have such an experienced and upbeat minister during this time of transition.

As our Consulting Minister, Alec speaks twice a month and is available for consultation with the church and its members at any time. To schedule a meeting with Alec, you can call the church office 24/7 at 813-792-1622 and leave a message or email at minister@spiritoflifeuu.org (note: Phone is the preferred method of contact).