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.

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).

[9] 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 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.