He would hold the role as third-in-command at the school for eight years.

When he told the school’s board of visitors he was stepping down, he said he had accomplished what he came to do — help men and women cadets coexist at the college.

“I feel I made a small difference in the life of The Citadel,” Mace said in 2005 when announcing his retirement.

That year, when state lawmakers recognized Mace for his contributions at the state’s military college, the resolution noted that under his leadership some 95 women had graduated from the Corps of Cadets.

The year Mace retired as commandant, the 1,900-member body included about 120 women.

In an April 16 statement, Citadel President Gen. Glenn Walters noted Mace led “our cadets and community through a period of tremendous change.”

“He was a model Citadel officer and he will be greatly missed. On behalf of The Citadel, Gail and I offer our deepest condolences to his entire family on his passing,” he said.

Born in Hampton County, Mace attended The Citadel and earned the nickname “Bulldog.” He graduated in 1963.

He became something of a living legend. In her memoir, Nancy Mace wrote that her father built a near-mythic reputation at The Citadel for his extreme backwoods antics, including poaching alligators to pay for school and using them to intimidate freshmen.

In one story, he allegedly threw a live alligator into a cadet’s room to make a point about discipline, while in another, he chained a gator to the parade field overnight, leaving officers scrambling to remove it the next morning.

The stories, she wrote, cemented his image as both feared and legendary among cadets.

The persona he cultivated as a cadet was later reinforced by his record in combat.

He served in the Army for 28 years and retired as an infantry brigadier general. His service in Vietnam made him one of the most decorated graduates The Citadel ever produced.