Kenneth F. Eldredge ’45
Kenneth F. Eldredge ’45 died on June 8 at The Terraces in Orleans, Massachusetts. He was born and raised in Chatham, Massachusetts. He came to Dartmouth from Deerfield Academy and was a member of Sigma Nu during his years in Hanover. After Dartmouth he served in the Coast Guard Port of Boston Band, providing music for the troops on the transport ships to England during WW II. Ken was co-owner and president of the Acme Laundry Co. for more than 68 years. He was a founding member of the Chatham Conservation Foundation, a life member of St. Martin’s Lodge, and served on the Chatham finance committee from 1957 to 1972 (as chair, 1959-66) and as trustee of the Cape Cod Hospital from 1967 to 1981 (as president and chair, 1972-75). A lifelong avid fisherman, Ken enjoyed bass fishing weekends with friends at Backlash, his camp on North Beach, and scow-banging with his family in his whaler, Wetwash. Ken’s greatest passion was his affiliation with the Chatham Band—as a member from the age of 16 until his death and as band director for 19 years. Each year he eagerly awaited the summer concerts. Providing entertainment for an audience was a true joy. Besides Franca, his wife of 35 years, Ken leaves son Kenneth and his wife, Loris; daughter Christine; son Kevin and his wife, Susan; stepson R. Scott and his wife, Geraldine; grandchildren Taylor, Eliza, and Kathleen; stepgrandchildren Christopher, Caitlyn, and Courtney; great-grandchildren Brianna, Braydon, and Rowan; and many nieces and nephews.
