Charles Leroy Eldridge

Charles Leroy Eldridge, 89, a familiar figure in the history of Murray State University for more than four decades, died at home on his farm near Murray at 4:55 p.m. Monday, June 17, 2013, with his wife and children at his side.
Known for his people skills and his passion for the value of higher education, Mr. Eldridge served 41 years on the campus as teacher, student recruiter, and administrator before his retirement in 1984. A die-hard Racer basketball fan, he remained active for several years after retirement as an academic adviser for the basketball program.
Born Oct. 12, 1923, to Otis and Lonie Steele Eldridge, he spent his early years on a farm at Hamlin near Pine Bluff on the Tennessee River. He enrolled at Murray State following graduation from New Concord High School in 1941.
Mr. Eldridge married his high school sweetheart, Kate Houston, on Oct. 24, 1943. It was a union that spanned almost 70 years.
His college experience was interrupted by the World War II years. While serving in the army, he was seriously injured and had surgery that kept him hospitalized several months before he was discharged in late 1944.
After military service, he completed his bachelor's degree at Murray State and earned a master's degree at the University of Kentucky.
His teaching areas for 13 years at Murray Training School on the campus were agriculture, math and biology. He not only taught but served as a mentor to his students and then maintained relationships with them through the ensuing years as he followed their career paths.
As director of the student recruitment effort on the campus, he carried the message of Murray State to thousands of high school and junior college students in Kentucky and surrounding states for several years. He retired as assistant dean of admissions in1984 and in 1995 was presented a Golden Horseshoe Award by the MSU Alumni Association in recognition of loyal and devoted service and many contributions to his alma mater.
Mr. Eldridge was active and outgoing in both professional and personal life. He was elected president of four statewide organizations in the field of education and was a past president of the Murray Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow.



Always a leader in church activities, he served as a teacher, deacon and elder for many years at the University Church of Christ. In more recent years, he was a member of the congregation at Glendale Road Church of Christ.
He and his beloved wife Kate shared the pleasure of watching their two children enjoy notable success in their careers as pediatrician and teacher. He also took special delight in outdoor activities such as camping and fishing with six grandchildren and sometimes wrote poetry to them.
In addition to his wife Kate, survivors include a son, Dr. Charles Eldridge and wife Nancy, Andalusia, Ala.; a daughter, Deborah Adams and husband Ed, Hendersonville, Tenn.; a sister, Lillie Fuqua, Murray; six grandchildren, Jonathan S. and Michael E. Eldridge, Billy Bergfeld and wife Kelly, Charles T. Eldridge and wife Megan, Paul Adams and wife Emily, and Lauren Howard and husband Jared; and three great-grandchildren, Adalyn Grace Adams, Ramsey Kate Bergfeld and Emma Kate Howard.
Besides his parents, Mr. Eldridge was preceded in death by two sisters, Lurline Bucy and Tillie Geurin.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 21, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at the J.H. Churchill Funeral Home with John Dale officiating. Entombment will follow at the Murray Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 20, 2013 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

Expressions of sympathy can be made to the Charles Leroy and Kate Eldridge Scholarship, Office of Development, 200 Heritage Hall, Murray, Ky 42071. (Checks payable to M.S.U. Foundation)

Online condolences can be made at, www.thejhchurchillfuneralhome.com