Benjamin Rolfe Eldridge, Sr.

Benjamin Rolfe Eldridge, Sr. passed away on Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Fredericksburg, VA.

Ben was born on August 15, 1938, in Richmond, VA to Roberta Isabel “Polly” & Edward Francis “Ned” Eldridge.  He was educated in the Richmond Public School System, attending J.E.B. Stuart Elementary, Chandler Junior High, and Thomas Jefferson High School.  He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1961 and later attended graduate schools at American University and the University of Maryland, studying mathematics.

 After graduation, Ben worked at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Maryland.  He then served as chief mathematician for a number of Washington Metropolitan area companies:  Honeywell, Tetra Tech and Applied Hydro-Acoustics Research.  In the latter years of his career, he focused on research and algorithm development in the field of adaptive signal processing.  In 1989, he was awarded the prestigious H.W. Sweatt Award at Honeywell for outstanding creative and technical achievement in his field.

Ben was also a masterful musician and a founding member of The Seldom Scene, a legendary Washington, D.C. area bluegrass band.  In 1971, Ben (banjo/guitar/vocal), John Starling (guitar/lead vocal), John Duffey (mandolin/vocal), Tom Gray (bass, vocal) and Mike Auldridge (dobro/vocal) formed the group by chance during weekly informal jam sessions in his Bethesda basement.  For Ben it turned into a 45-year journey.  He retired from the band in July 2016.  In 2014, he and the original band members were inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara Noel Eldridge; his four children:  Susan Paige Eldridge (Sean), Benjamin Rolfe Eldridge, Jr (Holly), Matthew Terry Eldridge (Margaret) & Christopher Curtin Eldridge (Kristin); and his seven grandchildren,  Sara, Caroline, Ben III, Bryce, Anna, Isabel, and Ever.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.  A celebration of his life is being planned.  Details TBD.