Family and friends of Gloucester County native Eldridge Cook on August 20 gathered at Rappahannock Community College (RCC) in Glenns to celebrate the dedication of the newly named Eldridge N. Cook Career and College Navigator Suite—a fitting tribute to a man whose life was defined by hard work, service and a belief in giving others a “hand up.”
“Today, we celebrate a truly remarkable man,” said president Dr. Shannon Kennedy. “When you look at the life of Eldridge Cook, it reads almost like a legend, but every bit of it is true.”
Cook began his career in the 1930s with a single truck, hauling Chesapeake Bay seafood along the East Coast. Through determination and an entrepreneurial spirit, that one truck grew into a fleet and his regional operation eventually expanded coast-to-coast, with seafood shipped through East Coast ports to Europe and Turkey.
In 1950, Cook founded Cook’s Oyster Company and later Cook’s Seafood Company on Sarah’s Creek in Bena. At its height, the business employed nearly 250 people. As the oyster industry changed, Cook adapted, acquiring neighboring plants, continuing to invest in Gloucester and later operating Tri-County Storage……
