A baseball field at Petrovitsky Park will be named in memory of Eric Anderson, the athletic director for Kentridge High School who passed away suddenly on July 7.
King County Council members Reagan Dunn and Dave Upthegrove made the announcement Monday, saying the field will be named Eric Anderson Memorial Field.
A dedication ceremony will be at dusk Saturday, Aug. 25 – concurrently with a Fairwood Movie Night – at Petrovitsky Park, 16400 SE Petrovitsky Road, Renton.
A teacher, coach and Kentridge’s longtime athletic and activities director, Anderson died unexpectedly in his sleep at home. He was 57. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office said Anderson died of heart disease.
Described as “the face of Kentridge,” Anderson began teaching in the Kent School District in 1985 at Meeker Middle School, after working in the Tonasket School District. He came to Kentridge High School in 1998 and became the school’s athletic director in 2000. He also served as baseball commissioner of the North Puget Sound League.
Students and staff remember Anderson as an organizer and enthusiastic supporter of sports and academics. He encouraged students in their classrooms and extracurricular endeavors, and was a beloved and compassionate leader and co-worker. A student-organized candlelight vigil held in his honor saw more than a thousand people in attendance.
“Eric Anderson was a great man,” Dunn said. “The positive influence he had on Kentridge High School and its students is immeasurable. His selflessness and dedication were admirable, and we lost him too soon.”
“This is a man who was so incredibly loved and valued by his family, friends, students and community,” Upthegrove said.
“We want to thank Council member Dunn and the King County Council for this special recognition of Eric Anderson’s contribution to the greater Kentridge community and King County over the past 20-plus years,” said David Albrecht, Anderson’s brother-in-law. “This is special and memorable. Eric was well known for his automatic response of ‘Livin the Dream.’ We hope each time a kid takes the field at the newly named Eric Anderson Memorial Field at Petrovitsky Park, the kids and their families are living their dreams in the moment.”
For more information about the dedication event, contact Councilmember Dunn’s office by emailing Reagan.Dunn@KingCounty.gov or calling 206-477-1009.
Anderson is survived by his wife Margy, and their two children, Ian and Maria.
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