Kenneth N. Gilpin Jr. ’44

Body

Kay Gilpin died of congestive heart failure Apr. 29, 1996, at his home, Kentmere, in Boyce, Va., where he was born and lived most of his life. He was 73.

Kay came to us from the Gilman School. At Princeton he was on the wrestling squad, a member of Ivy Club, majored in humanities and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

After three and a half years as a Field Artillery officer in the Pacific including participation in the US Occupation Force after VJ Day, he received his BA in 1946. He returned to Boyce, where, with a friend, he ran a grain elevator and an oil distributorship. Later, with his brother, he built a bowling establishment in nearby Winchester, the same city in which he later opened an office after having switched careers to become a stockbroker and partner in Abbott, Proctor and Paine of Richmond. Beyond his active business life, he was a dedicated civic servant, first chairman of the county planning commission, two-term elected county supervisor, and instrumental in developing a model zoning ordinance for the area.

Lucy, his wife of 26 years, predeceased him in 1974. To his sons Kenneth III, John, and Thomas '75; his five grandchildren; his sister, Bettie Petith; his brother, M. Tyson Gilpin '42, the class extends its sympathy.

The Class of 1944

No responses yet

Join the conversation

Plain text

Full name and Princeton affiliation (if applicable) are required for all published comments. For more information, view our commenting policy. Responses are limited to 500 words for online and 250 words for print consideration.

Paw in print

Image
The cover of PAW’s November 2025 issue, featuring a photo of a space probe and the headline "Made in Princeton."
The Latest Issue

November 2025

NASA’s new IMAP mission, London’s big data detective, AI challenges in the classroom.