Ellsworth Dederick

In the 1918 Critic, Ellsworth Dederick is not listed with the graduates and is not mentioned as having left school to join like Park Hart and Russell Hastings.

Under the article, “HISTORY OF THE CLASS”, Ellsworth is mentioned as having been a member of the student council, representing the class as a sophomore which would have been in the school year of 1915-1916. Ellsworth Dedrick as a sophomore that same year, made the school Football, Basketball, and Baseball teams.

I do not know if he graduated from Hackensack High School or transferred to a different school or left school all together to work and join the service. What we do know is he was liked enough to get voted on the student council and he was a good athlete.

ORITANI'S SERVICE FLAG HAS GOLD STAR; 95 NEW MEMBERS, November 15, 1918.

Ellsworth Dedrick was the first member of the Oritani Field Club to die while in service, out of the 95 members who were in the service. The article does not state how he died, but by the way they mention it, I think it would be from the Flu, because they usually mention the Battle if he died otherwise.

I do not know for sure as of August 2009, and until we find an account of what happened, we will have to consider his death for our records as unknown.

This memorial plaque was erected shortly after World War I. The tree was planted along with the plaque by the citizens of Hackensack to honor those men who died during their service in the Great War. The small monuments are located on the southern side of Foschini Park with a small tree planted along with it. When the tree planting and small memorials were put up, the area was probably part of
the Oritani Field Club.

I played baseball in Foschini Park my entire young life till I was 20 years old (I am 54 years old now - January 2010) and I never knew these memorials were there until last year (2009) when the city manager mentioned it to me.

Let us never forget the service men's sacrifice.

Written by:
Bob Meli
January 2010

Background image of World War I Soldiers marching obtained from:

http://pointsandfigures.com/2011/10/10/occupied-morning-breakfast-links/