Pat Biddle House

Boys Residential Program

Biddle House, the boys ‘ residence on Quaker Neck Road, is named for Chestertown native and longtime school principal and teacher William “Pat” Biddle.  Pat is long acknowledged as the spark responsible almost 40 years ago for gathering a  group of residents to work for Kent Youth’s founding.

As president of the Kent Youth Board from its first days in 1971 until 1979,  Pat guided the progress of the program, from forging strong relationships with the Departments of Juvenile Services and Social Services, through the evaluations, approvals and documents required by the state, to the hiring of the first staff members.

With the support of his loyal and hard-working Board and many members of the community, Pat engineered the purchase  of the house, took it through the zoning process, recruited volunteers who donated necessities like appliances, paint and furniture, as well as many hours to prepare it as a residence.  But when interviewed or asked about Kent Youth, Pat always gave credit to the  Board and the volunteers for the success of the program, and downplayed his role.

More than 20 years ago, the Board announced plans to name an addition to the house after Pat.  Somewhere along the way, because the addition took longer to build than expected, that was forgotten.

Finally, in 2007, at a gala party honoring Pat at the Imperial Hotel followed by a piano concert by Dick Durham at the Prince Theatre, the announcement was made that the boys’ home was officially Biddle House. A Biddle House plaque was displayed on the stage, and a few days later, affixed to the front of the house.