Kenneth Alden Main was born on August 19, 1927 in Ridgewood, NJ. His family lived in Ridgewood, where his father commuted to New York City for his work on Wall Street for the Clark Estates. Kenneth grew up in Ridgewood and spent summers in New York state in the Finger Lakes region at their family cottage on Owasco Lake. Undoubtedly, this is where his love for boats and being on the water was born. There, he also met his future wife, Nancy Carol Chidester. Nancy has fond memories of watching Kenneth paddle his small boat across the lake to visit her. Kenneth attended Staunton Military Academy in Virginia, and it is there that his love for the Profession of Arms, military history and gun collecting became a lifelong passion. He decided that West Point would be his future education and life. 

After graduation in 1949, Kenneth entered the Air Force. His first assignment took him to Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. Kenneth married Nancy in December 1949. During this assignment, Kenneth studied at Ohio State University and earned a Master of Science degree in Engineering. It was in Ohio that the pieces of his first gun collection were acquired. He and a fellow gun collector were able to buy brand new, civil war muskets still in their original crates. Kenneth was a proud life member of the NRA and the American Society of Arms collectors. 

Kenneth’s next posting was to Picatinny Arsenal. He was assigned to an armaments project that ultimately led to the development of a gatling style gun for Air Force fighters. He deployed to Korea for the Korean war. In Korea, the gun was battle tested on the F-100 fighter. Ultimately, his design and patent led to the development of the GAU-8 30 mm for the A-10, Army helicopter MINI gun, and a ground-mounted 20 mm version for Army’s Vulcan Air Defense weapon system. Kenneth felt out of the Air Force mainstream as a non-pilot, and he made the difficult career decision to leave the Air Force. All the while he remained connected to the Air Force in the Reserve, where he advanced to the rank of major. 

The family moved to Watertown, NY, and Kenneth worked for the New York Air Brake Company. In upstate New York he was able to enjoy his love of boats and water on the St. Lawrence River. He moved up the corporate ladder and was offered a position as manager of manufacturing at the Hydreco Division of New York Air Brake near Kalamazoo, MI. Since the children were still young, this was not a difficult decision to accept the promotion and move to Michigan. This afforded the opportunity for great boating on Lake Michigan in a Hatteras power boat as well as skiing in Northern Michigan. The close proximity of Michigan to Ohio and its gun shows allowed Kenneth to continue his gun collecting passion. He added a complete collection of Colt revolvers to his vast collection of flint locks and swords. Kenneth became the general manager of Hydreco division and after several years was offered a promotion that would have taken him to the corporate headquarters in New York City. This was not a plan that he and Nancy had envisioned to raise their family. He opted to go West and join the Rucker Company in Oakland, CA. The Bay Area provided a wonderful boating opportunity, and several sailboats and Grand Banks trawlers followed. Kenneth and his cohorts expanded Rucker Company through numerous acquisitions into the oil and gas industry. This led to a second home in Houston, TX and numerous overseas trips to Russia, Europe, China, and Scandinavia. NL Industries acquired Rucker and a move to the corporate headquarters in New York City presented itself. This was not appealing, so Kenneth decided to retire from business life. This was a very opportune time as his father, living in Naples, FL, had suffered a stroke. Kenneth moved to Naples to assist with his care. Naples provided a superb location to continue his boating passion, with sailboats, cruisers, and speedboats all here and the opportunity to finally own a marina. He also took to riding a Wave Rider for fun. Soon, a new collecting passion was born, that of Chinese and Japanese export porcelain. Kenneth began a collecting venture that led to the purchase of an Ost House in England in conjunction with his favorite export porcelain dealer. Kenneth and Nancy assembled a collection that included pieces from the Nanking Cargo, and he continued his collecting until his final days. 

Kenneth was stricken with an inoperable brain tumor in April 1996 and passed on July 14, 1996. Kenneth and Nancy were married 47 years and together raised four children: Stephen (USMA Class of 1972), David, Laura, and Kenneth A. Main II. Kenneth was the loving grandfather of Anastasia, Jessica, Vasiliki, Nikolaos, Kenny III, Coulton, Christopher, David, Stephanie, Anna, and Alden. Throughout his entire life after West Point, he was truly a Gray Hog. He and Nancy attended Founders Days with the newly formed West Point Society of Naples and reconnected with several classmates, including his former squad leader, Jack Donahue, who lived down the street in Port Royal. During his illness, he remembered a poem he had memorized during plebe year, “Invictus,” saying it helped him “to be the master of my fate and captain of my soul.” When Kenneth cut himself, the blood came out black, gray, and gold. Be Thou at Peace. 

— Stephen Main and family