He was a “man for others” in his professional and personal life. Allen studied at Deerfield Academy before coming to Princeton, where he majored in history, was a member of Charter Club, and, among other things, was national advertising manager for The Daily Princetonian. He roomed with Bill Bennethum and Bennet Harvey his senior year. After graduation Allen spent two years on active duty as an officer in the Navy, then went to Harvard Law School, graduating in 1961.
His long and successful legal career, all with the Bell, Boyd law firm, was more than supplemented by a remarkable career in the not-for-profit world. He was always involved with at least two or three charitable organizations simultaneously, and almost always president of at least one. Areas of concentration included art, architecture, infant welfare, music, and theater. Examples were the Asian Arts Council, the Infant Welfare Society, the Renaissance Society, and the politically powerful Friends of the Parks, with its strong influence on lakefront development. He apparently did not know how to say no.
Allen is survived by several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews, and his long-time partner, Brian Hollander, to all of whom the class expresses its sympathy.