Donald Allen died Aug. 21, 2014, from pancreatic cancer.
He was born in Spokane, Wash., and majored in politics at Princeton. Don left after his third year and was accepted to law school at Gonzaga University in Spokane. After starting his law degree, he was drafted during the Korean War. He graduated from the Army Counter Intelligence School in Baltimore and served as a Counter Intelligence Corps investigator. After his discharge, he completed his law degree and passed the Maryland bar in 1959.
Don started his own business after working five years in another firm. He was hired by the Maryland General Assembly to redraft the state’s health, mental health, and welfare laws. He became president of the Association of Defense Trial Counsel. His work expanded into many areas and eventually he was admitted to the Bar of the United States District Court, the Fourth Circuit of Appeals, the Supreme Court of the United States, and the courts of Fairfax County, Va., and West Virginia.
When he retired in 1994, he and his wife, Carolyn, moved to Jackson, Wyo. The class extends sympathy to Carolyn; children Joan, Susan, Patsy, and Mike; stepchildren Kristan and Ashley; seven grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. The class also is honored by his service to our country.