CHARLES M. ALLEN III ’41

Charlie died at the North Hill Retirement Community in Needham, Mass., on May 14, 2009. He is survived by his wife, Kay; their daughters, Louise Zak and Nancy Foster; two grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
   
Born and raised in Fulton, N.Y., Charlie graduated from Exeter Academy in 1937 and attended Amherst College from 1937-1939. During World War II, he was a captain in the Air Faces 44th Bomb Group.

After the war, his career was primarily in sales and finance. From 1948-1955, he ran the Charles M. Allen Excelsior Company founded by his grandfather. Charlie later worked in the credit departments of Bankers’ Commercial Corporation in Manhattan and Ritter-Pflauder Corporation in Manhattan. He was vice-president of the Trust Department at the First National Bank of Boston until his retirement in 1990.

A lifelong music lover, he sang in the Double Quartet and Concert Choir at Amherst and was on the board of the Boston Opera Company. At Amherst, Charlie was also a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. As a member of the Cambridge Boat Club, he enjoyed working at the Head of the Charles race each year.

Although Charlie never graduated from Amherst, he was one of the most loyal members of our Class. He not only attended most, if not all, of our Class Reunions, but he chaired our very successful 40th Reunion that was held in 1981. Charlie and Kay also frequently attended the Alumni College sessions that preceded many of our Reunions. Their presence will be missed!

—Dave Johnson ’41