He was 76 when he died Sunday in Massachusetts Basic Hospital of issues from coronary heart surgical procedure.
“In all the things he did, he noticed alternative,” mentioned his buddy Joe O’Donnell. “If it was fascinating, he did it, and he did it fairly effectively.”
Amongst his many ventures, Mr. Allen had been an funding banker, chairman and chief govt of the monetary agency Burgess & Leith/Advest Inc., and had supplied preliminary funding when Wayne Huizenga purchased into the unique Blockbuster video shops and turned them into an expansive chain price billions of {dollars}.
For Mr. Allen, a founding director of Blockbuster who served on the board till Viacom purchased the corporate in 1994, monetary success was solely a part of his vigorous way of living.
“I like my life, my household, my buddies,” he wrote for the twenty fifth anniversary report of his Harvard class. “I can say, with out equivocation, that I’m completely happy!”
Years after his seasons as a star fullback at Cardinal Spellman Excessive Faculty in Brockton, Mr. Allen was chief govt of the Miami Dolphins “for a couple of week” when Huizenga purchased the crew and briefly wanted a CEO whereas coping with skilled crew possession guidelines, mentioned his daughter Samantha Allen Adams of Dover.
“He appreciated to say he was the one CEO of an expert soccer crew who by no means misplaced a sport,” she mentioned.
With a humorousness that was dry or boisterous because the state of affairs wanted, “there wasn’t a room he walked into that didn’t welcome his presence or a state of affairs that he didn’t change for the higher,” mentioned his daughter Lawson Allen Albright of Chestnut Hill.
As a Harvard junior, Mr. Allen was the stroke for Harvard’s undefeated heavyweight crew in June 1966 when the rowers defeated Yale in report time at an annual matchup, profitable by 22 seconds. Days earlier, a TV reporter had hoped for a severe reply when he requested Mr. Allen concerning the horrible accountability of his management position.
“Horrible is correct,” he deadpanned. “I’ve to do the pondering. I’ve to produce the facility. And it’s crucial that I be the best-looking. Seems are essential.”
His humor discovered a selected venue when he was with O’Donnell. The 2 had been Catholic highschool graduates who roomed collectively for a post-graduate yr at Phillips Exeter Academy to organize for Harvard. Each had been from very modest monetary backgrounds.
“We might argue about who was poorer,” mentioned O’Donnell, who is also an entrepreneur. “He would say, ‘I had an outhouse,’ and I’d say, ‘Actually, you had an outhouse? How fortunate had been you.’ “
The zingers by no means stopped.
Mr. Allen “would say, ‘I grew up in a cold-water flat,’ ” his spouse, Lawson, recalled, “and Joe would say, ‘Oh, you had water?’ “
The oldest of three kids, Arthur Clinton Allen III was born in Brockton on Feb. 6, 1944, and grew up in a three-decker condominium constructing through which his grandparents additionally lived.
His father, Arthur Allen, was a security inspector for the Employers’ Group insurance coverage company. His mom, Lorraine Renaud, was a nurse.
Together with pumping fuel at daybreak as a boy, and doing homework between prospects, Mr. Allen “had so many loopy jobs,” his daughter Samantha mentioned. “He had no cash, so he at all times needed to work.”
Whilst he achieved monetary success, Mr. Allen handed that work ethic alongside to his three daughters.
“That sense of deep appreciation of working arduous for an trustworthy wage was burned into our consciousness,” mentioned his daughter Walker Allen of San Francisco. “All of us knew within the fibers of our bones that resilience was the cornerstone of 1’s existence.”
Mr. Allen additionally “was a rare musician. He might play virtually any instrument by ear,” Samantha mentioned.
He performed piano and guitar effectively sufficient to generate profits main a trio that landed a spot on Ted Mack’s “Authentic Novice Hour” TV present.
And throughout the summer season between Exeter and Harvard, Mr. Allen toured in Massachusetts with Peter, Paul & Mary.
At Cardinal Spellman, Mr. Allen was such a great soccer participant that he had 72 faculty scholarship gives. At first he shrugged off solutions that he apply to Harvard, assuming he wouldn’t be accepted, and mentioned within the 2017 discuss: “One among my mentors requested me, ‘How might I be rejected if I didn’t even apply?’ “
Whereas at Harvard, he met Lawson Prince, his roommate’s sister.
“Each time there was a celebration, I’d go discover him,” she mentioned. “In one other life he might have been a standup comedian. He actually might work a crowd. His timing was excellent.”
Mr. Allen graduated in 1967 they usually married in 1971. Now retired, she had been a counselor at The Rivers Faculty and had a psychotherapy apply.
Together with different ventures, Mr. Allen based what’s now the American School of Company Administrators, a company that gives training and credentials for many who serve on boards of publicly-held firms.
Mr. Allen served on 18 boards, together with for Swiss Military Manufacturers, Steinway Musical Devices, and Psychemedics, and had been on the President’s Council at Mass. Basic.
“He used to say, ‘Good concepts space dime a dozen. Making a good suggestion occur? Now we’re speaking,’ ” his spouse mentioned. “And he was somebody who might make a good suggestion occur.”
Mr. Allen endowed a scholarship for college students to attend Harvard and, along with his spouse, endowed a scholarship in an upstate New York faculty district close to their trip house.
He additionally had helped coach women’ crew at Nobles and Greenough Faculty, inspiring athletes to grow to be a nationwide championship-caliber crew, and labored to lift funds to make sure that women’ crew and boys’ crew had been equitably supported.
“He was simply appalled by this inequity. Being a champion for girls, and having three daughters, he took it upon himself to do one thing about it,” mentioned his daughter Lawson, who was on the crew.
As a coach, she added, “he made us imagine that we might do something. I want I might discover the phrases to explain how he did that, however I don’t know if there are phrases.”
Along with his spouse and three daughters, Mr. Allen leaves a sister, Jane Tougas-Francis of Marion; a brother, Richard of Rochester; and 6 grandchildren.
A celebration of his life will probably be introduced.
Together with enterprise ventures and philanthropy, Mr. Allen was a pilot and had run an aerial images enterprise. He rode bikes and took part within the Cannonball Run race throughout America.
Within the storage of his Needham house, Mr. Allen hold racing vehicles, replicas of the chopper bikes used within the film “Straightforward Rider,” and a piece house.
“He had in his workplace, over his desk, an image of the three-decker home he grew up in,” his spouse mentioned. “He mentioned he put it there as a result of he wanted to maintain grounding himself.”
And in massive letters on the wall was his motto: “Life’s a journey, benefit from the experience!”
Bryan Marquard may be reached at bryan.marquard@globe.com.
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