Charles M. Allen, Jr., Papers
Charles M. Allen was a biology professor at Wake Forest University, a U. S. Army Air Force photographer during the second World War, and a patron of the arts. This collection documents some of Allen's personal life as well as his professional work, including biographical materials, diplomas, campus and family photographs, news clippings, scrapbooks, Scales construction materials, and Artists Series materials.
Biographical and Historical Note
Charles Marvin Allen, Junior, was born to Charles M. Allen and Emma Covington Allen on July 31, 1918, in Mt. Gilead, Montgomery County, N.C. He attended Mt. Gilead public schools and Wake Forest College (1939). He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Sigma Xi. Allen received a master's degree (1941) from Wake Forest as well, and a doctorate in education from Duke University (1955). He joined the Wake Forest College faculty almost immediately on graduation, working as a teaching fellow during his master's coursework in 1939 and becoming a biology professor in 1941.
In October 1940, Allen enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force as a Photo Officer with the 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group. The 10th Photo Group was responsible for supplying the United States and its allies with pre-invasion surveillance photos of German troops and defenses in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. Allen worked on aerial reconnaissance in the lead-up to the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.
At the end of the war, Allen returned to Wake Forest, where he spent the remainder of his career as a biology professor and patron of the arts, both at WFU and in Winston Salem. Allen served as Director of the WFU Artist Series (1958-1976) - later known as the Secrest Series - and also held positions on the boards of a number of local and national arts organizations. He was President of the NC Academy of Science and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
He received the University's highest honor, the Medallion of Merit, in 1976, and the Jon Reinhardt Award for Distinguished Teaching in ; in 2001, the Charles M. Allen Professorship in Biology was established to honor him. Allen was also interested in the campus design and students' lives on campus. He supervised the design and construction of Winston Hall and Scales Fine Arts Center, and oversaw the renovation of Wait Chapel and Reynolda Village while working on campus.
Allen retired from Wake Forest in 1989. He was married to Clara David Allen for 62 years. He passed away on August 30, 2005. Following Clara Allen's death in 2017, Allen's extensive collection of WWII photographs was donated to the State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh, N.C.
Sources:
- "The Wake Forester and D-Day," Wake Forest Historical Museum, 2019 June 4. Available online at https://wakeforestmuseum.org/2019/06/04/the-wake-forester-and-d-day/
- "Obituary," Legacy.com as published by the Winston-Salem Journal, 2005 September 2.
- "Charles Allen," Wake Forest University Magazine, Summer 1989. Avaiable online through SCA's Digital Collections.
Collection Overview
This collection contains personal and professional materials from Charles M. Allen. Materials in this collection include: biographical materials, diplomas, campus and family photographs, news clippings, scrapbooks, Scales construction materials, and programs and other materials related to the Artists Series. The collection also contains his mortarboard and tassel.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Names
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Meg Campbell, Justin Cabiltes, and Stephanie Bennett, 2022
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open for use.
- Conditions Governing Use
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Charles M. Allen, Jr., Papers (MS692), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.