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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 1979)
Portland Observer D ecem ber 13. 1979 Pag« 3 Portland 'pioneer' visits friends By Kathryn H. Bogle Portland friends extended a warm welcome home to Dr. W illiam D. Allen and to his sister, Mrs. N. Con stance Allen Beaty when recently they returned to this city for a brief visit. The visitors, born in Portland, were two children o f the late W. D. Allen and Mrs. Allen. Their younger brother, Charles Robert Allen, him self a frequent visitor to the old home tow n, is a resident o f Los Angeles. History buffs o f Portland's Black Community of the early 1900s recognize the family name o f W. D. A llen as being linked w ith the popular ‘ ‘ Golden W'est” hotel flourishing in that period. The Allens owned and operated that hostelry, and along w ith it as a podium , “ W. D. ” wielded great influence in the entire community. The structure still remains on N.W. Everett Street at Broadway across from the U.S. Customs building. The A llen fa m ily closed the Golden W'est in the depression years o f the late 1930s. Charles Robert Allen, the younger son, entered the hotel business with the opening o f the Medley H otel on Interstate Avenue. The Medley received its name honoring the memory o f Lillian Medley Allen, W.D. Allen’s gentle and beloved wife. The lives o f William D. Allen Jr. and his sister, N. Constance Beaty, have revolved around music. Mrs. Beaty, an early graduate o f Fernwood grade school, was the first Black student to be graduated by Grant High School, newly built about that time. She went on to be graduated in music by Oberlin, and later taught piano classes at Prairie View College in Texas. She has continued her classwork w ith being a church organist. William D. Allen Jr. a Jefferson High graduate, went on to Oberlin and to Juiliard to received advance degrees in music; he studied in France, Austria and Poland and returned to the states to teach piano at Howard Uni versity for several years. He interrupted his teaching career to travel as accompanist to Todd Duncan, the great baritone. Together they played repeatedly for ten years, to enthusiastic audiences all over the United States, Europe and A ustralia. A lle n ’ s scrapbook marks the time they played a com mand performance for the King o f Sweden, and it also marks their special performance for George Gersh win who wanted to Find the male lead for his new folk opera, “ Porgy and Bess’’ . Gershwin picked Todd Duncan for this important role and so the con cert team was broken. A return to teaching was easily ac cessible and Allen this time, taught for five or six years at Fisk Univer sity before gravitating to fam iliar places o f the West Coast. Allen now makes his home in the Bay area. For many years he headed the Junior Bach Festival in the Bay area, but he is also well known for Charles R obert Allen suffered an a p p a re n t h e a rt a tta c k and d ie d , N o v e m b e r 22, a t a Los Angeles hospital. M r. Allen was born in Portland. O regon and w as a grad uate of H ow ard University in the school of business a d m in is tra tio n . He was a veteran of W orld W ar II, saw service in the South Pacific and was wounded, receiving the Purple Heart. He w a s e m p lo y e d fo r m an y his establishing o f a school o f music fo r elementary school children in O akland. The school, modestly begun w ith modest expectations, mushroomed from the beginning handful o f children to an enrollment numbering into the hundreds making it difficult for management to keep pace with faculty and instruments. Retirement has been attempted on several occasions, but Allen finds it difficult to stay retired. It was only a few weeks ago, that he formally and resolutely relinquished his position as minister o f music at the South Berkeley Community Church where he has been an organist for 25 years, and, probably, it was at the beautiful reception that special evening ten dered by the appreciative church members in Allen’ s honor, that he agreed to be pianist for an intimate little ensemble then forming. As he walked through the halls o f the school, Dr. Allen was greeted w arm ly by students, and one produced the 1924 year book con taining Dr. A lle n 's picture which carried (he information (hat William Allen was the composer o f the 1924 graduating senior’s class song. During their stay. Dr. Allen and Mrs. Beaty made a special call on two teachers, Miss Irene Campbell and Miss Edith Watt, at their home in Southwest Portland. Both teachers retired from Jeffer son in 1950 and both had taught W illiam Allen. Now 88 years old. Miss Watt remembers W illiam well in her history classes for "he was a good student.” Miss Campbell, a vivacious and sparkling little lady o f 93 years, taught Latin to him and remembers that he had a little d if ficulty with cicero. Relationships are solid with these three as Dr. Allen has visited them a number o f times through the years. Mrs. Beaty and Dr. Allen thinks often o f Portland, but are content fo r the present, just to visit and return to sunnier weather. In Portland, Dr. Allen revisited Jefferson High School and was in vited to speak to music classes by Dr. Douglas Butler o f Jefferson’s music- department. Several o f Dr. Butler’s students played for Dr. Allen and he delighted the class by playing for them. M iss Edith W a tt, M rs . N allia C o n stan ca B aaty, Miss Irana Cam pball and Dr. W illiam Duncan Allan DES CONNALL Professional Corporation LEGAL CLINIC CONCENTRATING IN THE FIELDS OF: Music session at Jefferson ends on a "Happy Note ". Dr. Douglas Butler and Dr. W illiam D. Allen (Photo: M arcelene Rodgers) years by W e s te rn A irlin e s but also worked as an accountant in self-em ploym ent. Hom e for M r. Allen was in Los Angeles, but he w as frequently a Portland visitor and had a n um ber of friends in this city. His son, A nthony Rodgers Allen, lives in P o rtla n d and is e m p lo y e d by Good Sam aritan Hospital in the pathology laboratory. M r. A lle n leaves his w id o w , D o ro th y L. A lle n , his son A n thony; a sister Nellie Constance B e a ty of El C e rrito , C a lif; a brother W illiam Duncan Allen Jr. of San Francisco, and an au n t, L illian A lle n D a rd e n of P e te r sburg, Virginia. M e m o ria l services w e re held D e c e m b e r 1, a t In g le w o o d Cem etery M ortuary in Inglew ood C a lifo rn ia The fa m ily had re q u e s te d th a t in s te a d of flo w e rs , co n trib u tio n s be m ade e ith e r to th e A m e ric a n H e a rt A s s o c ia tio n , or to o n e 's o w n favorite charity. f >cc IS truly a plate with programs designed to serve the people in the district at a reasonable cost Anyone with a sincere desire to learn may enroll To find out more about Portland Community College call or stop at one of the main centers C o lle g e t r a n s f e r S p e c ia l In te r e s t Information Portland Community College 12000 SW 49th Avenue Portland. Oregon 97219 talk about tha old days during Dr. A llan's racant visit to Portland. (Photo: Richard B rown) The Moms Marks House 1501 SW Harrison Street Pottlond 97201 Telephone 227-266Ô PO RTLAN D C O M M U N IT Y COLLEGE...is people C a r e e r p r e p a r a t io n * ■ v i | B Cascade Center Southeast Center 705 N Killingsworth 2850 S£ 82nd 2832541 7778020 Rock Creek Center Sylvania Center 17705 NW Springville Rd 6454461 244-6111 12000 S W 49th Ave R E G IS T E R NO W FOR W IN T E R T E R M S T A R T IN G J A N U A R Y 2nd CRIMINAL LAW INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF INTOXICANTS DOMESTIC RELATIONS WORKERS' COMPENSATION BANKRUPTCY PERSONAL INJURY W ILLS - PROBATE AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS CONSUMER PROTECTION If you have a problem that is not covered in this list, please call and ask whether we can help. Chances are, we can. If not, we can recommend someone else for you to call. One way or the other, we want to see you get the kind of professional legal counsel you're entitled to. 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