Genealogist
Allen became interested in genealogy at age 15 when given a class assignment in history class—"to write a story about your hometown." He called upon his dad's cousin, Nelle Sorg, who owned the local hardware and lumberyard business, and she told him to come to her house that evening. There, she got out many boxes of old photographs, newspaper clippings and his great-grandfather's family Bible, which she gave to him on the spot. From that moment, as he has often said, he "was hooked." His interest in genealogy led him to doing hands-on research in seven states, researching and publishing more than a dozen family genealogies, and meeting hundreds of people, many of whom became "friends for life." He has been included in the only two editions of Who's Who in Genealogy and Heraldry. From 1987 to 1991, he had the great privilege of teaching two classes—Ancestor Search I and II—in genealogical methods and procedures at the San Leandro Adult School.
