posted 05-24-2004 08:06 PM               

Crawfordsville, C'ville as the locals call it, save your gas money.

First stop was the Visitors and Convention Bureau office, a super-great place as far as those go in Indiana. You usually find more "flyers" of tourism sites at local motels, this one was a gem and I told them that!

But when I got serious about Joe Allen, the lady talking to me said "nothing" when I asked what there was in Crawfordsville for Joe Allen and the younger girl at the desk had no idea who he even was/is.

I politely asked what Crawfordsville had for Joe Allen and she said "nothing!" Then I asked her if she knew who he is, she said "an astronaut."

She said there was a small part of a street named for him and a new athletic building at Wabash College was named for him. I said that I didn't even think he went to Wabash College and she said "I think he went to Purdue."

I never located a "news agency" store, where I hoped to find some long-dusty picture postcards and time didn't really allow for us to visit any "antique" stores in the area where there might have been an item or two.

posted 05-24-2004 11:15 PM               

There are no law enforcement officers in his immediate ancestry; his father was a professor at DePauw, and his grandfather was also a DePauw graduate. The "first" Joe Allen (his great-grandfather) did not attend college, but grew up in Greencastle, where he and his brother ran the Allen Brothers dry food store (later sold to J.C. Penneys).

Joe IV's mother Harriet (Taylor) was the daughter of the Methodist minister in Greencastle. Education-wise, Joe went to the Caleb Mills Elementary School in Crawfordsville from 1942-48, then Crawfordsville Junior High and Crawfordsville High, graduating with high distinction in 1955.

He then attended DePauw like his father and grandfather, travelled to Germany for a year as a Fulbright Scholar, then when he got back went to Yale for a while, married Bonnie Jo Darling (whom he had met at DePauw) and the couple then bought their first home in New Haven, Connecticut.

posted 06-21-2004 09:16 PM               

Since that sheriff listed was a Joe Allen, boy, it has gotta be one heckofa common name in those parts of Indiana.

posted 06-06-2016 09:53 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by ColinBurgess:
While Joe was born in Crawfordville, his parents both grew up in Greencastle, Indiana, where DePauw University is located. There are no law enforcement officers in his immediate ancestry; his father was a professor at DePauw, and his grandfather was also a DePauw graduate.

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[Joe Allen's brother] David Allen will speak first (on June 9), and is expected to delve into the Allen family history in Putnam County. His remarks are expected to will include reflections on the Allen Brothers store from the 1870s, Dr. Perc Allen (their father) who had a long and distinguished career as a DePauw University professor, and years spent as DePauw undergrads by each brother.