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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of
4Frederick Walton "Fred" Allen of Peoria, who passed away on
5January 24, 2021; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Fred Allen was born to Frederick William Allen
7and Laura Josephine (Johnson) Allen in Ripon, Wisconsin on
8June 10, 1923; he graduated from Ripon High School in 1941; he
9attended Ripon College until he voluntarily enlisted in the
10U.S. Army Air Force on December 7, 1942, where he learned to
11fly a B-29 bomber, received his pilot's license at Moody Field
12in Valdosta, Georgia on August 5, 1944, and completed his
13training as a second lieutenant; following his military
14service, he signed as a contract pitcher with the Papermakers
15of Appleton, Wisconsin, a minor league affiliate of the
16Cleveland Indians; he attended law school at Northwestern
17University; he was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in 1949;
18he married Tilley Derges at the First Methodist Church of
19Peoria on July 26, 1952, and she preceded him in death on
20October 20, 2018; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Fred Allen had a long and distinguished career as
22a plaintiff's attorney; he first worked at the law firm of
23Louis Knobloch in Peoria; he became the first downstate

 

 

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1Illinois lawyer to win a $1 million award for a client after a
2jury verdict against the Ford Motor Company in 1974, which
3earned him a membership in the Inner Circle of Advocates, an
4elite national group limited to plaintiff's attorneys who had
5won seven figure awards; he built his own law firm as a
6self-made businessman; he personally funded each case, hired
7experts, and regularly made time for pro bono legal work; he
8had a reputation for taking cases to trial by jury instead of
9settling for less, always seeking the best result for his
10clients; he earned the admiration of other attorneys for his
11work ethic and was known to be humble, generous, and exact in
12his actions; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Fred Allen was very active in many state,
14national, and international legal organizations; he was a
15fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the
16International Society of Barristers, the International Academy
17of Trial Lawyers, and the Illinois Bar Foundation; he was a
18member of the Board of Governors of the Association of Trial
19Lawyers of America; he also played prominent roles in many
20Illinois legal groups, including as president of the Illinois
21Trial Lawyers Association from 1974 to 1975, the Peoria County
22Bar Association from 1979 to 1980, and the Society of Trial
23Lawyers of Illinois from 1983 to 1984; he was active in the
24Illinois State Bar Association for more than 50 years; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Fred Allen remained a loyal member of the
2Democratic Party his entire life; he ran unsuccessfully for
3Congress against Bob Michel in 1956; he served as the 18th
4Congressional District State Central Committeeman for eight
5years, and he met several notable individuals, including
6President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Fred Allen belonged to a number of organizations,
8including the American Legion, the First United Methodist
9Church of Peoria, the Union League Club of Chicago, the
10Springs Country Club of Rancho Mirage, California, the Old
11Baldy Club of Saratoga, Wyoming, and Mascoutin Golf Club of
12Berlin, Wisconsin; he was a member of the Elks Club for more
13than 70 years; he served as president of the Country Club of
14Peoria; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Fred Allen was known for his love and devotion to
16his wife; alongside her, he enjoyed traveling the world,
17attending professional meetings, touring sites, golfing, and
18making lifelong friends; he remained a devoted baseball fan,
19especially supporting the Chicago Cubs; he loved golf and had
20hundreds of friendships at country clubs across the U.S.; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Fred Allen enjoyed spending time with his
22daughters, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, and
23their families; his love and pride for them was boundless; he

 

 

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1will be remembered for being a confident, self-made man who
2answered others with honesty; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Fred Allen was preceded in death by his parents;
4his wife of 66 years, Tilley (Derges) Allen; his daughter,
5Laura Allen Curfman; and his sister, Jane (Allen) Waters; and
 
6    WHEREAS, At the time of his passing, Fred Allen was
7survived by his daughters, Diane (Doug) Allen Cullinan
8Oberhelman and Rita Allen Graves; his grandchildren, Kathleen
9Cullinan (Tyson) Brill, Maureen Cullinan (Christopher)
10Bennett, Alison Cullinan (Matt) Unkovich, Allen (Laura)
11Cullinan, Crystal Curfman (Coby) Shaw, Colette Curfman, and
12Whitney Graves; and his 13 great-grandchildren with another
13expected shortly; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
15HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16we mourn the passing of Frederick Walton "Fred" Allen and
17extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all
18who knew and loved him; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20presented to the family of Fred Allen as an expression of our
21deepest sympathy.