HR0509 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0509 LRB102 20852 LAW 29733 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Frederick Walton "Fred" Allen of Peoria, who passed away on January 24, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Fred Allen was born to Frederick William Allen and Laura Josephine (Johnson) Allen in Ripon, Wisconsin on June 10, 1923; he graduated from Ripon High School in 1941; he attended Ripon College until he voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force on December 7, 1942, where he learned to fly a B-29 bomber, received his pilot's license at Moody Field in Valdosta, Georgia on August 5, 1944, and completed his training as a second lieutenant; following his military service, he signed as a contract pitcher with the Papermakers of Appleton, Wisconsin, a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians; he attended law school at Northwestern University; he was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in 1949; he married Tilley Derges at the First Methodist Church of Peoria on July 26, 1952, and she preceded him in death on October 20, 2018; and

WHEREAS, Fred Allen had a long and distinguished career as a plaintiff's attorney; he first worked at the law firm of Louis Knobloch in Peoria; he became the first downstate Illinois lawyer to win a $1 million award for a client after a jury verdict against the Ford Motor Company in 1974, which earned him a membership in the Inner Circle of Advocates, an elite national group limited to plaintiff's attorneys who had won seven figure awards; he built his own law firm as a self-made businessman; he personally funded each case, hired experts, and regularly made time for pro bono legal work; he had a reputation for taking cases to trial by jury instead of settling for less, always seeking the best result for his clients; he earned the admiration of other attorneys for his work ethic and was known to be humble, generous, and exact in his actions; and

WHEREAS, Fred Allen was very active in many state, national, and international legal organizations; he was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the Illinois Bar Foundation; he was a member of the Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America; he also played prominent roles in many Illinois legal groups, including as president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association from 1974 to 1975, the Peoria County Bar Association from 1979 to 1980, and the Society of Trial Lawyers of Illinois from 1983 to 1984; he was active in the Illinois State Bar Association for more than 50 years; and

WHEREAS, Fred Allen remained a loyal member of the Democratic Party his entire life; he ran unsuccessfully for Congress against Bob Michel in 1956; he served as the 18th Congressional District State Central Committeeman for eight years, and he met several notable individuals, including President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson; and

WHEREAS, Fred Allen belonged to a number of organizations, including the American Legion, the First United Methodist Church of Peoria, the Union League Club of Chicago, the Springs Country Club of Rancho Mirage, California, the Old Baldy Club of Saratoga, Wyoming, and Mascoutin Golf Club of Berlin, Wisconsin; he was a member of the Elks Club for more than 70 years; he served as president of the Country Club of Peoria; and

WHEREAS, Fred Allen was known for his love and devotion to his wife; alongside her, he enjoyed traveling the world, attending professional meetings, touring sites, golfing, and making lifelong friends; he remained a devoted baseball fan, especially supporting the Chicago Cubs; he loved golf and had hundreds of friendships at country clubs across the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, Fred Allen enjoyed spending time with his daughters, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, and their families; his love and pride for them was boundless; he will be remembered for being a confident, self-made man who answered others with honesty; and

WHEREAS, Fred Allen was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 66 years, Tilley (Derges) Allen; his daughter, Laura Allen Curfman; and his sister, Jane (Allen) Waters; and

WHEREAS, At the time of his passing, Fred Allen was survived by his daughters, Diane (Doug) Allen Cullinan Oberhelman and Rita Allen Graves; his grandchildren, Kathleen Cullinan (Tyson) Brill, Maureen Cullinan (Christopher) Bennett, Alison Cullinan (Matt) Unkovich, Allen (Laura) Cullinan, Crystal Curfman (Coby) Shaw, Colette Curfman, and Whitney Graves; and his 13 great-grandchildren with another expected shortly; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Frederick Walton "Fred" Allen and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Fred Allen as an expression of our deepest sympathy.