โ Scribed by Wynn Laurence LePage
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Under these sad and somber circumstances, as we bow our heads in respect and memory to one whom we all loved so well, it is fitting that we should take a moment to recount those wonderful qualities that epitomize the character and personality of Henry Allen ; such memories can never die and can never, never be taken away.
When The Franklin Institute, barely settled in its great new home on the Parkway in Philadelphia, was left without an administrative head, the Board of Managers quickly turned to one of its own members, Henry Butler Allen, to lead the Institute, as Director, through that highly progressive period of its then more than one hundred year life. That was in 1935 ; by the time war came but a few years later, Doctor Allen had so effectively unified the various departments of the Institute, so wisely yet conservatively built up its personnel, and become himself so obviously dedicated to the great institution he directed, that the United States Government itself was able to find in the Institute an organization of such scientific ability as to render its services of outstanding value to the country in its time of need.
Perceiving immediately the great opportunity in research which presented itself to the Institute, Doctor Allen, in a bold recommendation to the Board of Managers, founded the I.aboratories for Research and Development and based their work squarely upon the tradition of the Institute to pioneer and participate in the progress and unfoldment of the mechanic arts. The accomplishments and prestige of the Laboratories stand today as glowing testimony, not only to Henry Allen's foresight in the beginning, but to the high standards which he promulgated for the Laboratories from the start. Many have been the successes achieved since that time, some under his direct guidance and all under the overriding influence of the standards he originally established.
Dr. Henry Allen was a man of very considerable technical ability and accomplishment. His Presidential Medal of Merit, his Jones Medal for Distinguished Service to Ordnance, his French Legion of Honor and his three times honorary degrees from Temple, Amherst and Drexel, are each, one and all, testimony to the respect and high regard of his fellow man. But his cahn manner and constant even keel were among Henry's most characteristic features and among those that set him apart.
Dr. Allen was a profound student of the man in whose honor his Institute was founded, Benjamin Franklin. He wrote copiously of Franklin's life and work and seemed, to one who came to know him intimately, actually to take on some of Franklin's personal qualities. Thus Henry, to me, sometimes seemed like a great but silent force,
๐ SIMILAR VOLUMES
ENRY SEYMOLJR KAPLAN died Of lung cancer O n H February 4, 1984 at the age of 65. The inevitable outcome of his illness was known to him long before the final weeks. Yet he had time to finish work in the laboratory, to finalize manuscripts for publication, to visit with friends and to share precious