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2017 SESSION


SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 121
Celebrating the life of Charles C. Allen.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, January 26, 2017
 

WHEREAS, Charles C. Allen, the former vice mayor of the City of Newport News who touched countless lives and strengthened communities throughout the United States as a respected expert in urban planning, died on January 20, 2017; and

WHEREAS, Charles Allen graduated from Huntington High School in 1953, earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1958, and then served in the United States Army at Fort Hood, Texas, leaving the service as a captain; he went on to earn a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University School of Architecture in 1963; and

WHEREAS, Charles Allen’s experience in local government began in 1968, when he became the director of the Department of Planning and Development in Gary, Indiana; the first African American to hold such a position in a major American city, he consolidated the city’s planning efforts and strengthened the planning process, while garnering community support for planning by increasing the roles of citizen participation groups, and he worked to develop the prototype for what is now the Community Development Block Grant; and

WHEREAS, Charles Allen was appointed deputy director for planning in the Newport News Department of Planning and Development in 1988 and worked to incorporate citizen input into the city’s comprehensive land use plan, known as the Framework for the Future, which was adopted in 1993 and led to the completion of a new citywide zoning ordinance and comprehensive rezoning of the city in 1997; and

WHEREAS, Framework for the Future received the Virginia Citizens Planning Association Award for Citizen Participation and the subsequent Framework for the Future Update received the 2001 Cultural Diversity Award for cities with populations between 100,000 and 400,000 from the National League of Cities, National Black Caucus of Elected Officials; and

WHEREAS, Charles Allen was elected to the Newport News City Council in 1992 and became vice mayor in 1996, serving in that capacity until his retirement from office on June 30, 2008; as an elected official with a professional background in city planning, he led many initiatives that improved the quality of life of residents citywide; and

WHEREAS, Charles Allen led the process of rethinking public housing and fostered programs that empowered citizens; he nurtured local institutions and developments, such as the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, An Achievable Dream Academy, the Newsome House Foundation, the Office of Human Affairs, the Peninsula Community Development Corporation, the Virginia Advanced Shipbuilding and Carrier Integration Center, City Center at Oyster Point, and Port Warwick, while also playing a role in the growth of Christopher Newport University into a first-class institution of higher learning and the creation of the Ferguson Center for the Arts; and

WHEREAS, on April 24, 2004, Charles Allen, a charter member of the American Planning Association, was inducted into the American Institute of Certified Planners College of Fellows during the National Planning Conference of the American Planning Association in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, Charles Allen devoted his time and wise leadership to many other professional and service organizations, including the National League of Cities, Virginia Municipal League, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, Hampton Roads Transportation District Commission, Community Development Block Grant Committee, Advisory Commission for Intergovernmental Relations, Visual Quality Committee, Transportation Accountability Committee, Newport News Public Art Foundation, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Urban League of Hampton Roads, Hampton Roads Committee of 200+ Men, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Newport News-Isle of Wight Regional Advisory Board, and Old Point Financial Corporation; and

WHEREAS, Charles Allen received numerous honors, awards, and commendations throughout his professional and civic careers, a testament to his strong principles, pragmatic leadership, and indefatigable efforts to improve the lives of others; and

WHEREAS, Charles Allen is fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 58 years, Dr. Sallie M. Tucker-Allen; three children, Charles Claybourne Allen II, John Christopher Allen IV, and Sallie Monique Allen Symons; three grandchildren, Lindsey Margaret Allen, Cecilia Louise Allen, and Nathaniel Claybourne Tucker Allen; and three siblings, John Christopher Allen III, Beverly Ann Allen Henderson, and Lynne Colvert Allen; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of Virginia hereby note with great sadness the loss of Charles C. Allen, a former vice mayor of Newport News and a distinguished expert in urban planning; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Charles C. Allen as an expression of the Senate of Virginia’s respect for his memory.