WILLIAM BURKE ALLEN

WILLIAM BURKE ALLEN
On November 05, 2016 William Burke Allen died in Falls Church, VA of a brief illness at the age of 82. Loving husband and father, adventurer, aviator, entrepreneur, yachtsman, mentor, and a man of impeccable character and significant accomplishments are just few words to describe W.B. Allen. As a young man he achieved and excelled in just about everything he envisioned. He was an Eagle Scout, the youngest amateur radio builder and operator in the country at age 13; a teenage entrepreneur, he held a private and commercial airplane pilot license; graduated with honors in academics, athletics, and was President of his student body at the Summerlin Institute in Bartow Florida 1952. From there Mr. Allen continued to excel at the University of Florida by achieving an industrial engineering degree in 3.5 years while working his way through school and being a member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. After graduation Mr. Allen went to work for the Naval Ordinance Laboratory. Upon completion of his mission, Mr. Allen with youthful exuberance decided to fly to the jungles of British Guinea with his brother Hillard to mine for diamonds and gold. After the mining expedition, Mr. Allen went to work for the Pan-American Guided Missile Tracking Range program as the Ship Operations Manager on a communications and missile telemetry ship off the coast of Recife Brazil where he met his loving wife Glaucia. Upon completing his assignment, Mr. and Mrs. Allen moved to Cocoa Beach, Florida where Mr. Allen went to work for Radiation Inc. in Melbourne, FL and later NASA as an engineer during the 1960's Space Race. In the late 1960's his entrepreneurial spirit and drive to succeed lead Mr. Allen and his family to become a LUMS restaurant franchise owner in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. During the 1970's and 1980's the Allen's grew their family of companies and 22 restaurants to include LUMS, Summers, Ollie's Trolley, Limericks, Racquets, Cinder's Steak house, Pentagon Pizza, Advantec Data Systems a premier restaurant software company, W.B. Allen Distribution, Storage Stop a mini storage company, Washington Racquet & Fitness Club, etc. Mr. Allen was also an accomplished real estate developer who managed and developed commercial and residential properties. Mr. Allen gave back to the community through his church and other charitable organizations. Over a 25 year period W. B. Allen companies employed thousands of people and Burke had personal connections with thousands more during his life time. Mr. Allen's mentoring ways and kind humble demeanor touched and influenced everyone that knew him. William Burke Allen is survived by his wife of 58 yrs, Glaucia Allen; daughter, Glenda Allen; son, Rick Allen; and grandson, Justice Allen Louderback. A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m., on Sunday November 13, 2016 at Annandale United Methodist Church, 6935 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003.