Spotlighting Leadership —

Duane L. Allen

Born February 17, 1933, in Sparrow Hospital in Lansing .

Duane graduated from Eastern High in June 1951.

He played basketball, football and baseball. Received an honorable mention on the Michigan All-State Football Team in 1950 as a lineman for Eastern High School 's City Championship Football team. In 1949, he was a forward on the State Championship Mt. Hope Presbyterian Basketball team.

He played Clarinet in School and held first chair for the Nationally acclaimed Lansing Eastern Marching Band during his high school career.

He w orked at Curtis Drug Store, delivered the Detroit Times and worked for Sears Roebuck before beginning a 40 year career at Oldsmobile, right after High School.

He advanced through Oldsmobile's apprentice program to become a Die Maker. He became active in the Union in 1955 and held many top Union positions in UAW Local 652 -- both in bargaining and administration until 1965. In 1967, he was promoted to Supervision and succeeded to General Supervisor, Area Manager and Senior Die Engineer. He retired in 1991, after 40 years of loyal service.

Always active in civic affairs he chaired a citizens group called, "The Citizens Committee for Individual Homes" in the late 1960's, which battled City Hall over the issue of the right to a referendum vote by Lansing Citizens. The successful Committee affected the defeat of a Lansing Mayor and a new make up of the City Council. After a four-year fight, the group won their case against the City re-affirming citizens rights to a referendum. As a result of this fight, it also afforded struggling working-class people an opportunity to live in self-respecting housing that they could own. Several hundred families have benefited over the years from the efforts of the fine people who worked so very hard on that endeavor and were saved from ill-conceived high-density public housing. The principles and progressive ideas and program they encouraged and developed are still in use nationwide today and have resulted in the very successful programs such as Habitat for Humanity.

Duane spent 24 years as a very active and effective Lansing representative on the CATA Board and was instrumental in making CATA the best Transit System of its size in the country! He helped lead the drive to build the CATA Transportation Center and was a driving force in getting it dedicated to R.E. Olds whose contribution to public transportation was somewhat obscured by his reputation as a automobile pioneer. Mr. Olds was the first to build buses!

He organized the Everett High School Sports Boosters Club in 1972 and served as its first president.

It was there he met Barbara (Foster) Binkley whose boys were athletes, along with his own, and after a short courtship, they married in 1973.

After retiring from Oldsmobile in 1991, he became a Trustee of the R.E. Olds Museum and served as Board Chair for three terms. It was a building period for the Museum and in 1997 it was named one of the top ten Automobile Museums of its size in the country. He also served as a Board member of the Oldsmobile Heritage Center .

An avid and well known car collector, he was active in local car activities and shows as well as both the OCA (Oldsmobile Club of America ) and NAOC (National Antique Oldsmobile Club). His cars have won numerous national awards over the years. He is also well known nationally as a writer for these clubs periodicals and served as a National Director for many years. Duane also served as President of the R.E. Olds Chapter of the local Oldsmobile Club and was active in several National Oldsmobile Meets that were put on in Lansing .

Barbara and Duane have eight children Teri (Jack) Rutter of Mecosta, Craig (Melinda) of Holt, Cris (Julie) of Eaton Rapids, Brian (Tama) of Dimondale, Linda (Terry) Luce of Howell, Kenny of Durand, Steve (Mary Ann) of Colorado Springs, and Tom (Christina) of Howell,26 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Duane was always very active in supporting all his grandchildren and was very proud of each of them. He was very proud to be known to all as "Grandpa D" in and around Everett and Holt High school . He just never missed a game. He was so very proud to see his grandchildren excel and star at both Holt and Everett High School athletic events. They starred in Football, Basketball, Baseball, Softball and Wrestling. He is extremely proud of the list of honors they've accomplished over the years ranging from All-State and All Area to honorable mentions in several sports.

Updated: 3/7/08