Harris Allen Obituary

Harris Montgomery Allen ATLANTA, GA - Harris M. "Money" Allen died on November 6, 2011 after a long illness. He is survived by his devoted wife of 39 years, Crystal Quillian Allen, and a large family. A committed Christian from an early age, he fostered the faith in his family and friends. With his wife he successfully guided six children through higher education. Harris Montgomery Allen, was born November 22, 1926 in Charleston, S. C. to Gene Montgomery and Charles Robertson Allen. He graduated from Boys High School of Charleston where he played on the football and basketball teams, was president of the Sailing Club and was responsible for the yearbook. He was president of the high school and of his senior class. At the age of 15, helped organize and was president of the First Key Club (high school equivalent of Kiwanis) in the South. After graduation from high school, Money attended Auburn University before volunteering for the U.S. Marine Corps in 1944. He served until discharge in 1946, when he returned to Auburn and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He twice served Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity as president and was elected to the Auburn Leadership Fraternity known as Spades. He was also elected to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. On returning to Charleston, Money joined his father's food brokerage business, married and began a family. While there, he was on the board of directors of the Charleston Kiwanis Club and of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. He was also on the Board of Stewards of Trinity Methodist Church. Charles R. Allen Co. moved him to Atlanta in April 1953 and he established H.M. Allen Co. in 1954. He continued in the food brokerage business until retiring in 2006. He served as president of the Atlanta Food Brokers Association and was on the Board of Directors of Associated Brokers of America. Always interested in church and community service, Money joined the Downtown Kiwanis Club and later was a founder of the Ansley Kiwanis Club, where he served as president in 1969. When the Ansley club disbanded, he joined the Buckhead Kiwanis club. In April of 2009, the Buckhead Club honored him with its distinguished service award for his years of community commitment through Kiwanis. Money found many other ways to serve. From the mid 1950's, until he became ill, he served on various boards of the Boys Clubs of Atlanta (later the Boys and Girls clubs of Metro Atlanta). Among other activities, he helped supply Camp Kiwanis for 46 years. One of the camp roads has been named "Money Allen Street." In 2002, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America honored him with the National Service to Youth Award. As a food broker, Money was particularly interested in hunger issues. He offered to participate in the effort to launch the Atlanta Community Food Bank and was on the original board where he served as vice chairman. Over the years, Money gave over 70 pints of blood to the Red Cross before being told that he was no longer eligible to give. For many years, he was superintendent of the Children's Division of the Cathedral of St. Phillip where he was also president of the Men's Club. At Trinity Presbyterian Church, he was a founder of the Men's Breakfast Club and served as a Stephen minister. He was one of the 500 charter members of the Cherokee town and Country club. He was an early president of the Hanover West Civic Association. In addition to his wife, money is survived by a large and loving family: Gene and David L. Miller and Harris M. Allen, Jr. of Boston; Cathy and William H. Allen, Crystal and Brian coffey, celia and henry m. Quillian, iii, and christine and david w. Quillian of atlanta. grandchildren are Harrison, David and Gene Miller and Katherine and Peter Allen of Boston and, from Atlanta, Gene Marie and Paige Allen, Kimberly and Andrew Coffey, Celia and Henry Quillian IV, and Catherine, Margaret and Elizabeth Quillian. The memorial service will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road, N.W. Atlanta, 30327 at 2:00 p.m. On Saturday, November 12. Reverend Cader Howard will officiate. Guests are invited to greet the family at a reception in Williams Hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, P.O. Box 105263, Atlanta, GA 30348-9986, or to Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, 100 Edgewood Ave., N.E., Atlanta, GA 30303 Visit our guestbook at www.postandcourier.com/ deaths