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Presents BUILDERS OF TORTOLA |
Leslie Allen My project “Building the Wave” began in 1988 soon after I moved to the (British) Virgin Islands. Inevitably this meant that some of the people who would fall into my category of ‘builders before the wave’ were no longer available for interview because for a number of reasons. Once such person was Leslie Allen who died in October 2007. In such cases I have endeavoured, for the sake of completeness, to include something about these people. Fortunately an obituary was published which is reproduced below. It can be found at http://bvibeacon.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1093&Itemid=118.
Written by Webmaster , BVI Beacon, Wednesday, 24 October 2007
A memorial service for Leslie Allen of Little Mountain, Beef Island, is to be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Palm Grove Park, according to the family.
Mr. Allen, 70, died October 11 at his home after a brief illness. His body was cremated.
Mr. Allen was a credit manager with First Bank at the time of his death.
He arrived in the Virgin Islands with his first wife, the former Monica Callender, from their native Guyana in 1958 to take up teaching in the then-Virgin Islands Secondary School. Together they had three daughters.
While teaching, with special governmental dispensation he doubled as editor of the short-lived Tortola Times, the islands’ first weekly newspaper, which was founded by American entrepreneur Norman Fowler.
Moving on from education to banking, Mr. Allen became the manager of the Virgin Islands National Bank. It was the territory’s first commercial bank, and would undergo a series of owners and name changes before eventually becoming Banco Popular.
He later switched to Barclays Bank, and then to Chase Manhattan Bank, now First Bank, positions that required him to relocate regionally and internationally, before returning and settling finally in the Virgin Islands.
Mr. Allen was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Tortola in 1968, and served as the Club’s first secretary.
Remarrying later, he and his wife, the former Donna Baines, had two children.Besides his wife Donna, Leslie Allen is survived by daughters An daughters Allen–Encontre of Switzerland, Patricia Allen-Hanley and Dr. Dawn Allen-Bain of Tortola and Sharon Asmah of the USA. A son, Norman, of Tortola, also survive him, as do five grandchildren.
Draft of February 21st, 2010.
Builders of Tortola Guide