Lois Allan, who lived in China Lake from 1945 until 1976, succumbed to complications from breast cancer in Claremont on April 30, 2015.
Lois was a loved and respected member of the China Lake community in its pioneering days, and in retirement became a well-known contemporary art critic in Portland, Ore. Throughout her life, she overcame obstacles that limited women of her generation and she continually enriched the lives of those around her.
Lois was born on July 3, 1923, in South Charleston, W. Va. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1944, she hitched a ride to California with a friend, contributing her wartime gas rationing coupons to help make the journey possible.
Her ride ended in China Lake, where her friend already had a job at the Naval Ordnance Test Station. Lois found one there as well, and soon she met Wally Allan, a NOTS physicist. They were married in 1946 and hosted the first wedding reception at the NOTS Officers' Club.
Lois loved raising her family of four children in China Lake, and she helped improve NOTS life in many tangible ways. In the 1950s, she was one of the local women who obtained the first federal impact funding for area schools, and she was one of the founders of the China Lake chapter of the American Association of University Women.
In the 1960s she hosted foreign exchange students, was a member of the French Club and worked on the NOTS Concert Series, which brought world-renowned musicians to perform in China Lake. She was one of the early members of WACOM, served on the board of the Desert Counseling Clinic and taught at the Mesquite Continuation High School, helping many students overcome difficult personal problems.
In addition to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who remain in the valley — many of who are active volunteers — her legacy includes the Indian Wells Valley Handbook, produced by AAUW, for which she was the first editor-in-chief.
In 1976, when Wally retired, Lois obtained a master's degree in liberal studies from the Claremont Graduate University, with a focus on art. She and Wally spent most of his retirement years in Portland, where her writing career began. She wrote for several art publications, including a regular column for Artweek, and she authored two books, "Contemporary Art in the Northwest" and "Contemporary Printmaking in the Northwest." She was a central figure in the Northwest contemporary art community, as evidenced by a 1995 profile in The Oregonian that noted "most unusual is that Allan didn't begin writing until 1983, when she was in her 60s."
Lois was also a competitive Masters swimmer in her later years, winning races for the Tualatin Hills Barracudas well into her 70s. After Wally died in 2007, Lois returned to Claremont and became a resident of Mt. San Antonio Gardens, a vibrant retirement community largely populated by retired faculty from the Claremont Colleges. True to form, Lois became a leader at MSAG, chairing two art-related committees, recruiting notable local artists to display their work in MSAG's art gallery and spearheading the installation of a major contemporary sculpture on the MSAG grounds.
Lois made lasting contributions to every community she joined and leaves behind a wide network of people touched by her grace, humility and humor. She will be deeply missed by her family and her many friends.
Lois is survived by her children Tom Allan, a retired Boeing engineer in Seattle; Ann Auld, a retired Ridgecrest math teacher; and Tad Allan, a lawyer in Los Angeles, as well as their spouses Catherine, Bruce and Diana,10 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
In addition to Wally, she is predeceased by her son Jon, who died in 2004 of throat cancer.
— Submitted by the family of Lois Allan
Story First Published: 2015-05-08
Lois was a loved and respected member of the China Lake community in its pioneering days, and in retirement became a well-known contemporary art critic in Portland, Ore. Throughout her life, she overcame obstacles that limited women of her generation and she continually enriched the lives of those around her.
Lois was born on July 3, 1923, in South Charleston, W. Va. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1944, she hitched a ride to California with a friend, contributing her wartime gas rationing coupons to help make the journey possible.
Her ride ended in China Lake, where her friend already had a job at the Naval Ordnance Test Station. Lois found one there as well, and soon she met Wally Allan, a NOTS physicist. They were married in 1946 and hosted the first wedding reception at the NOTS Officers' Club.
Lois loved raising her family of four children in China Lake, and she helped improve NOTS life in many tangible ways. In the 1950s, she was one of the local women who obtained the first federal impact funding for area schools, and she was one of the founders of the China Lake chapter of the American Association of University Women.
In the 1960s she hosted foreign exchange students, was a member of the French Club and worked on the NOTS Concert Series, which brought world-renowned musicians to perform in China Lake. She was one of the early members of WACOM, served on the board of the Desert Counseling Clinic and taught at the Mesquite Continuation High School, helping many students overcome difficult personal problems.
In addition to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who remain in the valley — many of who are active volunteers — her legacy includes the Indian Wells Valley Handbook, produced by AAUW, for which she was the first editor-in-chief.
In 1976, when Wally retired, Lois obtained a master's degree in liberal studies from the Claremont Graduate University, with a focus on art. She and Wally spent most of his retirement years in Portland, where her writing career began. She wrote for several art publications, including a regular column for Artweek, and she authored two books, "Contemporary Art in the Northwest" and "Contemporary Printmaking in the Northwest." She was a central figure in the Northwest contemporary art community, as evidenced by a 1995 profile in The Oregonian that noted "most unusual is that Allan didn't begin writing until 1983, when she was in her 60s."
Lois was also a competitive Masters swimmer in her later years, winning races for the Tualatin Hills Barracudas well into her 70s. After Wally died in 2007, Lois returned to Claremont and became a resident of Mt. San Antonio Gardens, a vibrant retirement community largely populated by retired faculty from the Claremont Colleges. True to form, Lois became a leader at MSAG, chairing two art-related committees, recruiting notable local artists to display their work in MSAG's art gallery and spearheading the installation of a major contemporary sculpture on the MSAG grounds.
Lois made lasting contributions to every community she joined and leaves behind a wide network of people touched by her grace, humility and humor. She will be deeply missed by her family and her many friends.
Lois is survived by her children Tom Allan, a retired Boeing engineer in Seattle; Ann Auld, a retired Ridgecrest math teacher; and Tad Allan, a lawyer in Los Angeles, as well as their spouses Catherine, Bruce and Diana,10 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
In addition to Wally, she is predeceased by her son Jon, who died in 2004 of throat cancer.
— Submitted by the family of Lois Allan
Story First Published: 2015-05-08
Lois Allan, who lived in China Lake from 1945 until 1976, succumbed to complications from breast cancer in Claremont on April 30, 2015.
Lois was a loved and respected member of the China Lake community in its pioneering days, and in retirement became a well-known contemporary art critic in Portland, Ore. Throughout her life, she overcame obstacles that limited women of her generation and she continually enriched the lives of those around her.
Lois was born on July 3, 1923, in South Charleston, W. Va. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1944, she hitched a ride to California with a friend, contributing her wartime gas rationing coupons to help make the journey possible.
Her ride ended in China Lake, where her friend already had a job at the Naval Ordnance Test Station. Lois found one there as well, and soon she met Wally Allan, a NOTS physicist. They were married in 1946 and hosted the first wedding reception at the NOTS Officers' Club.
Lois loved raising her family of four children in China Lake, and she helped improve NOTS life in many tangible ways. In the 1950s, she was one of the local women who obtained the first federal impact funding for area schools, and she was one of the founders of the China Lake chapter of the American Association of University Women.
In the 1960s she hosted foreign exchange students, was a member of the French Club and worked on the NOTS Concert Series, which brought world-renowned musicians to perform in China Lake. She was one of the early members of WACOM, served on the board of the Desert Counseling Clinic and taught at the Mesquite Continuation High School, helping many students overcome difficult personal problems.
In addition to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who remain in the valley — many of who are active volunteers — her legacy includes the Indian Wells Valley Handbook, produced by AAUW, for which she was the first editor-in-chief.
In 1976, when Wally retired, Lois obtained a master's degree in liberal studies from the Claremont Graduate University, with a focus on art. She and Wally spent most of his retirement years in Portland, where her writing career began. She wrote for several art publications, including a regular column for Artweek, and she authored two books, "Contemporary Art in the Northwest" and "Contemporary Printmaking in the Northwest." She was a central figure in the Northwest contemporary art community, as evidenced by a 1995 profile in The Oregonian that noted "most unusual is that Allan didn't begin writing until 1983, when she was in her 60s."
Lois was also a competitive Masters swimmer in her later years, winning races for the Tualatin Hills Barracudas well into her 70s. After Wally died in 2007, Lois returned to Claremont and became a resident of Mt. San Antonio Gardens, a vibrant retirement community largely populated by retired faculty from the Claremont Colleges. True to form, Lois became a leader at MSAG, chairing two art-related committees, recruiting notable local artists to display their work in MSAG's art gallery and spearheading the installation of a major contemporary sculpture on the MSAG grounds.
Lois made lasting contributions to every community she joined and leaves behind a wide network of people touched by her grace, humility and humor. She will be deeply missed by her family and her many friends.
Lois is survived by her children Tom Allan, a retired Boeing engineer in Seattle; Ann Auld, a retired Ridgecrest math teacher; and Tad Allan, a lawyer in Los Angeles, as well as their spouses Catherine, Bruce and Diana,10 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
In addition to Wally, she is predeceased by her son Jon, who died in 2004 of throat cancer.
— Submitted by the family of Lois Allan
Story First Published: 2015-05-08
Lois was a loved and respected member of the China Lake community in its pioneering days, and in retirement became a well-known contemporary art critic in Portland, Ore. Throughout her life, she overcame obstacles that limited women of her generation and she continually enriched the lives of those around her.
Lois was born on July 3, 1923, in South Charleston, W. Va. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1944, she hitched a ride to California with a friend, contributing her wartime gas rationing coupons to help make the journey possible.
Her ride ended in China Lake, where her friend already had a job at the Naval Ordnance Test Station. Lois found one there as well, and soon she met Wally Allan, a NOTS physicist. They were married in 1946 and hosted the first wedding reception at the NOTS Officers' Club.
Lois loved raising her family of four children in China Lake, and she helped improve NOTS life in many tangible ways. In the 1950s, she was one of the local women who obtained the first federal impact funding for area schools, and she was one of the founders of the China Lake chapter of the American Association of University Women.
In the 1960s she hosted foreign exchange students, was a member of the French Club and worked on the NOTS Concert Series, which brought world-renowned musicians to perform in China Lake. She was one of the early members of WACOM, served on the board of the Desert Counseling Clinic and taught at the Mesquite Continuation High School, helping many students overcome difficult personal problems.
In addition to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who remain in the valley — many of who are active volunteers — her legacy includes the Indian Wells Valley Handbook, produced by AAUW, for which she was the first editor-in-chief.
In 1976, when Wally retired, Lois obtained a master's degree in liberal studies from the Claremont Graduate University, with a focus on art. She and Wally spent most of his retirement years in Portland, where her writing career began. She wrote for several art publications, including a regular column for Artweek, and she authored two books, "Contemporary Art in the Northwest" and "Contemporary Printmaking in the Northwest." She was a central figure in the Northwest contemporary art community, as evidenced by a 1995 profile in The Oregonian that noted "most unusual is that Allan didn't begin writing until 1983, when she was in her 60s."
Lois was also a competitive Masters swimmer in her later years, winning races for the Tualatin Hills Barracudas well into her 70s. After Wally died in 2007, Lois returned to Claremont and became a resident of Mt. San Antonio Gardens, a vibrant retirement community largely populated by retired faculty from the Claremont Colleges. True to form, Lois became a leader at MSAG, chairing two art-related committees, recruiting notable local artists to display their work in MSAG's art gallery and spearheading the installation of a major contemporary sculpture on the MSAG grounds.
Lois made lasting contributions to every community she joined and leaves behind a wide network of people touched by her grace, humility and humor. She will be deeply missed by her family and her many friends.
Lois is survived by her children Tom Allan, a retired Boeing engineer in Seattle; Ann Auld, a retired Ridgecrest math teacher; and Tad Allan, a lawyer in Los Angeles, as well as their spouses Catherine, Bruce and Diana,10 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
In addition to Wally, she is predeceased by her son Jon, who died in 2004 of throat cancer.
— Submitted by the family of Lois Allan
Story First Published: 2015-05-08
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