[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2607-E2608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF GRACE CARLTON ALLEN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 18, 2007

  Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of Grace Carlton Allen, and to commend her contributions to the 
University of South Florida.

[[Page E2608]]

  ``Amazing Grace,'' as she was nicknamed by former Tampa Congressman 
Sam Gibbons, was born in North Dakota in 1908. She attended the 
University of South Dakota and the University of Minnesota, where she 
graduated with degrees in English and Secondary Education. After 
graduation, Allen taught high school English and secondary education.
  She met her husband, John Allen at the University of Minnesota, and 
they married in 1933. The couple moved to Gainesville, Florida in 1948, 
where her husband was appointed President of the University of Florida, 
and from 1954 to 1955, Grace served as the University of Florida's 
interim First Lady.
  In 1957, John was named as the first president of a yet unnamed and 
newly established university in Tampa. Grace and her husband moved to 
Tampa, where they would remain for the rest of their lives. As classes 
weren't scheduled to start until 1960, the Allens themselves, shaped 
what would later be known as the University of South Florida.
  The summer before the University opened its doors, ``Amazing Grace'' 
invited all of USF's wives and female staff members to her home. With 
this group of women, she established the USF Women's Club, which 
remains active on campus today as a social, cultural, and philanthropic 
organization. In 1994, the USF Women's Club endowed the Grace Allen 
Scholarship, and within the first ten years of being established, it 
awarded 119 full tuition scholarships for excellence in academics, 
leadership, and service.
  Another endowed fund of the USF Women's Club was given to the 
University in Mrs. Allen's name to provide funds to the university's 
library.
  The Allens were one of the first families to live in the Tampa 
neighborhood of Carrollwood, where Grace also made her mark. She 
started a tradition where residents set luminaries outside of their 
homes on Christmas Eve. Pilots have been known to divert their planes 
over the neighborhood to see the lights each year.
  When John retired from the University in 1970, the Board of Regents 
named USF's administration building after John and Grace in recognition 
of their lasting contributions to the university community. In 1996, 
USF awarded Grace the honorary degree of Doctorate of Humane Letters.
  Until her death on December 16, 2007 at the age of 99, Grace remained 
an active member of and advocate for the University of South Florida's 
community. She is remembered as a powerful spokesperson for academic 
excellence, and as a caring, spirited woman by the countless friends, 
staff members and students whose lives she touched.
  The Tampa community honors the life of Grace Allen for her 
outstanding contributions to the University of South Florida and the 
Tampa Bay area. Her life serves as an inspiration and will continue to 
influence the lives of people in our community for years to come.

                          ____________________