From: Brian V. Brunner 1964 (BVBRUNNER)
Apr-4 2002

    Anybody besides Phil Potts '63, my brother, Richard, and I ever spend the night in Allen House when it was not used a dormitory? I don't know when Allen House stopped being a dorm, but I do know that between 1959 and 1964 the old dorm rooms upstairs were just used as storage and "Hobby Rooms." I understand that Allen House was demolished in he summer of 1964, so that anyone starting at LWMA in the 1964-65 school year and after, never saw Allen House.

    Phil Potts remembers that during the Thanksgiving break in 1959, when he, my brother and I stayed at school, we spent one night in the poolroom on the ground floor. He said, he slept on the pool table and that Richard and I slept on a couch and some soft chairs. With his help I almost remember that event.

    The part Phil remembers most was the next day, when I woke him up so he could go over next door to Old Brick (Russell Hall), where the CQ office was, and play Reveille (from a 33 & 1/3 RPM record album) over the P.A. system we had then. Phil had the CQ duty for the entire Thanksgiving leave period. The reason he remembers this so well is because I lit a cigarette and placed it in his mouth while he was still asleep on the pool table!

    I really don't remember doing the cigarette bit, but I do remember that early morning, and the fact that we slept in our uniforms. Phil was playing the bugle calls as Richard and I headed back to our room in Friendly Hall to get cleaned up for breakfast down at the station. (The Station..? 24 hour truck stop on US 280 and ALA HWY 50 - now some kind of night club.)

    Don't ask me why we spent the night in the poolroom. I can only guess it was because we could get away with it, with the cadet corps reduced to 10 to 15 of us.

Old Brick - Russell Hall - 1959 Note: PA speakers over porch, Empty dorm rooms 2nd and 3rd floor, & Gen. Futch's 1956 Buick. Allen House was next door to the right of Old Brick and Friendly Hall was much further away to the left. At one time Alabama Hall stood between Friendly Hall and Old Brick, but by 1959 Alabama Hall was gone.

    P.S. I'll bet Lewis Harrison '63 would be another person who may have spent the night in Allen House.

---

From: Lewis Harrison '63
Date: Apr-9 2002

    My first year at LWMA (1957-58) there were only 25 of us Cadets so I there was no football team, and I never remember Allen House as a Dorm. A couple years after I showed up at LWMA though, the Allen House became very active. The basement and the first floor were key places on campus. The basement housed all of the football equipment and was the locker-room for the team and there was a small area, that with a stretch of the imagination, may of been called an office for the Coach. You entered the basement from the rear of the building. I took a first aid course and became the manager for all of the sports teams.

    The first floor also has very fond memories. As you went into the front door, to the right was the Canteen. There was not much money to be spent, but one of the best treats; usually on Saturday after inspection; were the Babe Ruth and Butterfingers that were kept in the freezer. You did not get free time on Saturday if you had too many demerits though. You were marched to Lunch and then you were off to work detail or an afternoon march on the Parade Field. I have had the honor of being the only cadet marching on the Parade Field and liked it so much; I did it for two hours. That is probably another whole story.

    Later the poolroom moved from Friendly Hall to the Allen House. It was to the left as you walked in. I think that was because the Yanceys moved into house in the middle for Friendly on their arrival and setup housekeeping there. I also believe Mrs.Yancey ran the Canteen and later Mrs. Johnston, the school nurse, backed her up.

    The three hobby rooms came later. The official hobby room owners were, as I remember, Chester Quinn '62 Alex Kritzky '61, and one other, maybe Jack Riley '61. I am not sure that we ever slept there. We did spend the whole night in the Hobby room on several occasions working on trains, canoes, canons, rockets, jettex gliders, and so on. If you were the CQ or good friends with him then the Allen House was yours for the night. Blankets over the window, check the Field Phone to make sure it worked, turn the radio on to WLS and you had it made.

    There is one more place that there may be some stories about. The Gym in Tallapoosa Hall had a stage at the far end. My first year I remember there was some talk of the dressing room under the stage. You will have to go farther back than the Cadets to get those stories.

---

Edited 4/10/2002 8:46:34 AM ET by Brian V. Brunner 1964 (BVBRUNNER)

     Another thing I always wondered about, as Lewis said, Allen House was, most of the time referred to as "The Allen House". Why the "The?", and why all the other buildings were "Halls" and this was a "House?" After all, it was big three-story dormitory much like Alabama Hall and Russell Hall next door. Maybe someday, we will know.