Santa Clarita resident Pat Allen, previous Santa Clarita Valley Woman of the Year and local community activist, died recently.
After moving to Canyon Country in 1967, Allen and her husband, Sheldon, quickly got involved in the community, serving first on the Canyon High School Community Committee when the school opened, with Allen then going on to serve as president of the school’s booster club from 1977-79.
In between working at Lockheed Aircraft Corp. and caring for her four kids — a daughter and three sons — Allen spent much of her free time volunteering for local organizations, such as the Zonta Club of SCV, Boys & Girls Club of SCV, Red Cross Disaster Team and Canyon Theatre Guild.
“Pat was the ultimate community volunteer,” said Adele Macpherson, a fellow community activist who worked with Allen at various local organizations. “She just loved Santa Clarita, and she would do anything to help the nonprofits in town to grow and to prosper.”
Allen’s son Mitchell agreed, calling his mother a loving and giving person, who gave herself to her volunteer work in the SCV.
Allen was one of the first people Jim Ventress, who served as the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club for more than 30 years, met when he came to the SCV. She welcomed him and made him feel at home, he said.
“She gave her heart, and I’m not sure where she got her energy,” Ventress added, comparing Allen to the Energizer Bunny. “Her and her husband Sheldon were volunteers of the decade in the ’90s, and that says a lot because over the years, we’ve had some wonderful volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club.”
Once Allen retired from Lockheed after nearly 35 years in 1990, it simply left her with more time to spend volunteering within her community.
“She always had a big smile on her face, and she always made everyone feel happy and relaxed,” Macpherson said. “She was just a fun person to be around.”
During that time, Allen remained involved with Zonta, where she served as both president and director over the years, the Red Cross Disaster Team and Boys & Girls Club, along with the American Heart Association and SCV Senior Center, among other local organizations.
“She took the time to mentor young girls that were at risk,” Mitchell added. “Her whole life, she just enjoyed being a member of the community and giving in any way that she could.”
It’s the Allen’s children that Ventress wants to recognize, who had to share their parents with the community for many years.
“I would just say to the family that we love them and prayers and positive thoughts,” he added.
In 1994, Allen was named SCV Woman of the Year for her community service, which only made her volunteer more to justify receiving the award, according to her biography on the SCV Man and Woman of the Year website.
In 1999, those efforts led to her being honored as Woman of the Year by then-Sen. Pete Knight, of the 17th District.
“Wherever a volunteer was needed, Pat was there,” Macpherson added. “She will be missed, but she definitely left a legacy.”
