Craig Lanier Allen, PhD, Lt. Col. USAF (ret.), passed away on June 23, 2022, at his home in St Leonard, MD. Craig was a man of innumerable talents and interests, a respected leader, devoted father, cherished partner, thoughtful and generous friend. He served his country with distinction as Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force, and as a historian, he offered a clear-eyed view of its strengths and flaws. Born to Jerelene Walton and Charles Lee Allen, Craig formed his first memories in Pittsburgh, PA, where his father worked at Duquesne University and Craig first learned to root for his beloved Pirates. During his early years, the family also lived in the Washington, DC area and in Los Angeles, CA. Summers were spent with family in Elberton and Augusta, Georgia. Craig became an international citizen from an early age as the family moved to embassy postings in Antananarivo, Tegucigalpa, and Lima. During several formative years, he attended the British-Peruvian high school at Markham College. He graduated stateside from Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf, MD. Craig attended The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, where he gained recognition as a Distinguished Air Force Cadet in the ROTC. As a senior, he was selected to be commander of November Company, responsible for the training and discipline of 110 cadets. He forged lasting friendships in this tight-knit community, and he also took up fencing (saber), which remained a life-long passion alongside baseball. Commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1990, he trained to become a Special Agent in the highly selective Office of Special Investigations (OSI), starting out as a criminal investigator and moving quickly into the realm of counterintelligence. As a French and Latin American Foreign Area Specialist, he held postings in Seoul, Panama, Sarajevo, and Paris, where he worked with international colleagues to identify and deter terrorist threats around the world. He became the OSI liaison to the FBI at a time when inter-agency cooperation was critical to US national security. In Paris, his final posting abroad, he found the spark that ignited a second career as a historian. Craig held a M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the George Washington University in Washington, DC. Above all else, Craig was a doting father to his four children, Gabriella, Berengere, Madeleine and Matthieu. Craig lived life richly and fully. He enjoyed the bustle of Paris and New York but retreated to the shores of the Chesapeake Bay for rest and reflection. A music lover, a gifted conversationalist, and a talented cook, he was a consummate and attentive host to all who visited. He set the tune to the classics, Earth Wind and Fire, Kurt Elling, Steely Dan, and introduced new sounds as he discovered them. He was always ready to steam Maryland blue crabs and was a master oyster shucker. He is survived by his children Gabriella, Berengere, Madeleine and Matthieu Allen, his partner Michelle O. Lewis, his
wife (separated) Miriam Beri’s mother Shannon Wilson, Allen, and siblings Tim Allen Jackson, Doutriaux, Gabi and his father Charles and Kimberly Allen
Posted in: Funeral Program
Posted on: 2022-07-21
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