Sydney Earl Allen, Jr., Ph.D., dean of the School of Theology, Philippine Union College (1964-1969)

http://picasaweb.google.com/joselitocoo/Allen?authkey=Gv1sRgCLWDhJjgt4azrQE&feat=directlink
Born August 17, 1929 - Died August 21, 2009

by Joselito A. Coo, BA'67, MA'69

It was shortly after I decided to change to a double major in history and philosophy of religion, during my second year at Philippine Union College in 1964, when Dr Allen arrived on campus with his wife, Donna. The young couple was accompanied by three extrovert sons and the boys' little sister. The fifth child, another boy, was born within a month of the family's sojourn in the tropics. "Binuo sa Amerika at ipinanganak sa Pilipinas," was Syd's account of the event that he learned to articulate well in the vernacular. "Assembled in America and delivered in the Philippines," was how he jokingly put it in English to his Filipino friends.

Concerning his duties, first, Dr Allen filled the void that was created by the departure of Elton Wallace whose entire family went home on permanent return to the United States, he for doctoral studies. Syd took on the office of dean of the School of Theology at Philippine Union College as soon as he set foot on the Baesa campus. Second, and more importantly, he was tasked with developing a cost-efficient, alternative quality Master's program in religion for the upgrading of pastors, will-be pastors, and Bible teachers of the Far Eastern Division and other overseas divisions of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Up till then, those desiring to pursue graduate studies in religion in an Adventist setting, assuming their sponsoring organizations could afford the huge expense that was to be deducted from their general institutional operating budget, went to the GC-supported Seminary/Graduate School at Andrews University.