With the start of the 2017-18 Academic Year, Village II will become
Allen Village, named for the late Dennie Allen ’70. Next Tuesday, August
22, following my State of the University address, a naming ceremony
will be held at the entrance to Allen Village. Please join us at 1:15
p.m. to commemorate Mr. Allen's legacy and celebrate this special
occasion.
By virtue of his place in the alphabet, Dennie Allen
received Virginia Wesleyan's first diploma at our first Commencement in
1970. He passed away last fall on September 1, just one week before our
inaugural Founders Day. His obituary described the day he graduated as
“the happiest of his life,” and said that he “loved to tell people that
he was the very first person to receive a diploma" from Virginia
Wesleyan. On his death, Dennie left his estate to the University.
We are so grateful for Mr. Allen's generosity and proud to honor our first graduate in this most fitting way.
