[2][3] Charles S. Murphy, adviser to three U.S. Presidents and Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board, nominated Allen for the Rockefeller Public Service Award and wrote the following: "His outstanding work has contributed significantly to the constantly improving safety record throughout the world."...

Allen's father was an oil field laborer and shoe cobbler, and his mother was a waitress at a small restaurant near their home in Marshall, Texas.

In June 1942, Allen was working part time at the Logan and Whaley Hardware Store when he graduated from Marshall High School.

[citation needed] Allen joined the Civil Aeronautics Board in May 1959 as an Air Safety Investigator.

"[14] At a 1968 SMU speech in Dallas Texas, Allen again spoke of using computers for accident prevention: We intend to exploit its memory and data retrieval capabilities to the maximum extent possible, not only in after-the-fact learning from past history but in safety projections for the future.... We in the Board are endeavoring to define and apply the lessons learned from accident investigations and special safety studies using to the extent possible electronic computers to identify those subtle and elusive common denominators in accident causation.

"[15] By mid 1968, due to declining health, Allen had stepped down as Director, but continued efforts to overcome the industry’s reluctance to participate.

After receiving this news, Allen would share the results with NTSB leadership and although they thought there would soon be acceptance, implementation would be stalled for years.

After investigators learned that similar circumstances had occurred on a United Airlines flight just six weeks earlier a scramble ensued to overcome the public's outcry and in May 1975, the FAA announced the inauguration of a confidential, non-punitive incident reporting scheme.

[16] The concepts he envisioned and promoted, which are in use today are the very basis and foundation of the Aviation Safety Reporting System.

On Allen's last of five launches for the day, the ships catapult bridle failed, and his plane rolled forward, too fast to stop, and too slow to fly.

[21][22] After returning to the states, Allen would remain on active duty until 1959, when he accepted an Aircraft Accident Investigation position with the Civil Aeronautics Board.

During the Berlin Crisis of 1961, Allen was recalled to active duty, and served as Commanding Officer of VS-721(Eagle Scouts).

Based at NAS Whidbey Island Washington, the squadron operated S2F Trackers patrolling waters off the Pacific Northwest coast, searching for Soviet submarines using airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare techniques until August 1962.