Remembering 1st Lt. Lou Allen, 10 years after

By Frances Ruth Harris
CHESTER — Bob and Vivian Allen recently spoke to students about their son, a distinguished Chester graduate, upon the 10th anniversary of his death. First Lt. Lou Allen died serving his country in Iraq when most of the youngsters in attendance were still very small children.
The Allens want their son to be remembered, but talking about him hasn't gotten easier over the years. Bob said he and Vivien speak about Lou "and then we go home and cry."
Bob said the sadness and sense of loss never leave them.
Vivian said she always called her son "Louis," although everyone else called him Lou. She was thrilled to point to her son's picture hanging at the Academy.
They are part of a group that meets regularly to cope with the loss of a child. They were proud to attend the softball competition held in his honor last month.
Louis Edwin Allen graduated from Chester Academy in 1988. He taught science at John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen and then at George F. Baker High School in Tuxedo, where he coached softball and soccer. As a member of the National Guard, he would split his time between teaching and cleaning up the horror of the fallen World Trade Center. He died in June 2005, leaving his wife and four son. His eldest son is now in the 11th grade.

The Louis Edwin Allen Softball Tournament began in Tuxedo. Rolando Aguilar, Athletic Director and Assistant Principal of Chester Academy, is thrilled that Chester Academy hosted the tournament this year. Five area schools representing eight teams played on April 21, with Tuxedo winning.
The Allens spoke to the girl's softball teams — varsity, junior varsity and modified — under the flag in the entrance hall of Chester Academy. The strikingly beautiful flag was created by the Chester art club.
Chester Academy's guidance director, Francesco Acetta, worked with Lou Allen. Aformer soldier himself, Acetta said serving on a team as a soldier or a player is really the same thing. He said team spirit is everything in the military, just as it is in sports.
Assistant Principal Rolando Aguilar said Lou Allen was a great friend and teacher who understood the value of being on a great team, whether in Iraq or your home team at school. Aguilar said this is the first year Chester ran the tournament, and expects it to be even better next year.