HAMPTON - Entrepreneur and Attorney, A. Lewis Allen, founder of the Hampton hotel management company, Allen Management, died November 6, 2005, at 1:30 p.m., of complications from heart disease. He was 70. Mr. Allen was also a founding partner of the Hampton law firm of Allen, Sink & Hastings. In 1969 Mr. Allen, his longtime friends Wallace Sink, and Robert C. Hastings, formed a law and business partnership cementing a union of skills that brought together negotiating smarts, money management savvy, and sharp attention to detail. A sailor and storyteller, Mr. Allen loved old wooden sailing vessels and spent at least two fortunes restoring a vintage Chesapeake Bugeye Schooner, which he christened the Chesapeake. Over the years he sailed many times with family and friends along the eastern seaboard from Newport, Rhode Island, to the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas. Some of his happiest times were spent on deck in the Caribbean sun, regaling his audience with hilarious tales. One often-told story was of a journey in the Chesapeake, sailing through a bitter winter storm with a pickup crew, and being forced to run aground to prevent all on board from drowning in the icy waters of Chesapeake Bay. Another story involved a near-death experience in a duck blind with a cast of characters including a one-eyed man, and a second fellow who'd lost a leg. Remembered by family members as a man who, "lived life 'out-loud' and who would bring the 'mountain to Mohammed' for those he loved and cared for," in his later years Mr. Allen announced that his purpose in life was to help people who couldn't help themselves. Quietly and anonymously, he supported individuals struggling with the law, alcohol or drugs. He loved nothing better than the challenge of someone considered a lost cause, reaching out to the disaffected and underprivileged. A complicated man, Mr. Allen was superstitious as well as successful and never sat with his back to the door. On occasion he sought the advice of mystics and fortunetellers. He was an active citizen in his community, serving as chairman for many of the following boards: Riverside Healthcare Systems, Riverside Rehabilitation Institute, the Virginia Peninsula USO, Virginia Air and Space Center, Christopher Newport University Educational Foundation, F. O. Blechman Memorial Trust, Virginia Peninsula Economic Development Council, Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Hampton Yacht Club, Cultural Alliance of Hampton Roads, and the Newport News Community Child Care Center at St. Alphonsus Hall, one of the city's first public day care centers. Arthur Lewis Allen was born in Bristol, Tennessee, to Russell Ira Allen and Mary Keys Allen. Young Lew's father died when he was 10 years old, and five years later his mother married Peyton Hutchins. Lew's mother and stepfather became successful owners of a group of cosmetology schools under the name of The Virginia School of Hair Design, and their entrepreneurial accomplishments proved to be an inspiration for their son. Lew attended Buckroe Junior High and Hampton High School, playing as guard on the 1953 football team that went undefeated and untied. Friendships formed on the team lasted all his life. His first job was as a soda jerk at Beany's Soda Shop in East Hampton. In the summers he drove a two-ton truck for C.R. Royals Construction. In the year between high school and college, attempting to tame his adolescent wildness, Lew's mother enrolled him in the Fork Union Military Academy. While he excelled in academics at the school, he bristled under authority, making the decision never to be a company man, or someone who takes orders from others. Nicknamed "Lulu" at Hampton High, his coach Suey Eason mentored him in earning a scholarship to Washington & Lee University where he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, was elected to the Pi Alpha Nu, and served as a member of the Sigma Society, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1958. While at Washington & Lee, a number of professors pushed him toward a career in law. He went on to T.C. Williams School of Law in Richmond, where he met classmate Wallace Sink, known as the Jet. It was common for Mr. Allen to skip class and study Mr. Sink's notes, only to win higher test scores than his friend who'd endured sitting through lectures. In 1962 he joined the Newport News firm of Jones, Blechman, Woltz & Kelly, and came under the wing of his lifelong mentors, Frank Blechman and Herbert V. Kelly, to whom Mr. Allen credited the development of his razor-sharp negotiating skills. Determined and eager to make his own way, Mr. Allen left JBWK, and with his partners formed Allen, Sink & Hastings. While attending a meeting in Norfolk he met a group of entrepreneurs promoting the concept of motor hotels located along US interstate highways. The concept struck a nerve and in 1970 Mr. Allen built his first hotel, an Econo Lodge located in Hampton, the third Econo Lodge ever built. He went on to become the nation's largest Econo Lodge franchisee, serving as President of the Econo Lodge Franchisee Association. Allen Management is now run by his sons, Michael Allen and Kevin Allen, and operates 18 hotels in Virginia and West Virginia Mr. Allen is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Kaye Allen whom he married twice; sons and daughters-in-law, Michael and Karen Allen of Newport News; Kevin and Jill Allen of Newport News; and Chris and Donna Allen of Charlotte, NC; five grandchildren, Alex, Ben, Paxton, Quincy, and Zoe; two special people whom he considered his children and their spouses, Jennifer and J.R. Ryal of Havertown, PA; and Clive and Carla Pearson of Miami, FL. Mr. Allen was preceded in death by his father, mother, and step-father, and a special angel, his grandson, Asa J. Allen of Charlotte, NC. The family will be receiving friends November 8, 2005 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the family home located at 2402 Chesapeake Avenue, Hampton. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on November 9, 2005, at St. John's Episcopal Church, 100 W. Queens Way, Hampton, followed by a graveyard service at the church cemetery. A reception will be held at the family home. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial contributions be made to An Achievable Dream, Mr. Allen's favorite charity.

Obituary, Daily Press, November 8, 2005.