Danny Allen

Danny Earl Allen passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012 surrounded by his family who loved him dearly. He was born in Charleston, SC on September 8, 1946 and a son of the late Helon Riley Allen and Woodrow Allen. He is survived by his beloved wife of 44 years, Gail Hughes Allen; two daughters, Whitney Allen Hastings, PhD and her husband, Ted Hastings, of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Amy Allen Hinson, Esq. and her husband, Devin Hinson, of Greenville, SC; two granddaughters, Ella Elizabeth Hastings and Harper Katherine Hastings and one grandson, Joel Monroe Hinson. He is also survived by one brother, Randall Allen and his wife, Helen Allen, of Fort Mill, SC and pre-deceased by his brother, Gene Allen. He is also survived by his beloved mother-in-law and father-in-law, Angie and Joel Hughes, of Spartanburg. Danny graduated from North Charleston High School in May 1964 and entered Clemson University that August. Working his way through college with numerous part-time and summer jobs, Danny earned a bachelor's degree in Ceramic Engineering in 1968. After graduation, he entered the University of South Carolina School of Law and earned his Juris Doctor in 1971; and then immediately entered the U.S. Air Force as a ROTC commissioned officer and served as an agent for the Office of Special Investigations and Judge Advocate General. Upon returning to SC, Danny began his law career in practice as an associate attorney with Paul Moore in Spartanburg in 1972 and thereafter became a partner in the firm of Moore, Swofford, Turnipseed, Allen and Newby. In 1979, he opened the Law Office of Danny E. Allen on Oakland Avenue and moved his practice in 1989 to Magnolia Street where he has practiced law since that time. At the time of his death, Danny was a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, the Federal Bar, American Association for Justice and Spartanburg County Bar Association, having served as President of the Spartanburg County Bar in 2010. He was a member of the Leadership Spartanburg Alumni Association since 1982, and a past member and President of the Spartanburg Ski Club; and past member of the Board of Directors of the Spartanburg Boys Home and Spartanburg Girls Home. Danny is a Shriner and Mason. Danny served on Spartanburg County Council for 16 year from 1981 through 1996 (14 years as Vice Chairman) during that time he served as Chairman of the Public Works Committee, Chairman of the Law Enforcement and Judiciary Committee and the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Environs Committee. Danny served as a member (1981-96) and then Chairman (1982-84) of the Spartanburg Area Transit Study Committee (SPATS). Danny served as a Board Member (1982-89), Vice President (1984-87) and President (1987-88) of the South Carolina Association of Counties. He served on the Executive Board and then President of the Appalachian Council of Governments (ACOG), and also President of the Appalachian Development Corporation. Danny was a Board Member of the National Association of Counties (NACO) and served as Vice Chairman, then Chairman of the Intergovernmental Relations Steering. He has also served as Board Member of the South Carolina Workforce Investment Board (2001-03), and at the time of his death served as a Board Member of the National Association of Workforce Boards since 2004; and was a Board Member of the Upstate Workforce Investment Board since 1997 and Chairman of the Policy and Planning Committee since 2003. He previously served on the Board of the Carolina Foothills Artisans Center. He was a member of St. James United Methodist Church, the Piedmont Club, and the Carolina Country Club. Danny had a deep passion for his profession and a great respect for his colleagues and the law. He felt honored to be a member of the Spartanburg legal community. He generously donated his time and energy to civic boards and projects to give back to the community that gave him so much. All of which were possible due to the love and support of his family. Gail, Whitney and Amy were always the wind beneath his wings. He enjoyed his life and lived it to the fullest. Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Monday, September 10, 2012 at Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at St. James United Methodist Church, conducted by the Rev Chris Barrett and the Rev. Dr. P. Randall Wright. A private interment will be in Liberty Memorial Gardens, Liberty, SC. Honorary escorts will be members of the Spartanburg County Bar Association. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made in his memory to the St. James United Methodist Church Building Fund, 213 Lanford Road, Spartanburg, SC 29301 or the Spartanburg Boys Home, 195 Boys Home Road, Glenn Springs, SC 29374. Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Danny E. Allen please visit our Sympathy Store.