Our classmate, Richard Harry Allton died May 2, 1995 in Godfrey, Illinois, age 49. His death was caused by a gastric carcinoma. Known to his friends at Beloit as "Dick" or "The Judge", his death ended the life of one of the most interesting and unconventional members of our class. Self-effacing, modest and delightfully sincere throughout his life, Dick did not, to my knowledge, seek to distinguish himself in any conventional way academically, socially or financially. Yet he was unmatched as a friend for social intercourse. A voracious reader and immensely knowledgeable on a wide variety of topics, Dick loved discussing interesting ideas. He pursued information purely for personal interest. He always had a dictionary on hand, and in a single conversation might reference H. L. Mencken, "Fowler's...Modern English Usage", Shakespeare, and the "Wall Street Journal". Somewhat eccentric in his habits, Dick treasured spending long hours alone in an old-fashioned breakfast cafe reading on weekend mornings. I know nothing of his life before Beloit, but I had the sense that Dick had few financial resources, which made it difficult for him to remain at Beloit, let alone interact normally with his friends. However, he managed to keep his old Ford running. One year, while continuing to live on campus during a vacation term, Dick worked at the Belvidere Chrysler Assembly Plant. He found the pre-automation, robotic assembly line work stultifying. He began attending a church service (any church, it did not matter which) Sunday mornings, because, he said, it made his weekends away from the factory seem to last longer. After Beloit, Dick entered the Army and was sent to Korea where he met and fell in love with Jung Ja (Chong Cha), a well-matched companion. They married and had three children (Kimberly, David and Janelle) who were the center of his life. Dick continued to live and work modestly as a chemist for a small company. Shortly before his death, Dick called me to say good-bye for the last time. As best as I can tell, he remained very much the same delightful individual and somewhat quirky person I had known at Beloit.
Michael Zlonis
Our classmate, Richard Harry Allton died May 2, 1995 in Godfrey, Illinois, age 49. His death was caused by a gastric carcinoma. Known to his friends at Beloit as "Dick" or "The Judge", his death ended the life of one of the most interesting and unconventional members of our class. Self-effacing, modest and delightfully sincere throughout his life, Dick did not, to my knowledge, seek to distinguish himself in any conventional way academically, socially or financially. Yet he was unmatched as a friend for social intercourse. A voracious reader and immensely knowledgeable on a wide variety of topics, Dick loved discussing interesting ideas. He pursued information purely for personal interest. He always had a dictionary on hand, and in a single conversation might reference H. L. Mencken, "Fowler's...Modern English Usage", Shakespeare, and the "Wall Street Journal". Somewhat eccentric in his habits, Dick treasured spending long hours alone in an old-fashioned breakfast cafe reading on weekend mornings. I know nothing of his life before Beloit, but I had the sense that Dick had few financial resources, which made it difficult for him to remain at Beloit, let alone interact normally with his friends. However, he managed to keep his old Ford running. One year, while continuing to live on campus during a vacation term, Dick worked at the Belvidere Chrysler Assembly Plant. He found the pre-automation, robotic assembly line work stultifying. He began attending a church service (any church, it did not matter which) Sunday mornings, because, he said, it made his weekends away from the factory seem to last longer. After Beloit, Dick entered the Army and was sent to Korea where he met and fell in love with Jung Ja (Chong Cha), a well-matched companion. They married and had three children (Kimberly, David and Janelle) who were the center of his life. Dick continued to live and work modestly as a chemist for a small company. Shortly before his death, Dick called me to say good-bye for the last time. As best as I can tell, he remained very much the same delightful individual and somewhat quirky person I had known at Beloit.