On August 1, 1941, Fred T. Johnston, who had been Acting Regional Director since April, turned over the administrative reins of Region One to Thomas J. Allen. The new Regional Director came to Richmond from Region Two, which embraces the great north central portion of the United States.

The present Regional Director is an easterner by birth. He was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, some forty four years ago. He comes east again after a western trek of almost forty two years.

Tom Allen received his training in Engineering and Forestry at the University of Washington. His first Park Service job was in Mt. Ranier National Park, where he served as temporary or summer ranger during the seasons of 1920 and 1921. In 1922 he accepted a position as Park Ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park. He remained in this park until 1928. graduating in those years from Ranger to Chief Ranger and then to Assistant Superintendent.

In 1928, Tom Allen went across the broad Pacific to Hawaii, where he was assigned to Hawaii National Park as Superintendent. In 1931, he came back to the states as Superintendent of Zion-Brice National Park and the next year he was shifted to Hot Springs as Superintendent of the oldest recreational reservation in the United States. In 1936 he was again sent to Rocky Mountain National Park, this time as Superintendent. There he remained until the regionalization of the National Park Service, when he was selected to head Region Two. He was here from 1937 until he came east to take the post in Region One.

The Regional Director says that his hobbies are photography, mountain climbing, and golf, so if you've got a picture to be taken (colored preferred), a mountain that needs climbing or think you can outgolf Bobby Jones, call Tom Allen. You'll find him ready to take you on if he isn't engaged in his most important hobby of all, that of traveling cross country from one park to another.