Viola G. Allen ’76

Viola G. Allen ’76, a teacher also known for her clothing and hat designs, died May 14 in Laurel, Maryland. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Carlena and John Allen. She attended Monmouth, New Jersey, schools, graduating from Asbury Park High School. She majored in English at Dartmouth in the first class to fully admit women. She studied abroad in London, United Kingdom, and at Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City, Mexico. Viola was active at Dartmouth in A Better Chance, the Afro-American Society, Dartmouth Players, and The Daily Dartmouth. She earned her master’s in education from the University of South Carolina in 1992. She served as an admissions interviewer from 1999 to 2015. She was married for 27 years to Maurice “Bo” Earl, who predeceased her. She was an expert seamstress and hatmaker throughout her life and was recognized for that talent in various media outlets. Viola taught English, Spanish, and English as a second language in the Radnor Township School District in Wayne, Pennsylvania. She previously worked in the editorial department at Reader’s Digest. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star; Rehoboth Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina; and First Baptist Church in Wayne. She is survived by children Caristine, Maurice, and Monique; siblings Leslie and John; several nieces and nephews; and two great-nephews.