Allen Arnold

Allen grew up in Los Angeles, attending University High School (1948), Northrop Institute of Technology (1951), USC (BS 1959), and UCLA Extension. Allen had a long career as an engineer. He started his career in aerospace in 1960, where he had the opportunity to work on the Apollo mission. In 1970 he worked for the County of Los Angeles. From 1980 to 2008, he returned to aerospace, working at the Air Force Space Systems Command Center.

He was an Air Force veteran, serving in the 4750th Air Force Defense Wing as an aircraft mechanic during the Korean War. While serving in Korea, he won a chess championship and the prize was a trip to Japan, which sparked a life-long appreciation of Japanese art and architecture. Allen was also a dedicated photographer, an audiophile, a jazz fan, a chess player, an architect aficionado, an outdoor nature enthusiast, and a dog lover. His hobbies also included fixing cars, growing orchids, and building and fixing computers.

He is survived by his wife, Jeanette, his children Sallie, Alice and her husband Gary Griffin, Earl and his partner, Karna Hughes, and Joel and his wife Christine Chang, and two grandchildren, Aaron and Jasmine.

Allen will be remembered for his wide ranging curiosity his dedication to learning and mastering new skills, his love of tools, computers and electronic gadgets, and his honesty and integrity. His legacy lives on in the photographs he took, the gardens he nourished, the two building projects he developed and through his love of family.

Stories from Allen’s life:

As a high school student, Allen took up photography in a serious way and it was a practice he continued throughout his life. As a young budding photographer in 1946 he saw a plane crash in Beverly Hills. He and his father were the first to arrive at the scene. Allen’s father refrained Allen from running to the plane crash for fear the plane would incinerate. In the meantime another young man did and saved the occupant. The crash victim was Howard Hughes. Allen later in life did help save a man’s life. Hearing a loud thud outside his house he ran out to find a young man on a motorcycle who had been run over by a car and badly injured. Allen grabbed a blanket from the house, called an ambulance, and kept the injured man safe and warm until the ambulance arrived. The young man later returned to thank Allen for helping to save his life.

Allen’s love of dogs started early in life, but his Mother would not allow him to have a dog. His first dog was a stray he found on the Air Force base in Korea. He nursed the dog back to health, but then one day couldn’t find the dog. It turns out it was taken by local people and probably ended up on their dinner table. He didn’t get another dog until many years later, when he purchased a Weimaraner puppy for his children. The dog, Suzy, became his best friend and faithful companion for many years.

Allen was interested in modern architecture and design. In the early 1960’s he successfully bid on an undeveloped lot and proceeded to develop the property as a triplex for his family. He hired Rex Lotery, a distinguished California modernist architect and planner. The difficult to develop parcel incorporates cantilever balconies, skylights, mitre glass, and clever geometries that were innovative at the time. Through this project, Allen learned to navigate the permitting process, construction methods, and landscaping. He would use these skills and his ability to problem solve throughout his life. Later in life he developed a mixed use property, carefully selecting an architect and guiding the construction process.

We wish to thank Cedars Sinai's Hospice care, the doctors, and the nursing staff at Cedars Sinai PCU 5th NW nursing station for the outstanding care they gave Allen during his last few days on earth. We, as a family, were truly humbled by the staff’s competence and care, which was delivered with gentleness and compassion.

Allen will be laid to rest at the Riverside National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations maybe made to Cedars Sinai Medical Center.