Raye Virginia McCreary Allen, cultural historian and author, passed away on March 26, 2022, at her home in Temple, Texas. Born on May 27, 1929, in Temple, Texas, she spent a lifetime committed to family, social causes, and the arts and humanities. She was known to those that loved her as Raye Virginia, RV, Mubba, Moosie, and Mom.
Raye Virginia graduated from Temple High School in 1947, then attended the University of Texas in the Plan II Honors Program, graduating in 1951. She completed her graduate degree in American Studies and worked towards a Ph.D. in the same. Using her dissertation as the subject for UT Press, she published Gordon Conway: Fashioning A New Woman. This book received the 1998 Liz Carpenter Women’s History Award from the Texas State Historical Association, and the Non-fiction Award from the Writers’ League of Texas.
Married to HK Allen for 53 years, she supported him through many endeavors, including banking, politics, philanthropy, education, Christ Episcopal Church, and local community causes. Listing only a few of her achievements, she was an accomplished woman exceeding anyone’s expectations. She was the first President of the Future Homemakers of America (FCCLA) Texas at the age of 16. She was the Co-Founder of the Cultural Activities Center and the Railroad and Pioneer Museum in Temple, Texas. Raye Virginia was a founding trustee of the American Folklife Center at The Library of Congress in Washington DC. The Governor of Texas appointed her to the Texas Commission for the American Revolution Bicentennial, credited with developing and establishing the National Guidelines for the official USA “Bicentennial City” designation. She served on the boards of The Briscoe Center for American History, McDonald Observatory, American Folklife Center The Library of Congress, The Texas State Society, Washington, DC, and The Texas State Historical Commission. She was appointed to The University of Texas Centennial Commission and 125th Commission. She chaired the LBJ Birthday Celebration in the nation’s capital. Raye Virginia is credited with over 75 lectures for the Speakers Bureau of the Texas Council for the Humanities (TCH, now Humanities Texas) and has a school in Temple, Texas named in her honor, the Raye-Allen Elementary school.
Raye Virginia was predeceased by her husband, Henry Kiper (HK) Allen, Sr, and parents Irvin Paul McCreary and Vivian Mary Arnold McCreary. She is survived by her children Henry Kiper (Ki) Allen, Jr. and wife Kay Barnes Allen, Irvin McCreary (Mac) Allen, and daughter Raye Virginia (Ginger) Allen. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren also survive her, Anthony Allen (Tony-Allen) Cucolo, Raye McCreary (Mackie) Davis, Abigail (Abbie) Lee Cucolo, Judith Allegra Allen, and Henry Kiper (Tres) Allen, III, Rahab Cucolo. Melissa Cucolo, Westley and Beckett Davis.
Services for Raye Virginia Allen will be held at Christ Episcopal Church Saturday April 2, 2022 at 1:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Cultural Activity Center, Jeff Hamilton Reading Club, Christ Episcopal Church, Raye-Allen Elementary School, all of Temple, Texas, or The Briscoe Center for American History, Austin, Texas.
