by Catherine Skivers
Allen Jenkins Jr. was born April 11, 1922 in Abilene, Texas. When he was eight years old he was injured in a fall from the rafters of a shack. He lost the use of one eye immediately, and as a result of a condition called sympathetic ophthalmia, he became completely blind over the course of the next two years. Allen was a great storyteller all of his life and everyone marveled at how he could remember so many limericks and jokes.
One of the stories Allen most enjoyed telling was about when he had been sent to the school for the blind in Texas at the age of 10: He became bored and wanted to be back home with his family, so he hitchhiked 400 miles all by himself and went back home. He had a strong preference for milking cows and doing other chores to help his family on their dairy farm over the routine at the school. A woman who lived in a town close by taught him braille. He graduated from Abilene Christian College Demonstration High School in 1941 and moved with his family to California shortly after that. He attended Santa Rosa Junior College and then transferred to UC Berkeley. He graduated in 1946 with a degree in political science.
Then, Allen became a rehabilitation counselor for the state of California. I met Allen when I went to apply for a job. For many years thereafter, Allen enjoyed telling the story about how I presented myself in his office and told him that I had to have a job that day. He said I was the only person who ever told him that I should be easy to train because I didn't know how to do anything. I assured him that if there were any blind people who could do a job, I could too. He got me my first job which was as a switchboard operator. This was quite an accomplishment since I had never, ever seen a switchboard before my first day on that job!
After a few years as a counselor, Allen and the California Council of the Blind (CCB) worked to get an Orientation Center for the Blind (OCB) established in California. He became the administrator in 1951 and served as executive director of the center for 42 years. During that time more than 50 percent of the students who attended the Orientation Center for the Blind left the school and got jobs in many fields.
Allen was a great role model for all the people for whom he found employment and for those who attended OCB. He did all of the electrical work in his own home and the plumbing. He encouraged his students to learn to use power saws and other kinds of equipment. He took an interest in his clients. Allen and Lee Jenkins were married for 56 years.
In 1949, when I became his client, I found myself with no place to live and no money. He and Lee took me in for several months. Allen had quit law school to help put Lee through medical school and things were financially kind of tough around their house. When I moved in they had two dinner plates and had to buy another one for me. Fifty years later when I attended their anniversary party I brought a beautifully constructed wedding gift. In the box, I had put a dozen paper plates. I included a note which said, "In case I should come home again." Both Lee and Allen really enjoyed that and everyone laughed a lot. This became another story Allen liked to pass along.
Allen was devoted to Dr. Newell Perry and to Dr. Jacobus TenBroek. When the civil war came about, he stayed with CCB and the Federation. When the time came to reunite here in California, he worked closely with Durward K. McDaniel to bring everybody back together.
Although Allen did not get to follow his dream and graduate from law school, he loved the law. He wrote many laws which helped improve the lives of blind and visually impaired Californians. Many years ago, he wrote the first law for disabled people other than blind and visually impaired in California.
He was very proud when his daughter Janice Pavese earned a law degree and became a very successful attorney. He was especially pleased when she represented people who were blind. Pavese even took one case, which she argued on behalf of a blind vendor, all the way to the United States Supreme Court -- and she won. Allen's daughter has said that she could never have made it through law school without the support of her dad.
The things most of us will remember about Allen were his love of people and his willingness to help everyone. He felt that if you were blind or visually impaired and you wanted to do a job, it wouldn't be enough for you to simply show up and put in a "standard" work day. You had to excel in what you were doing. He set an example for all of us. I know I will never forget him and the way he helped me direct my own life in a positive direction.
Allen's wife Leonie died in the year 2000. He is survived by four daughters, Janice Pavese of Oakland; Jocelyn Miner of San Francisco; Jessica Logan of Granger, Ind. and Jennifer Clark of San Francisco; and a son, Allen Jenkins III of Richmond, Calif.
A memorial service for Allen will be held July 13, 2002 at 2 p.m. at the Orientation Center for the Blind, 400 Adams Street in Albany, Calif. Memorial contributions may be made to the Allen Jenkins Jr. Scholarship Fund, California Council of the Blind, 578 B Street, Hayward, CA 94541; or to the Arts and Science Program at the School of the Madeleine, 1225 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94709.