A History of Bessie May Allen
Bessie May Allen was born on May
3, 1882, in Postville, Iowa, the only child of
an innkeeper and stagecoach agent. She
received her Bachelor of Science and Master
of Arts degrees at Columbia University in
New York City and taught in a high school
in Iowa, at a private girls’ school in Ontario,
Canada, and at the Illinois State Normal
School before coming to Stevens Point
Normal in 1913 to head the home
economics department. She was dedicated
to her job, her department and the many organizations that she founded and in
which she participated. In 1938 when the regents voted to curtail the
home economics department, Allen defended the program. The
decision was reversed the following year, mostly because of her
efforts. Her influence and dedication to UWSP led to the naming of the Allen Residence Center in her honor in 1952.
Allen was innovative in her
teaching style. Each student in one of
her classes was given a doll to create a
costume depicting an era that the
student found appealing. Some
students used fabric appropriate to the
time period. Originally the dolls were
designed so that their voluminous
skirts, usually made of silk or some
other translucent type of fabric, could
be used as lampshades. The dolls were
produced in Germany for a few years
around 1924. After the university
purchased the dolls, Allen altered them
to suit her purpose. The wire devices
that held the skirts away from the
lamps were removed and the dolls
were changed so they could sit on top
of bottles. When Allen retired in 1952, the dolls also were retired.
They were stored in a trunk until a few years ago. Now some of
the dolls can be seen on display in the Founders Room of Old
Main.
In her will, Allen left to the university special costumes
purchased by her during her travels. These costumes represent
different cultures and periods from all over the world.