Richard Allaman was an active and prominent figure in the field of children's social services during a career that spanned almost fifty years. After he received his B.A. in the majors Social Science, English, and Greek from Otterbein University in 1933, he came to Dayton to work at the Montgomery County Relief Administration until his promotion to youth probation officer, a post he held until 1940. From 1941 until 1943, he worked as a caseworker for the Children's Bureau of Dayton. In 1944 he went to Columbus, Ohio to serve as a Research Sociologist and administrative assistant at the State Bureau of Juvenile Research. While in Columbus, he received his masters in Social Administration from the Ohio State University. After graduation, he returned to Dayton to serve as Superintendent for the Montgomery County Juvenile Court, until he left that post in 1951 to take over as director of the Louisville and Jefferson County Children's Home in Louisville, KY. Although the Allamans were happy at Ormsby Village, they missed Dayton, and they returned in 1954, when Mr. Allaman assumed the post of Superintendent of Shawen Acres, a post he held until poor health forced him to retire in 1968. Nationally, Mr. Allaman had several of his articles published by professional associations, and on numerous occasions Mr. Allaman was asked to speak at national conferences in his field occupation.
From the guide to the Richard Allaman Papers, 1919-1968, (Wright State University, Special Collections and Archives)
