Gary L. Allen: In Memoriam

The editors of Spatial Cognition and Computation in sadness note the passing of one our dear colleagues and founding member of the editorial board, Gary L. Allen at the age of 56, on 13 January 2007. Dr. Allen will be warmly remembered for his charming sense of humor, dedication to the profession, and ground-breaking research program. Dr. Allen was born 18 September 1950, in Waricka, Oklahoma. He received his B.A. in psychology from Texas Tech University in 1973. His studies continued at the University of Pittsburgh, where he received a doctorate in psychology in 1979. From there, he moved to east coast of the United States where he held faculty positions at the University of North Carolina, Old Dominion University, and the University of South Carolina. His research was funded among others by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Institute on Aging. From his initial studies on spatial cognition and developmental psychology, he developed new theories that pushed the field forward by considering the representational issues underlying spatial cognition. His early papers (Allen et al., 1978; Allen, 1981) have been highly cited and influential in shaping the field. Further work with spouse and long-time coauthor, Kathleen Kirasic, has added to a rich empirical body of literature on spatial cognition (e.g., Allen and Kirasic, 1985). The “Allen” approach to individual differences in spatial abilities has been nicely summarized in the comprehensive chapter that was published in Reg Golledge’s now classic volume on wayfinding behavior (Allen, 1999). This was followed by two edited books of his own (Allen, 2004; Allen, 2007), the latter of which focused on his continued interest in applications. He was never content to study spatial cognition as a theoretical exercise, but wanted to see the advances in the field help others through design and implementation. Gary Allen was also a frequent contributor and reviewer for this journal. Dr. Allen will be remembered as a thoughtful researcher and clear communicator. His presentation won the best paper presentation at the Conference on Spatial Information Theory in 1997, which was indicative of his natural ability to speak to interdisciplinary audiences on fundamental problems with clarity and precision. Gary always had a smile and upbeat personality. As one of the foremost researchers in the area of spatial cognition and computation, Dr. Gary L. Allen will be missed by all.