Originally from Virginia, Allan arrived at Wake Forest in the Fall of 1972 and over the next four years fell in love with history (with gratitude especially to Jim Barefield), discovered a gift for frisbee golf, and came to an adult faith that has fueled a life of joy and adventure ever since. During his senior year at Casa Artom, Wake Forest’s Venice house, Allan sensed an invitation to pastoral ministry; scuttling plans for law school, upon graduation he was admitted into the M.Div. degree program at Gordon-Conwell Seminary in Boston. 

After seminary, Allan served for six years as an associate minister at First Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem and then moved to Durham where he served as one of the pastors at Blacknall Presbyterian for the next thirty-six years. Having retired from Blacknall in 2021, he currently serves part-time as Senior Advisor at UNC’s North Carolina Study Center in Chapel Hill in a staff support role. 

Allan is married to Betsy, and they have three adult children, including Ellie (WFU ’11), and Sam and Sarah, both UNC grads. He’s the very proud grandfather of two in Nashville.