It would be impossible to overstate the contributions of Larry Allen to Los Angeles Audubon Society. By the time I became involved in LAAS in the mid-1990s Larry was already a core volunteer, leading field trips and always at the evening meetings in Plummer Park. Those were the days when rare birds were announced on a call-in phone line, and birders got together in person to share their experiences and photographs. Larry had status as an elite birder, teaching workshops on distinguishing among gull species in their first years and leading specialty field trips such as identifying and ageing Calidris sandpipers along the Los Angeles River. He compiled for the Christmas Bird Count, wrote articles for The Western Tanager (for example, on estimating flock size), and contributed to the identification of sensitive bird species in Los Angeles County. He shared his knowledge generously, seeking and volunteering to teach others and bring them into the joy of birdwatching.
The mid-1990s saw the origins and field work for Larry’s monumental achievement as the lead author of the Los Angeles County Breeding Bird Atlas. He was there at the outset, on the organizing committee, and coordinator of surveys for the survey blocks in the Santa Monica Mountains. After the field work was complete, Larry worked with co-authors Kimball Garrett and Mark Wimer on the text and analysis. Larry and his beloved partner Marilyn Morgan worked for years producing and overseeing every aspect of the final manuscript, with Marilyn doing the page layout and Larry adding extensive background research, historical records, and in-depth natural history knowledge to the data collected in the field. The result was nothing short of spectacular. At 660 pages, it is so much more than an atlas, with details about seasonality, subspecies, habitat requirements, abundance, population trends, conservation, sampling bias, and viewing locations for each of the county’s breeding bird species. Working with Larry on the logistics to see this project to press was the great privilege of my first term as LAAS president.
Birds and birding were just part of Larry’s rich tapestry of interests and friends. Larry grew up in Rosemead, California and graduated from California State College Los Angeles in 1968 with degrees in Economics and Philosophy, followed by graduate studies in Economics at Harvard. He was a civilian employee of the US Navy and US Air Force before retiring to El Sereno in 1982. He was passionate about Early Music and was a founding member of the Harpsichord Society of Los Angeles, and then a board member of its successor, Southern California Early Music Society, for over 25 years, as well as serving as a leader in other music societies. When I visited his home in Altadena, his love of music, books, birds, and good fellowship with friends was obvious. Sadly, he lost this home and its irreplaceable contents in the 2025 Eaton Fire.
Larry was profoundly supportive of science and reason to produce knowledge, and was a life member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. He clearly warned, years ago, of the closed-mindedness of the public “when it involves science, the value of the scientific method, and the implications of the findings of science to the future of our planet.”
My last conversation with Larry concerned whether LAAS could direct support offered from around the country after the January 2025 fires to help him purchase new optics to replace those that had been lost in the fires. He said no, they had been well insured, and we should help someone else. I should have known this would be the response — kind, gracious, and wise — and had I known it was the last time we would speak I might have said something more, some deeper words of appreciation for his example as a human being beyond sharing the sorrow of his loss. I can only say it now: thank you, Larry, for your generosity, curiosity, and good company in a world that needs all three.
– Travis Longcore
