Benita Allen papers

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: IWA0753

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Benita Allen papers date from 1991 to 2011 and measure 0.5 linear inches. The papers include Memoirs of Pre-Revolution Russia, written in 1981, in which Benita Allen recalls her Russian childhood, World War I, and the 1917 Bolshevik revolution. The collection also includes an Iowa City Press-Citizen article titled “Friends’ Bond Bound in Book,” which discusses Allen’s friendship with Linda A. Johnson-Lundquist and Johnson-Lundquist’s work compiling and editing the book. The collection is completed by a portrait photograph taken by Benita Allen, as well as Arthur and Benita Allen’s obituaries.

Dates

Existence: 1991 - 2011

Creator

Allen, Benita, 1911-1983 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Biographical / Historical

Benita Helene Ellen Broadbent Allen, artist and secretary, was born in 1911 in St. Petersburg, Russia, to Robert and Helen Sellhein Broadbent. Benita Broadbent earned a degree in music at London University and attended the Triangle School of Business in London. She had two sons, David Heal and Collin M. Heal, and one daughter, Aletha Ferguson. In 1949, She married Arthur Clarence Allen in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The couple moved to Coralville in 1950 and later to Iowa City. From 1954 to 1964, Benita Allen served as secretary for the University of Iowa Art Department. She was also active with the Johnson County Council on Aging, taught photography classes at Kirkwood Community College, was a member of the Four Seasons Garden Club, and served as the official photographer at the Iowa City Community Theater. In 1981, Benita Allen wrote "Memoirs of Pre-Revolution Russia," which was compiled, edited, and published in 1991 by Linda A. Johnson-Lundquist. Benita Allen died in 1983 in Iowa City, Iowa.

“Benita Helene Ellen Broadbent Allen (1911-1983).” Find a Grave. Accessed June 17, 2025.