Robert Eugene Allen (January 25, 1935 – September 10, 2016) was an American

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

businessman. He was the president of

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

between 1986 and 1988. He also served as its CEO and chairman from 1988 to 1997. Born in

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. J ...

, Allen grew up in

New Castle, Indiana New Castle is a city in Henry County, Indiana, United States. Located east-northeast of Indianapolis, on the Big Blue River, the city is the county seat of Henry County. New Castle is home to New Castle Fieldhouse, the largest high school g ...

. He graduated from

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832, by a group of Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, the institution was originally named "The Wabash Teachers Seminary an ...

Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville () is a city in Montgomery County, Indiana, Montgomery County in west central Indiana, United States, west by northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,306. The c ...

with his bachelor's degree in political science in 1957. While a student at Wabash, he was initiated into the Indiana Beta chapter of the

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded in 1848, and currently headquartered, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, alo ...

fraternity. Allen was elected a fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1994. From 1990 he served on the board of

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...

. He also served on the governing board of the

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

.Forbes.com
Forbes Bio He served as chairman of

The Business Council The Business Council is a nonpartisan organization of business leaders headquartered in Washington, D.C.The Business Council, Official website, Background

References

External links

* 1935 births 2016 deaths People from Joplin, Missouri People from New Castle, Indiana Wabash College alumni PepsiCo people Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences American chairpersons of corporations 20th-century American businesspeople Phi Delta Theta members {{US-business-bio-1930s-stub