By Roy Mitchell

CENTRE — John Deere green generously covers Cherokee County fields, barns, and yards — and most of those familiar colored tractors were sold by Ed Allen, Jr.
The Allen family has supplied local farmers with heavy-duty equipment for over 62 years. Ed's father, Ed Sr., and grandfather, W. A. Ellis, Sr., purchased the dealership in 1946. In 1964, Allen, Inc. moved to Cedar Bluff Road across from the nursing home where it stayed until April 30, when Allen closed the doors for good.

Allen said John Deere now prefers that their dealers own multiple stores, a policy which forced him to either purchase more dealerships or sell to a multi-store owner. With seven grandchildren and one on the way, Allen, 64, knew it was time to sell.

“We've had lots of very, very loyal customers, many repeat generations of customers,” said Allen. “We hated to see it come to an end. I'm sure the new dealership will do a great job.”

The landscape of the Centre business certainly changed since Allen first peddled green and yellow farm equipment in 1973. With the changes over the last three and a half decades, Allen and his benevolent, straight-forward demeanor have been a constant for Cherokee County farmers.

Allen has also served as chairman for the administrative, finance, and building committees at Centre First United Methodist Church. He has been active in the Boy Scouts for the last 31 years. In addition, for an estimated 20 years, Allen took some of his customers to the annual Auburn University Summer Conference and Earth Roast, where county landowners learned the newest agricultural trends and improved farming practices.

Allen also served 32 years in the National Guard, and was activated for Operation Desert Storm in November 1990. He served as a Battalion Executive Officer and was sent to Fort Hood, Texas for training. Allen said he wishes he had been called to duty just one day later.

“I had tickets to the Alabama vs. Auburn game, and I couldn't go because of my activation,” he said. “I drove by Birmingham going to Texas and could see the lights of the stadium as I passed.”

After just missing out on being deployed, Allen returned to Centre and relieved his father who, at age 70, had come out of retirement to run Allen, Inc. during his son's absence.

Owning the dealership has been a family affair for Ed. His wife, Mary Ann, joined him at Allen, Inc. in 1987, and two of his four children, Doug and Matt, have also helped run the business.

“We don't know whether we'll miss it or not,” he said. “There was something we had to do all the time, but we will miss our customers.”

The lot around Allen's dealership is now vacant, most of the equipment bought out by the new dealership. Ed and Mary Ann plan to take a few weeks to wrap things up at the old store then, sometime this summer, the Allens will leave the building and begin engaging in other pursuits. Ed plans to put down his pen and exchange it for a golf ball and tee, he said.

But even in the absence of Allen, Inc, one remnant of the family legacy remains. Last fall, the city of Centre commissioned the street behind the dealership “Ed Allen Drive.”