Judicial 'pillar' Allen retires as clerk of court

PALMER -- The woman who one co-worker calls "a pillar of the Alaska judicial system" is ending her 30-year career.

Jackie Allen will retire Monday as clerk of court for the Palmer courthouse, a position she's held since 1984.

"I plan on just playing the whole day," she said, "full of anxiety. I've never had free time. I'll just read and sleep for the first month."

Allen, now 55, got her first job at age 12 in a teen club in West Point, N.Y., where she was born. Her mother worked at home as a bookkeeper for several local businesses, and Allen helped out with that, too.

She quickly realized she didn't have an interest in numbers, but the experience helped develop a work ethic that boosted her to the top administrative court position.

The clerk of court performs a delicate balancing act. There are routine tasks such as making sure the lights stay on, and that the right files reach the right courtroom at the right time. But Allen's job also involves something more difficult -- keeping judges, attorneys and other court personnel happy.

"She is in control of everything," said Joanne Graham, former criminal supervisor and chief deputy clerk in the Palmer courthouse. "She was the best boss I ever had. I learned a lot from her."

Teresa Shaw, who steps into Allen's shoes on Tuesday, credits her own career advancement to help from Allen. It was Allen, she said, who helped with an appeal process that allowed Shaw to rise to higher positions not previously offered in Palmer.

"She was instrumental in having that happen," Shaw said. "She led me and trained me and let me expand."

Allen didn't know what was in store when she took a job in the records division of the Anchorage courts in April 1974. She was a temporary messenger who ran files to various courtrooms.

She quit not long afterward to open a coin shop with her husband, but the business didn't fly and Allen was back with the court system five months later in the small claims office.

She became supervisor of the appeals division in 1977 and supervisor of records division in 1978. She decided to make courts her career in 1979 when she and her husband divorced.

"I knew I'd have to take care of myself and my two children. That meant staying with the state."

Allen moved to Palmer as clerk of court in October 1984. During her years as clerk, Palmer's Superior and District courts have processed more cases per staff level than any other jurisdiction in the state.

"I'm very proud of the reputation we have in Palmer. It's because of our people. We're a team here in Palmer."

The team will celebrate its boss' retirement with a party from noon until 1 p.m. on Monday. Allen, a reluctant celebrity, agreed to the send-off but made everyone promise they wouldn't ask for a speech.

"Most attorneys would not say this about me," she said, "but I am very shy."