Tulsa judge Allen Klein lived, ran strong to the finish
BY TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer
Thursday, January 10, 2013
1/10/13 at 5:49 PM
Allen Klein had missed only one Tulsa Run - in 1988, when his daughter got married.
So despite not feeling his best, the retired judge wasn't about to sit out the latest edition of the annual 15k race this past October.
One of just two participants in the 80-and-older category, he finished in 2 hours and 25 minutes.
Klein was far from satisfied, though. It was well off his usual clip.
But it was remarkable, considering what nobody knew at the time: Klein was running with undiagnosed lymphoma.
"Pop didn't know he was ill," said his daughter Lee Erlichman. "If there was pain, he must've run through it."
Not one to settle for less in running, Klein vowed later to do better, she said.
"He was very competitive about his running," she said. "He had already signed up for this year's Route 66 half marathon."
A former Tulsa County special district judge who served 30 years on the bench, Klein died Monday. He was 81.
A service is set for 1 p.m. Friday at Temple Israel with a burial at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Immediately following the interment, a celebration of life will be held at Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Funeral Home.
A graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law, Klein retired at the end of 2011, having been a special district judge since 1981, his entire tenure on the bench.
At the time he left, he ranked first in longevity among Tulsa County's district, associate and special judges.
Known over his career for sometimes making quips to lighten courtroom tension, Klein handled preliminary hearings and other duties in the Criminal Courts Division and also civil, domestic relations and protective order cases.
He came to prefer civil cases, his daughter said, because "they were more mentally stimulating - he loved to listen to the facts and then find the right case law."
A native of Germantown, Pa., Klein graduated from Central Boys High School in Philadelphia before obtaining a degree in electrical engineering at Penn State University and a master's degree in business administration from Lehigh University.
He worked for several years for a manufacturing company founded by his great-grandfather that specialized in gas ranges and other appliances.
He later moved to Tulsa and studied law at TU.
Klein worked in a private law firm before he became a judge.
Klein had participated in various running events across the country. He was especially proud of his string of Tulsa Runs.
"He would've had a perfect record if he hadn't missed that one to attend my wedding," Erlichman said. "He brought that up frequently to give me a hard time."
Klein's survivors include his three children, Lee Erlichman, Edie Paradine and Scott Klein; and five grandchildren.
Original Print Headline: Tulsa judge lived life strong to the finish
Tim Stanley 918-581-8385
tim.stanley@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Allen Klein, a retired Tulsa County special judge, competes in the 2011 Tulsa Run, one of many races the accomplished runner completed over the years. Klein, who served 30 years on the bench, died Monday at age 81. Courtesy
|
