Dayton Engineer

By Karen Updyke

The Special Achievement Award is presented to an alumnus who has distinguished himself or herself by earning special distinction in civic or professional activities, and has, by his or her actions, reflected honor on the Alumni Association and the University. The Special Achievement Award is given for outstanding achievement in business, in industry, through professional excellence, by civic activity or by service to the community. To be eligible, a person must be a graduate of the University of Dayton with an associate's, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree.

Hill's citation:

Allen Hill's life journey didn't take him far from his roots.

A Dayton native, Hill earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from UD in 1967 and an MBA in 1972. While in college, he began working at Dayton Power & Light during his engineering co-op and remained with the company until his retirement as president and chief executive officer in 2002.

Since then, he's continued the community service he started at UD and DP&L, serving on organizational boards and the UD board of trustees for 18 years. He's also been a member of the advisory councils for the School of Engineering and the School of Business Administration.

Although part of his decision to attend UD in the mid-1960s related to his need for an affordable education and the ability to live at home with his parents, Hill, a Chaminade High graduate, also felt comfortable with the Marianists and their philosophy.

"UD is unique because it's a Marianist university," he said. "It has a different flavor than other Catholic institutions. Even as it's grown, it's maintained its rich tradition and is still very Marianist."

At UD he met his wife, Chris, watched the Flyers men's basketball team advance to the NCAA Tournament finals against UCLA in 1967, joined the newspaper and yearbook staff as a photographer and met many students who remain friends more than 50 years later.

His children, Patricia and Brent, followed in their parents' footsteps, graduating from UD in 1997 and 1998.

And that familiarity with the city of Dayton and its heritage — "Going to Chaminade, you end up knowing every back alley in downtown Dayton," he says — combined with values he learned from the Marianists, has helped Hill remain committed to seeing UD and Dayton thrive.

"Dayton is a great place," Hill said. "You just have to get involved."