PAULINE MARGARET "PUNCH" ALLEN MOULTHROP

The fifth girl, Pauline Margaret "Punch" Allen was the ninth child and last of the Cornelius and Laura Baumgardner Allen children to be born in Houtzdale, PA. Three months after her birth on April 24th, 1906, her parents celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary and in the fall of that same year, Cornelius was elected Sheriff of Clearfield County. The family moved in January of 1907 to the bigger city of Clearfield, and for three years they lived in the house attached to the county jail.

When Punch was four the Allens and their nine children moved into a beautiful new red brick home on Weber Avenue in DuBois, PA. Her father was now the owner of Con Allen Shoe Store on West Long Avenue, and was involved in many community affairs that kept his children active and interested in the performing arts. Pauline was the youngest of four sisters who all donned costumes to dance at the county fairs and other public gatherings with her brothers. She was also a member of the family orchestra led by Con Allen. Pauline is mentioned in one of the many news articles about the family. "...The chorus of popular songs was well given. The four Allen sisters, Ida, Elymira, Laura and Pauline, costumed in white, gave the next number in song and dance entitled, ŒSugar Moon'. Little Miss Pauline recited ŒBaby's Tooth' in a manner which showed no display of nervousness on the part of the little performer..." (Dubois Courier, May 1916) Pauline continued throughout her life to delight her family and friends with her stage presence and the "gift of gab". Apparently young Pauline Margaret was the tomboy of the family, and with her red hair and love of mischief, the nickname "Punch" seemed a natural.

Pauline attended St. Catherine's School and enjoyed many sports. The family has a picture of her on the St. Catherine's basketball team before age sixteen. She played golf and swam and bowled in the winter. Pauline graduated from St. Catherine's High School in 1924 and went on to advanced work at Seton Hill College in Greensburg, PA. studying for two years. Latin and Greek were some of her studies there, and texts for those classes were always in the family library.

After college she returned to DuBois and in 1927 married handsome John Oliver Moulthrop, who was a basketball star at DuBois High School. Johnny was the only child of Emma Norman and John Moulthrop, Sr. The Moulthrops owned a business that had started as a mercantile shop in Dubois in 1876 by Sylvester Moulthrop, a Civil War Veteran. In 1892 the store become Moulthrop Bros. Hardware. (There is a genealogy of the Moulthrop family in the possession of the Moulthrop children.) Johnny was an excellent athlete and went on to play semi-pro basketball on local teams. The whole town knew the story of his famous up-and-over the shoulder shot that won the basketball tournament. He later coached basketball at St. Catherine's and was a top golfer for many years at the DuBois Country Club.

The newlyweds first lived with the Moulthrop's, at 107 West Weber Avenue, and Johnny worked with his father and uncle at the hardware store. Punch was a fun-loving party girl, but she was also a very loving mother and serious homemaker. She and Johnny had many friends. She was a good cook, and they entertained in those early days with spaghetti dinners when they were the first married couple in their gang. They enjoyed cookouts at Parker Dam and Elliot Park, and would pack frying pans and steaks - this in the days before charcoal grills!

Barbara was the first baby born and several years later in 1931 Punch "danced up a storm" on New Year's Eve and suffered a major heart attack. The doctor's diagnosis was she had rheumatic fever at an earlier age that had damaged her heart. The doctor put her to bed at the Allen's house for over two months when second babe Jack was born, in the spring. The little family decided to move to their own house at 201 South State Street next to Charlie Allen and his wife, Emma Lou. Punch was warned her health could not endure another pregnancy. But in the late 1930's Jim was born, with no complications, and Punch and Johnny decided to build a house. They planned a Dutch Colonial home on the road to the DuBois Country Club, overlooking Juniata Lake. (more often referred to as tannery dam) They started building in September 1941. Pearl Harbor occurred in December of that year, but since the house-building was already underway, Punch and Johnny were permitted to complete construction, and the family moved into their new home in the spring of 1942.

When WWII erupted, Johnny was scheduled to go into the Navy. Since Punch was pregnant with David, and Johnny was thirty-six years old, he was deferred from active duty because he had too many dependents. Instead, the government gave him a job in a defense plant, Vulcan Soot Company, which was manufacturing wartime materials. Punch and Johnny were faced with the dilemma of keeping the hardware store going. They hired a Cherokee Indian, Clarence Still, from Oklahoma to work in the store. Johnny worked in the hardware store from 9 am to 3 pm, then went to work at Vulcan until 11 pm. These were tough times, and Pauline had to be a trooper to keep the family functioning. Little David came along during the war years, and beautiful Mary Christine was born in the late 1940's. As the children become teenagers, they would assume some chores in the hardware store. Jim Moulthrop remembers leaving St. Catherine's school at 11:45 am with his friend Mug McGrew, to run over to Nick's Hot Dog Shop and then hurry to the hardware store so his father could go home for his lunch break. Did Pauline ever realize that young Jimmer's hot dog cost more than Johnny's free lunch at home?

Perhaps the most unsettling change for Punch and Johnny was the sale of the family business about 1953. Johnny took over a sales position with Atlantic Stamping Company, based in Rochester New York. The job required Johnny to travel, and once again Punch had to be strong as well as loving with three children at home between the ages of five and sixteen. Later, Johnny returned to start Tri-County Supply with partner Chuck Slattery, and was later joined in the business by his son David.

The Allen sisters grew up wearing the latest fashions and they all loved clothes. Punch's specialty was hats, and one very memorable chapeau featured a wide brim and beautiful cabbage roses. During her "flapper" days she sported the cloche hats and pierced ears. Of course, with a shoe store in the family, the girls could indulge their taste for lovely footwear. Punch always envied her sister Jean, who wore the "sample" size, and was presented her choice of shoes after the salesman had called on his customers.

When the house emptied of most of the kids, and the youngest was about twelve, Punch decided to work part time for the best dress shop in DuBois. Leonardson's was the Cadillac of women's clothing stores in town - these were the days before malls. To Punch, it was more of a social event than work. Everyone she knew came to see her (or worked with her!) and she enjoyed ten years of sales with Jane Leonardson Warren. When Punch was seventy she went to Paris with the Leonardson gang.

Pauline swam, played golf, and bowled into her 60's. She was an excellent bridge player and used to play on the radio in the early 1940's. One of Punch and Johnny's favorite activities was to dance. The Sunset Ballroom in Carrolltown was a dance hall they visited often to hear the big name bands. Punch started dancing as a baby, performed in the Allen family musicals, strutted through the flapper days and was able to "cut a rug" at age 83, at granddaughter Stacie Moulthrop's wedding in 1989.

The Moulthrop's enjoyed their proximity to the country club, where Punch excelled in the social graces, and Johnny was remembered as a raconteur. They were both active in church - actually two churches! Johnny was a member of Trinity Lutheran, and active on the church council. Pauline supported and attended St. Catherine's along with her children.

Not only did John attend a different church; he was a horse of a different color when it came to politics! Johnny was the lone Republican, marrying into a family of life-long Democrats. And these different party affiliations led to some lively discussions. Johnny performed his GOP duties seriously, and proudly took Pauline and his family on the Republican Party dinner circuit, seeking election as Justice of the Peace representing Clearfield County's 5th Magisterial District. Johnny was politically connected through his many friends, especially from his days on the basketball court, and Pauline shared his enthusiasm for politics. In the 1960's Johnny rose to some prominence in the community as the Recorder of Vital Statistics, and as Republican City Chairman for DuBois.

Punch and Johnny traveled many times over the years. A treasured family story involves their trip to the 1939 World's Fair in New York, with family friends, the Delaneys. Seems Delaney made the entire entourage "famous" at Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe. As tradition would dictate, the bartender would always give a customer change in silver dollars, and a silver dollar was expected as a tip. But Bill Delaney generously left a dime. The bartender, who was not amused, called Delaney a "big farmer" which got Bill's "Irish " up. The pair had to be separated before a fistfight broke out. They returned in style to the New York World's Fair in 1964, driving their son Jim's new Pontiac.

Punch and Johnny were lucky to be life-long mates. She was the family director, and he was a constant tease, and great pal. The boys especially remember long discussions that lasted into the late evening, and often early morning, around the kitchen table. Most any subject was fair game, but many times politics and the happenings at the country club took top billing. The table is at the family fishing camp in Wharton, PA and the boys often comment with a touch of nostalgia, "If only this table could talk!"

Family was the most important and main interest in Punch's life. She was close to her sister and brothers and kept in close contact with her children all of her life. They had twelve grandchildren that they enjoyed especially tailgating at the Penn State University football games. She had a strong sense of duty to her children, church, and friends. Her children and their families visited her often at the family home. Punch was the longest living of the thirteen Allen children. She lived to the vibrant age of 83!