Allan H. Lowenberg (December 10, 1918 – November 17, 2016) was a humanitarian and his work as a volunteer in St. Joseph reached and changed the lives of many people.
Lowenberg was born in St. Joseph to Nanette and Leo Lowenberg. He attended Central High School and was a member of the National Honor Society and Quill and Scroll. He was an avid writer. He attended Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois and was on the sports staff of their daily paper.
In 1940 Lowenberg became the manager of LaMode clothing store in St. Joseph and in 1947 he and his wife Enid purchased the store. He was drafted in 1941 and served with the 7th Infantry Division for four and one half years and was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart among other decorations.
After the war and back in St. Joseph, his service continued but in a different way. Lowenberg served on local committees for many organizations including, United Way and the Social Welfare Board. He was president of the Downtown Association and the Youth Alliance. He spent a lifetime supporting local youth baseball. He managed for 13 years in youth baseball and served as a volunteer umpire for more than 30 years. He and a friend, Julius Hochman, created Little League Baseball in St. Joseph and was inducted in 2015 into the St. Joseph Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the founder of S-C-O-R-E and served on the boards of Civic Music, Kiwaninis, Community Chest, the White House Conference for Juveniles, Community Welfare Council, and Interserve.
Allan Lowenberg received two national and four state awards for his volunteering. He was a two term president and served for 40 years as a religious school teacher and principal at Temple Adath Joseph from 1963-65. He was the national chairman of the NAIA College Baseball World Series in St. Joseph. Lowenberg retired in February of 1986 and three days later became a volunteer tutor for all grades at Edison Elementary, his former grade school. He amassed over 25 years and 25,000 hours and touched countless hearts and minds, and gained the title of “Guardian Angel.” He also taught summer school annually at all three St. Joseph high schools.
Lowenberg was named as a “Daily Point of Light” by the Points of Light Foundation, which was created by President George Bush and carried on by President Bill Clinton.