Allen Schulman passed away on November 16, 2018. Allen was an adoring father, devoted husband, inspiring leader, and truest of friends. He was born to Allen and Jeanne (née Wagner) Schulman in Akron, Ohio on November 5, 1947.
When he was five, the family moved to Bexley, Ohio where Allen spent his youth. He made lifelong friends there, and loved returning to eat at Rubino’s Pizza where a photo of him and his buddies still hangs. At a young age Allen developed a deep passion for social justice, politics, and government.
When he was twelve his parents took him to meet then Democratic Candidate for President, John F. Kennedy, at the Columbus Airport. A devoted fan, Allen was wearing a ball cap covered in “Vote for Kennedy” campaign pins. JFK shook young Allen’s hand, smiled, and said in his Boston twang, “I like your hat!
” Allen never forgot this. Allen went on to obtain a BA in Political Science from Miami University and was active in the antiwar and civil rights student protest movements. After earning a JD from Akron University School of Law in 1974, Allen founded Allen Schulman and Associates in downtown Canton, where he worked for 43 years.
A brilliant legal mind, Allen received numerous professional accolades over the course of his career. He was ranked as one of Ohio’s top 100 lawyers and one of the best lawyers in America by Martindale-Hubbell; he was a certified civil trial specialist through the Ohio Supreme Court; and inducted into the International Association of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers. Allen’s most treasured legal accomplishments, however, were those he achieved on behalf of his clients.
A plaintiff’s lawyer of unusual compassion, Allen tirelessly sought justice for the “little guy” against powerful interests, and helped countless individuals and families chart a path forward after terrible losses. Allen was also an influential community leader and outspoken advocate for progressive causes at the local, state, and federal level. His law office— a Carnegie library that he and his wife, Christine, painstakingly rehabilitated—regularly hosted political fundraisers for the Democratic Party, and once served as Stark County Election Day headquarters.
For the past twelve years, Allen served as President of Canton City Council, which he led with his incomparable energy, humor, empathy, and eloquence. Always a generous contributor to the causes and people he believed in, Allen donated his annual council salary to the Stark County Hunger Task Force. Allen leaves behind a legacy of love and lives transformed.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 22 years, Christine Schulman, daughter Alexis Schulman, son-in-law Alfred Hanssen, and sister Andrea Miller. A public Memorial Service will be held at the Canton Cultural Center for the Arts on Saturday January 12th, 2019. Refer to The Repository and the Formet-Clevenger & Gordon Funeral Home website for further details.
Condolences may be left at: www. gordonfuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Stark County Hunger Task Force at: P.O. Box 20941, Canton, Ohio 44701 or online at starkhunger.org.
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