John C. Allen was a roller coaster

Roller coaster

The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

 designer who was responsible for the revival of wooden roller coaster

Wooden roller coaster

A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...

s which began in the 1970s. He attended Temple University

Temple University

Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...

. He started working for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company

Philadelphia Toboggan Company

The Philadelphia Toboggan Company is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world.Mack Rides of Germany dates back to 1781, but it did not start building coasters until 1921 Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry B...

 in 1934 as a coaster operator and rose to become president of the company by 1954. He has designed over 25 coasters and has made significant contributions to roller coaster technology. He once said, "You don't need a degree in engineering to design roller coasters, you need a degree in psychology."

Surviving John Allen Coasters

Name	Location	Built
Jet Flyer/Sea Dragon Sea Dragon (roller coaster) The Sea Dragon is a junior wooden roller coaster located at Jungle Jack's Landing in Powell, Ohio.The coaster was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and began operating in 1956. It recently celebrated its 50th birthday in 2006. The Sea Dragon was originally called Jet Flyer, but changed...	Gooding Zoo Park/Wyandot Lake/Jungle Jack's Landing Jungle Jack's Landing Jungle Jack's Landing is a small amusement park attached to and owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium off of Riverside Drive in Columbus, Ohio. The park was named after Jack Hanna. Opening on May 26, 2008, the park had 16 rides or attractions total. The water park, Zoombezi Bay also made its...	1956
Skyliner Skyliner (roller coaster) Skyliner is the name of a wooden roller coaster located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It originally opened in 1960 at New York's Roseland Park, and was John C. Allen's first full-size coaster design. John Allen designed three kiddie coasters prior to this one...	Lakemont Park Lakemont Park Lakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. The park opened in 1894 as a trolley park and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is the 8th oldest in the United States...	1960
Starliner	Miracle Strip/Cypress Gardens Cypress Gardens Cypress Gardens was an American theme park near Winter Haven, Florida, that operated from 1936 to 2009.-History:Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope Sr. and his wife Julie...	1963
Giant Coaster/The Wild One The Wild One (roller coaster) The Wild One is a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags America in Prince George's County, Maryland. It is a classic style woodie with a series of bunny hills for a large amount of air time and a 450° spiral helix....	Six Flags America Six Flags America Six Flags America is a family theme park and water park located in Mitchellville, Prince George's County, Maryland. It is situated east of Washington D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. The park covers , 131 of which is currently used for park operations...	1963
Blue Streak Blue Streak (Cedar Point) Blue Streak is a wooden roller coaster following the out and back design, and is the oldest operating roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. According to park officials, the roller coaster has given over 54 million rides since its construction in 1964.-History:Blue Streak is a traditional...	Cedar Point Cedar Point Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...	1964
Swamp Fox	Grand Strand Park/Family Kingdom Family Kingdom Amusement Park Family Kingdom is an amusement park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It is owned by Sea Mist OceanFront resort.-Rides:Family Kingdom has more than 30 rides...	1966
Cannon Ball Cannon Ball roller coaster The Cannon Ball roller coaster is a wooden roller coaster at Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park, Lakeview, Georgia, near Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was designed by John C...	Lake Winnepesaukah Lake Winnepesaukah Lake Winnepesaukah is an amusement park located on Lakeview Drive in Lakeview, Georgia near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Winnepesaukah means "beautiful water." Carl and Minette Dixon opened the park to guests in 1925...	1967
Shooting Star	Lakeside Park Lakeside Park Lakeside Park may refer to:* Lakeside Park, Kentucky, a small city in the United States* Lakeside Park , an office complex in the capital of Slovakia* Lakeside Park, formerly Lakeside International Raceway, an Australian motor racing facility...	1968
Zingo	Bell's Amusement Park Bell's Amusement Park Bell's Amusement Park was a small amusement park located in Tulsa's Expo Square, part of the Tulsa County Fairground in Oklahoma. The park was founded in 1951 by Robert Bell with a small collection of rides and amusements including a three car train and a Shetland pony ride...	1968
Racer	Kings Island Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...	1972
Scooby Doo/Beastie/Fairly Odd Coaster	Kings Island Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...	1972
Great American Scream Machine The Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Over Georgia) Great American Scream Machine is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia. The -tall ride reaches a top speed of . GASM, as it is known to park workers, was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1973 with Marvin M. Black & Sons as the contractor...	Six Flags Over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....	1973
Rebel Yell Rebel Yell (roller coaster) Rebel Yell is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. It opened with the park in 1975.Rebel Yell is a racing roller coaster featuring two individual tracks that parallel each other. Its design was inspired by the Racer, another wooden racing coaster at Kings...	Kings Dominion	1975
Scooby-Doo's Ghoster Coaster	Kings Dominion	1975
Screamin' Eagle Screamin' Eagle The Screamin' Eagle is a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags St. Louis. When it opened in 1976 for America's Bicentennial celebration, Guinness World Records listed it as the largest coaster at high and as the fastest coaster at . The ride is a modified 'L'-Shaped Out And Back...	Six Flags St. Louis Six Flags St. Louis Six Flags St. Louis , is an amusement park owned by Six Flags, Inc. It is located in Eureka, Missouri, USA . Opened in 1971 as the third theme park of the Six Flags chain, this was the last park that was built under the Six Flags name...	1976