I’d like you to meet, Virginia “Ginny” Allan

cheerful senior woman smiling in backyard

You won’t meet Ginny right away. She’s already passed away by the time we catch up to her husband, Herbert Allan. Even after her death, Ginny has a powerful impact on the world of Fantastic America. She was a force of nature in life, it only seems appropriate that she’d still influence those who knew her.

Our first impression of Ginny comes from Herb and his devotion to Ginny after the fact. That barely scratches the surface of this woman who lied life on her terms, and not those dictated by society. Ginny is a founding member and fierce advocate for Henry Raft’s posthumous League of Raftean Explorers organization.

Her leadership over all things Raftean comes from years of field work between 1957 and 1962. She and her newlywed husband championed Raft’s work in the field of unexplained phenomena. Ginny accompanied Raft on expeditions to Mexico, Central America, and South America before his untimely death. She spearheaded the creation of L.o.R.E.’s national conventions in order to expand the organization and give it academic credibility.

Ginny was president of the League from it’s inception in 1972 until her retirement in 1998. She remained active on convention panels until 2008, due to failing health. Considered one of the foremost authorities on out of place artifacts in Meso-America. Many American universities require reading her papers on Olmec, Toltec, and early Mayan archeological sites.

Ginny’s legacy lives on through her husband, Herbert, their sons, Troy and William “Illium” Allan. Herb has retired from his teaching position at Valparaiso university, but Troy and William are still active archeologists working in different fields of study. Expect to hear more about Ginny in Midwestern Magicians and throughout the rest of The Magic Unleashed series.

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