The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame® was created by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) to recognize the sacrifice, passion and determination of those who have made Kentucky Bourbon what it is today. It is the industry’s highest honor. It’s the people that helped to pave the way for today’s distilling industry. It is not uncommon to see a founder or distiller recognized for this prestigious honor.
The list of inductees is impressive with movers and shakers like Parker Beam, Col. Albert Bacon Blanton, Brad Boswell, Owsley Brown II, Freddie Johnson, Chris Morris, Jimmy Russell, Bill Samuels, Jr., Margie Samuels, Max Shapira, Elmore Sherman, Peggy Noe Stephens, Mike Veach, Andrea Wilson, Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle, Al Young, and more.
The induction ceremony takes place each year in September during National Bourbon Heritage Month. 2024 saw five new people enter the Hall and though they are all well deserving there is one that requires a special shout out and that is Elmore ‘Lucille’ Allen. Miss Lucille is the first African American chemist to be recognized by the industry and at a spry 93-years-old she was ready to stand up in front of her peers and say thank you.
Watch the video to hear all about how Elmer ‘Lucille’ Allen is recognized for her contributions as a chemist at Brown-Forman.
- Introduction by Kentucky Distillers’ Association President Eric Gregory
- Campbell Brown Brown-Forman Chairman of the Board talks about his early days at Brown-Forman when he worked under Allen’s tutelage in the lab.
- Miss Lucille takes the stage with grand applause.
“While [the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame induction ceremony] is my favorite day of the year my second favorite day of the year is when I get to call people to let them know they’ve been inducted,” said Kentucky Distillers’ Association President Eric Gregory. “Some people think I’m joking, and they can’t believe it, some people have cried. We even had one person turn us down, true story. But I’ve never been humbled as much as my call to our first inductee Lucille Allen. I called and she answered right away, and I said ‘Ma’am, my name is Eric Gregory I’m President of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association I have some good news, do you have a minute to talk?’ And she said, ‘No sweetie, I’m busy shopping, and you’ll have to call me back later.’ And I was like wow. And of course, I did call her back and she couldn’t have been more gracious and polite and accepting of this award.
“That’s when I fully realized that Lucille Allen is not just an artist, or a pioneering activist, or the first black chemist at Brown-Forman and possibly in the industry. That is when I realized that Lucille Allen is a force of nature, and you are not going to get in her way.”
“Lucille made history as the first African American chemist at Brown-Forman in 1966,” said Brown-Forman Chairman of the Board Campbell Brown. “Her groundbreaking work in the industry paved the way for future generations of scientists, particularly women and people of color. Lucille’s tenacity and skill not only contributed to the success of our company but also served as a beacon of hope and inspiration for those that followed in her footsteps.
“Let us honor Miss Lucille, not only for her impressive accomplishments as a chemist and a trailblazer in our cherished bourbon industry but the profound impact she’s had in the lives of many. Her legacy is a powerful reminder that with hard work, passion and a commitment to uplifting others we can create a world where everyone has the opportunity to shine. Thank you, Lucille, for your remarkable contributions and for being a true inspiration for all of us. Miss Lucille, welcome to the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.”
The crowd cheered as Miss Lucille strolled up to the stage and stood at the podium to speak.
“First of all, I want to say thank you. This is a beautiful afternoon. To realize that in 1966/67 I never realized that I would receive an award for being a chemist at Brown-Forman,” said Miss Lucille Allen Retired Chemist at Brown-Forman.
“And I thank Campbell [Brown] for what he talked about today. Sometimes you forget what you do for people, but I can say, I am who I am today because I worked at Brown-Forman for almost 30 years. When I retired in 1997, I went back to school, and I got a master’s at the University of Louisville in fiber and ceramics. And would you believe it? I’m still taking ceramics today and I’m 93 years old.
“It is important, I don’t think I would be standing here today if I was working in the community as it is now, because to me, friendship begins at the workplace, because you come in every day, and I don’t think I would survive in this working from home. Because I like seeing people, I like talking and I also think that you have to give of yourself more than you actually take.
“And to be here today and to be in this facility, this is simply beautiful. And I would just like to thank everyone who is here today and especially my son and my daughter who, our daughter is here from Florida, to be with me and just all, I would like to say, I owe Brown-Forman for everything that I do.
“And I’m 93 years old, I’m able to walk and talk. When I went to Brown-Forman, everything was done by hand and that’s where I learned how to use computers. I learned how to use alpha shop and all this stuff and I was just happy to say thank you so very much for honoring me today for becoming a Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame member, thank you so very much.
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The 2024 Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Welcomes Elmer Lucille Allen – Brown-Forman
Elmer Lucille Allen, 93, Louisville. A pioneering activist, Allen broke barriers in the Bourbon industry as the first Black chemist at Brown-Forman – and possibly the entire American whiskey industry. Her work to bring opportunity to all Louisvillians didn’t stop when she left the company. Amongst her many accomplishments, she formed the Chickasaw Little League and led efforts to bring African American art and artists to the mainstream.
Elmer Lucille Allen was born August 23, 1931, in Louisville, Kentucky. Her family consisted of mother, father and three siblings. They lived at 1724 West Chestnut Street from her birth until the 1960s. She attended Western Elementary School (now Roosevelt/Perry Elementary), Madison Junior High School (now closed) and Central High School. These schools were in the west end of Louisville. The students and the staff at these schools were African Americans.
Attended Louisville Municipal College, a college of the University of Louisville for African Americans from 1949-1951. Received a Bachelor of Science in General Education (Chemistry and Mathematics) from Nazareth College, now Spalding University in 1953, and a Master of Art in Creative Arts (ceramics/fiber) from University of Louisville in 2002. Received Doctor of Humane Letters, Spalding University in 2024.
After graduation in 1953, Elmer Lucille was unable to find a position in the science field. She took the civil service exam. Moved to Indianapolis and worked as a clerk typist at Fort Benjamin Harrison. Later she worked as a medical technician at General Hospital, Methodist Hospital and Community Hospital from 1953 to 1958.
Upon her return to Louisville, she worked as a medical technician at Children’s Hospital until she was hired as a Research Chemist at American Synthetic Rubber Company. When the lab closed, she worked as a Research Chemist at the University of Louisville Medical and Dental Research for Dr. Felix Bronner. While in this position, she applied for a Junior Chemist position at Brown-Forman in the Research and Development Laboratory. She was hired in April of 1966 and was the first African American chemist. She retired as a Senior Analytical Chemist in 1997.
Elmer Lucille has been a community person for years. In 1969 she formed the Chickasaw Little League. The league consisted of diverse coaches and youth south of Broadway. Was President of the Kentucky Coalition for AFRO-American Arts, Inc. (founded in the early 1980s) for almost 10 years; published two directories of African American artists and arts organizations from across the Commonwealth of Kentucky; and was responsible for hosting two arts conferences, one of which was in Lexington, Kentucky.
Elmer Lucille is a mother of three children, Patricia Lucille Patterson-Wetherill, Cruise T. Patterson and Michael Charles Allen Sr., a grandmother of one and a great-grandmother of three.
Awards of Recognitions: In Our Elders’ Footprints (Ohio River Waterfront) (2024);Thanks for Paving the Way – 2 nd Baptist Church – New Albany, IN (2024); The Senate – Commonwealth of Kentucky – Senator Gerald Neal (2024); AKAPLAUSE Leadership Award (2024); Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition – Marcus Garvey (2024); YMCA Black Achievers (2024); Queen Mother of Louisville – Revolutionary Black Panther Party (RBPP) Louisville Chapter (2024); 2022 MLK Lift Every Voice Award; 2021 WLKY -The Bell Award; The Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky – Senator Gerald A. Neal (2021); Metro Louisville – Greg Fischer, Mayor (2021); one of 10 Kentucky Women of the Century (2021); Sally Bingham Award – Kentucky Foundation for Women (2019); Muhammad Ali Daughter of Greatness Award (2019); Tower Award Recipient in Arts Communication – Presentation Academy (2018); Gold Standard Award for Optimal Aging – Outstanding Individual Award – University of Louisville – Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging (2018); Lyman T. Johnson Distinguished Leadership Award – Louisville Center Community Center (2018); Central High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Award (2018); Legacy Award: In Memory of Julius Friedman – Louisville Visual Art Honors (2018); Brown-Forman SPLASH Advocacy Award (2018); Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Eta Omega Chapter -Dorothy Buchanan Wilson Outstanding Golden Soror Award (2017); Center for Neighborhoods – 2017 Summit Award – Neighborhood Leadership Award; Outstanding Community Leader by Metro Council (2016); Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft’s First Art and Advocacy Award – Bourbon Bash (2015); etc.
Included in: The American Whiskey September 2021; 150th Anniversary Brown-Forman (2021); The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia (2015); Who’s Who 2014 African American Profiles; 100 Fascinating Louisville Women (2013); Portraits of Grace written by Marian T. Call with original art by Joan Zehnder (2007); and Kentucky Women: Two Centuries of Indomitable Spirit and Vision edited by Eugenia K. Potter (1997) et al.
Volunteered at Wayside Christian Mission’s Wayside Expressions Gallery from 2005 to December 2017; Kentucky Center for African American Heritage from 2010 to 2015; Art of Dreams (2013). Currently volunteering with Louisville Central Community Center; Commission on Public Art (COPA); Louisville Visual Art; Frazier Museum – Women’s Suffrage Committee, etc.
Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Eta Omega Chapter; Kentucky Colonel; Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society, Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Artists, Frazier Museum, Speed Museum, Black Bourbon Guild, Women’s Equality, et al.
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