Allard Roen

Allard Frank Roen, 87, of La Costa in Carlsbad, CA, died Aug. 28, 2008, of heart disease. Born May 8, 1921, in Cleveland, and was a resident of La Costa for 41 years. Allard graduated Duke University in 1943, with a degree in business. Allard worked in Palm Beach, FL as a hotel contractor and builder. He moved to Las Vegas in 1949, joining his partners, Moe Dalitz & Wilbur Clark in the development, completion & operation of the Desert Inn Hotel. Allard served as managing director & corporate secretary of the "D.I." overseeing daily operations, as well as celebrity & production show entertainment for 18 years. When the Desert Inn partners acquired the Stardust Hotel, he became managing director of both resorts. He was credited with the design of the Starlight Theatre and Crystal showrooms, procurement of the Lido de Paris show & development of themed restaurants such as the Auk Aku, Moby Dick & the Monte Carlo Room. Allard was a founding member & first president of the Nevada Resort Association, consulted on the development of the School of Hotel Admin. at So. Nevada University (now UNLV), and served on the board of the LV Convention & Visitors Authority. Allard supervised the construction of both the Desert Inn & Stardust golf courses. He conceived & developed the Tournament of Champions PGA event hosted annually at the Desert Inn. Together with his partners, Moe Dalitz, Merv Adelson & Irwin Molasky, they developed numerous residential & commercial projects, inc. Sunrise Hospital & the La Costa Resort & Spa. Following the sale of the Desert Inn in 1967, Allard moved his family to La Costa where he served as managing partner for 20 years. In 1969, he moved the Tournament of Champions to La Costa, where it was annually played thru1989. He served as its tournament chairman for 38 years & earned the distinction of the longest reigning tournament director with the PGA. He & his partners developed La Costa`s world famous golf, tennis & spa facilities recognized as one of the great destination resorts in the country. Following the sale of La Costa in 1987, he continued to pursue private investments & constructed a vacation home in the south of France where he and his wife Evelyn spent many happy summers entertaining friends. Allard was a lifelong athlete, from his early years as an Ohio All-Star in football & baseball through his years at Duke provided to him through a baseball scholarship. Graduation brought an offer to play in the minor leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals farm team, but his first love was the game of golf that he enjoyed daily until his health declined. He spent every summer enjoying the Del Mar Turf Club, both as a member & thoroughbred owner. Most notably, he was a quiet philanthropist preferring that most of his charitable contributions be given anonymously & without personal recognition, maintaining the focus & attention should be placed on the recipients & not the donor. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Evelyn; four children, Priscilla, Judy, Jeffrey and Melissa; nine grandchildren, Chad, Timothy, Melissa, Kara, Lauren, Christopher, Elizabeth, Allard and Evelyn; four great-grandchildren, Brandon, Bryan, Ethan and Jaden.