Lane Harris Allen was born in 1909 in Ellijay, Georgia. After earning a BS and MS from the University of Georgia, Allen earned a PhD from Georgetown in 1935. He began his teaching career at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) in 1935 as an Assistant Professor in Gross Anatomy. He earned his doctorate of medicine degree from MCG in 1939. He rose from Associate Professor in Gross Anatomy to Professor and Head of the Department of Gross Anatomy. In 1961, Allen stepped down as department head while maintaining full professorship. Dr. Allen retired from the MCG in 1977. Through the years he researched the history of the college, primarily the history of the anatomy department. He co-wrote a brief history of the department with Dr. Thomas F. McDonald. Dr. Allen passed away on July 28, 1988.