Allen Fannin, an adjunct professor who taught nearly every first-year fashion design major in his past seven years at Syracuse University, passed away last Sunday after a car accident in Oneida.

‘Allen Fannin was an extremely smart, creative, and warm artist and teacher,’ said Carole Brzozowski, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. ‘Our students and faculty relied on his expertise and drew from his fascinating wealth of information. He was one in a million.’

Fannin came into contact with many at the university and the surrounding area with his broad interests and dedication to the students and faculty at VPA.

‘Allen was an incredible technician,’ said Karen Bakke, chair of the department of fashion and design technology. ‘He knew how things ought to get done and got them done. You can be as artistic as you want, but without a technician behind you, you won’t have anything at all.’

From 1965 to 1995, Fannin owned and ran a company called Fannin Spinner and Weavers from his home town of Camden. He took the opportunity to come to Syracuse University when the school was looking for a new professor in 1997.

Bakke advertised a position in the Post-Standard for a new Introduction to Textiles professor, and Fannin was the top prospect from the moment he applied.

‘When I got his resume, I already knew of his book on spinning and weaving, so I thought I should interview him first,’ said Bakke. ‘When he came, and found out I hadn’t talked to anyone else, he said, ‘I’m the only person who is qualified for this position. Don’t interview anyone else.’ And I knew he was absolutely right, so I hired him.’

Fannin’s students knew that he had the experience and will to teach them everything they needed to know about textiles.

‘He was a very tough grader, and there was a lot of reading in his class, but he was experienced and a good teacher,’ said Carlen Manasse, a fashion design major. ‘He was very dedicated to what he did.’

For some students, it only took a couple of classes with Fannin before they realized he would be the right man to direct them.

‘He mentioned on the first day of class that he would help us in any way he could, whether it was finding internships or just to learn, and I really wish I could have had more time with him,’ said Cara Fenu, a freshman majoring in fashion design. ‘He made us think, not just lecture. He wanted us to learn and understand.’

‘If anybody asked him for help, they would get help. He never turned anyone away,’ Bakke said. ‘Teaching undergrads textiles is not an easy thing to do. No one comes to college with a passion for textiles, but Allen actually had that passion, and he imparted it to his students.’

More than just a professor, Fannin had many talents, some more hidden than others. He was best known, outside of his classroom, for his passion for fly-fishing. In his spare time, Fannin would teach under-privileged children, and anyone else willing to listen, the sport. He was both given the honor of Outstanding Instructor in the Sportsfishing and Aquatic Resources Education Program by Cornell University’s Department of Natural Resources and was the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National 4-H Natural Resources Leader of the Year in 1994.

‘Fly-fishing is a real art; it’s not just putting a sting in the water and hoping for the best,’ Bakke said. ‘Allen liked it because it was a lot like textiles. You have to have skills with minute details; all the tiny threads have to be in the same place.’

Fannin was also a master chef and loved to experiment with food. He also sang with a group that focused on a style known as ‘Shape-Note’ or ‘Sacred-Heart,’ which is a type of music that combines different styles ranging all the way back before the Civil War.

Chuck Esposito, a construction supervisor at SU and one of Fannin’s close friends said that he wasn’t only talented, he was also personable.

‘Allen was very outgoing,’ Esposito said. ‘He always took charge of any situation, without being obnoxious about it. He drove people in from all over the place that you wouldn’t normally think of getting together. He’d pull in people from the academic side and then some guy he met on a fishing trip to work on the same project, and then through him he got them working like they were good buddies and had known each other forever. He really was amazing.’

The funeral for Fannin will be held at Larobardier Funeral Home at 109 Main St. in Camden from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.

SU will be holding its own memorial in Hendricks Chapel on Monday, Oct. 4 at 4 p.m.

‘The service will not be like the funeral,’ Bakke said. ‘This will be a celebration of his life and all that was good about him.’

At the memorial, Fannin’s family will speak, along with different students and faculty who knew him well and a possible performance by the group that he sang with.

Fannin is survived by two sons and two sisters, and is remembered by everyone here who had contact with him.

‘When you were with Allen, you’re always planning something for the future, a million things going on at once, and you could never see something like this coming,’ Esposito said. ‘I always looked forward to my time with him, and always just thought it would be there forever. And now there is going to be a hole in everyone’s lives without him.’

Published on September 15, 2004 at 12:00 pm