Allen Ludden*
Class of 1962
- Senior Executive and College Bowl Moderator CBS
Invest in our youth. They are our future.
Allen Ludden was born in 1917 in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Before the end of the year, his father died from the influenza epidemic. His mother later married H. D. Ludden, who adopted her son. Ludden attended the University of Texas, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1940 with a degree in English and drama. The following year, he earned a master's degree in English.
During World War II, Ludden served with the U.S. Army as officer in charge of entertainment in the Pacific theater.
In 1948, Ludden emceed a radio talk show for teenagers called Mind Your Manners. He continued hosting the show when it debuted on television in 1951. He went on to host many game shows, including the GE College Bowl and Password, from 1961 to 1975.
Ludden served as vice president of the Horatio Alger Awards Committee. He was also president of the Florida Central Academy, a small nonprofit preparatory school in Sorrento, Florida.