Forty years with the County

This Friday, Howell County Collector Dennis Von Allmen will celebrate his forty years of public service.

Von Allmen ran for Howell County Collector in 1982 at the age of 23, reports his wife of forty-four years, Judy. In all his years in public office, his only contested election was that first one. He has run unopposed ever since. In 2018, Von Allmen made the leap from the County Clerk’s office to the County Collector’s seat. He announced his retirement last year and will be succeeded by Janet Crow.

In his four decades of service to Howell County, Von Allmen has conducted 122 elections, including nine presidential elections. In 2015, Von Allmen was honored with the Rosemary Plitt Award for Excellence in Election Administration from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office. He has served as president of the Missouri Association of County Clerks & Election Authorities.

Von Allmen is currently Chairman of the Board of Willow Springs Health Care Inc. and Commissioner of the West Plains Housing Authority Board. Throughout his life in public service, he has served on numerous Missouri Secretary of State Election Advisory Committees, as well as the Howell County Sheltered Workshop Board, Missouri Special Education Advisory Panel, and he has served as president of the West Plains Lions Club. 

Reflecting on her family’s life in public service, wife Judy recalled how election time would frequently interfere with their Nov. 4 wedding anniversary, but they “never thought anything of it.” She describes their time in the public eye fondly, if a bit busy at times. 

The Von Allmens are active in their church, and have two children – Katie (Dean) Ferguson of Festus, Mo., and Bryant Von Allmen of West Plains. 

Longtime colleague and friend, Rolland “Pig” Paul likes to call Von Allmen the “County Historian” because of his lengthy service to Howell County. 

“There’s a great deal of knowledge locked up in that brain of his,” Paul told Howell County News.

Von Allmen was County Clerk when Paul was on the County Commission, and Paul recalls that Von Allmen would “preach” to the Commissioners when they discussed subjects they had already settled, sometimes perhaps years before. Paul fondly recalls giving Von Allmen a priest’s collar to help him in this “preaching.” According to Paul, that collar would appear from a desk drawer whenever Von Allmen felt it was needed. 

Current Howell County Clerk Kelly Waggoner also has fun memories to share about her time with Von Allmen in the County offices.

“On the very rare occasion if Dennis got flustered or mad you could see the level in him like a thermometer,” Waggoner recalls. “His neck, then face would get red. If his ears got red. Look out! Never heard the man raise his voice-- in fact, if someone came in upset Dennis would lower his voice, talk very purposely, and before we knew it there would be laughter from both sides.”

The public is welcome at Friday’s drop-in reception on the second floor of the Howell County Office Building at 35 Court Square, West Plains from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.