'He's trying to save the world': Westminster resident donates $100,000 to create law enforcement scholarship fund

World Golf Village resident Winston Allen, 92, has achieved a lot of victories in his life, and now he's helping others do the same.

"In a small way, I want to help law enforcement," he said.

Allen is a former triathlete and federal law enforcement officer who donated $100,000 to create a scholarship fund for people looking to get into law enforcement. Scholarships are available to employees of Westminster St. Augustine or their children.

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The scholarships are $1,700 per semester for up to two semesters per person, said Tonnie Alliance, director of philanthropy for the Westminster Communities Foundation. The scholarships can be used for people who want to study criminology or those entering a law enforcement academy, she said.

The funding is for people with financial need and can be used at any college, university or law enforcement academy, she said. Westminster officials are raising funds to add to Allen's donation to reach the $200,000 mark, which will help the scholarship continue permanently, she said.

"He's trying to save the world, basically," Alliance said of Allen. "What he's doing is from his heart."

Employees are required to have worked at the community for at least six months and be in good standing in order for themselves or their children to qualify, Alliance said. Employees can apply now.

Wes Meltzer, director of marketing and communications, said the foundation offers other scholarships that team members can use and combine with Allen's scholarship.

For information about Allen's scholarship or others, contact Alliance at 904-940-4800, ext. 5321.

In an email to The Record, Allen described himself as "extremely passionate about the critical need for highly qualified personnel in the challenging and fulfilling field of law enforcement."

Allen and Westminster officials spoke with The Record during a recent visit to the St. Augustine community.

'Every kind of investigation'

Allen worked in federal law enforcement, among other roles.

He was a special agent and Japanese linguist for the United States Air Force, Office of Special Investigations; a special agent for the United States Army's Criminal Investigations Division; a special agent in the U.S. Defense Investigative Service, handling background checks for government employees who needed to be granted security clearances, such as top-secret access; and he served as an auditor and investigator for the IRS.

He handled felony cases among military members, and he said military bases are basically just small cities with the same issues as the general population.

"Homicides, rapes, aggravated assaults, aggravated arson, war crimes — I mean, I've covered about every kind of investigation you can investigate," he said.

Common crimes included break-ins, assaults and sex crimes, he said. He described solving a child molestation case with the help of Plaster of Paris: he used it to make casts of shoeprints the suspect left in mud. The case and his work were used as an example in classroom training, he said.

Despite the dangerous situations he encountered, he said the only time he felt he was in danger was once, when his family was threatened during a drug investigation. But nothing happened, he said.

"I've never had to pull my weapon at all," he said.

He was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. His father was an attorney and a judge, and he took law school courses.

His career launched after he graduated high school and went to Delaware to work for the Office of Special Investigations, he said. He chose to learn Japanese as part of his work for the military, and he and his family moved to Kyushu, Japan, and lived there for four years.

The Ironman of World Golf Village

Allen and his wife, Carolyn, moved to St. Augustine from Dublin, Ohio, in 2004. She passed away in 2013.

Family photos are alongside many medals and awards at Allen's home. He is a decorated athlete.

Allen has competed in over 200 triathlons, and he's "a 13-time Hawaii Ironman finisher (nine podium) and a past winner of Ironman Brazil," according to an email from Allen to The Record.

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In 2011, at 81 years old, Allen won the gold medal for the USA in his age division at the ITU world championships in Beijing, China. He was the oldest person in the competition, and the only one in his age bracket, but managed to beat a few people in the younger divisions.

To take the medal, Allen swam almost a mile, biked for 25 miles and ran for 6 miles in just over four hours, and with a full knee replacement.

He retired from triathlon competitions in 2020 at 90 years old, he wrote.

'Be grateful'

Allen's daily routine is regimented, he said. He gets up early, exercises, reads the news, eats regularly and gets plenty of rest. Those are some of the keys to a long life, he said.

But he had other advice to offer people: Stay grateful, because "grateful people are happy people," he said.

"(I'm) grateful for everything. Grateful to be alive. Grateful to have the life that I've lived. Grateful to be an American," Allen said.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Westminster St. Augustine resident donates $100,000 for scholarships