Jane Allen Shikoh, 89

Jane Allen Shikoh, a longtime Rockville Centre resident, died in her home in Palm Bay, Fla. on Nov. 16 after a brief illness. She was 89.

Shikoh was born in 1924 to Marion and Otho W. Allen in Annapolis, Md, where her father was a language teacher at the U.S. Naval Academy. Her family moved to Rockville Centre in 1942, after she completed high school in Connecticut. She attended the University of Michigan, followed by Barnard College, where she received a BA in history and government. She earned a Ph.D. in American Civilization from NYU.

She began working for the Rockefeller Foundation in 1954, ultimately becoming an assistant to the president. Her most important position was that of Conference Coordinator. The Foundation had established a Conference Center in Bellagio, Italy, on the shore of Lake Como. In addition to organizing conferences, Shikoh reviewed the applications of writers and researchers who wanted a peaceful place to complete their works. She greatly enjoyed her many trips to Bellagio.

In 1957, Jane married Mirza Shikoh, a Pakistani immigrant and poet who taught courses in international relations at Rutgers University. He pre-deceased her in 1995.

Shikoh lived in her family home in Rockville Centre from 1981 to 2011. She was active in the United Church of Rockville Centre and the Barnard Alumni Association. She supported many charitable organizations, such as Planned Parenthood and animal welfare. In 2011, she moved to Palm Bay to be closer to her brother and his family.

Shikoh is survived by her brother, Robert B. Allen; her sister, Janice Moon, and her children Andrew and Cynthia; many devoted members of the Shikoh family, and her beloved cat, Domino.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Shikoh’s name to either Barnard College, United Church of Rockville Centre or Planned Parenthood.