Calleigh Gaffney of Trevose, Makaylah Smith of Levittown, and Arden Perkins of Morrisville, were awarded the winners of the Allen R. Leichter Memorial Scholarships.
All three submitted their most creative pictures and a story of how they got into photography. They were each awarded $500 dollar scholarships and a $100 dollar gift certificate to Allen's Camera during the Pennsbury High School Class of 2025 Senior Academic Awards Ceremony on May 27.
Senior photography students vying for the scholarship had to submit three of their most creative pictures along with a paragraph of how they got into photography and have a minimum GPA of 3.2.
Allen Leichter was the owner and operator of Allen's Camera in Levittown, a company founded in 1977 when he was 22 years old. He started it on his own as a one-man shop and he developed it into a successful business.
When he passed away suddenly after running his business for 38 years, he left behind a legacy both in his personal life and in the camera world. He was known for his honesty and always putting his customers first. As a result, his customers became his lifelong friends.
Allen never knew how many lives he touched. After he passed away, customers wrote in from all over the world, including the United Kingdom, Africa, and Australia, telling their stories about Allen. The store has been open 48 years and is now run by his son Brandon Leichter and the hard-working staff at Allen's Camera.
Allen is deeply missed by his wife Shari; sons, Aaron and Brandon; his mother, Shirley; siblings, Warren, Mark and Liz; his family, friends, customers, staff and his pup Brooklyn.
Shari says, "I was married to a legend! Allen will forever be in all of our hearts. This is why we have this scholarship in his name. Thank-you to Calleigh, Makalyah, Arden and to the staff at Allen's Camera for carrying on Allen's legacy and for keeping Allen Richard Leichter's Memory Alive!”
