I whanau a Allen i te 21 o Hanuere, 1953, i Seattle, Washington, ki a Kenneth Sam Allen me Edna Faye (née Gardner) Allen. I haere a Allen ki te Kura o Lakeside, he kura motuhake i Seattle, i reira i whakahoahoa ai ia ki a Bill Gates, e rua tau te pakeke, i uru atu ai ia ki te hoa mo nga rorohiko. I whakamahia e ratau te tauranga Teletype o Lakeside ki te whakawhanake i o raatau pukenga papatono i runga i etahi punaha rorohiko tohatoha-wā. I whakamahia hoki e raatau te taiwhanga o te Tari Pūtaiao Rorohiko o te Whare Wananga o Washington, e mahi ana i nga rangahau whaiaro me te papatono rorohiko; i te iti rawa i te wa kotahi i te tau 1971 i aukatihia raua i te taiwhanga mo te whakamahi kino i o raatau mana motuhake i reira. E ai ki a Allen, i a raua tau taiohi, ka haere raua ko Bill Gates ki te horoi horoi horoi mo te waehere rorohiko.
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