PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
Allman’s books are available from online vendors. Currently working
on his second fiction book in a series, Cobra in New Orleans, Allman
is also an avid reader.
LARRY DAVID ALLMAN
Age: 73
Lives in: PGA Village, Verano, Port St. Lucie
Occupation: Writer and real estate agent with
Branca Realty
Family: Wife, Marie-Laurence
Education: Mount Pleasant High School in Delaware;
East Carolina University; Glendale University College
of Law in California; yoga training with Sivananda
Yoga Vedanta Centre
Hobbies: Health, travel, reading
Who inspires me: “Great writers. Strong father figures.
Swami Vishnu, who trained me as a yoga master. He was
so focused and his energy was so strong, powerful and
clean, that when he walked into a room, every eyeball
was on him. He taught us how to live.”
Something most people don’t know about me:
“During the Watergate hearings I was working at the slot
machines at a casino in Lake Tahoe. Every break I had, I’d
rush to the lounge to see what was going on.”
the homeowners association for six years before the couple
moved to PGA Village, Verano.
“We love it here,” Allman says. “And when we wanted
to sell our other home, I added a verbal rider to the listing
agreement — that we interview for the broker. We got
licensed and now work for Branca Realty. Team Allman.
“We work when we have work,” Allman says. “We go to
every showing personally. Generally, our sellers have gone
from house to hospital or into assisted living. We’ve cleaned
out houses, packed up. It’s fun and we’re helping people.”
Although the Allmans no longer teach, yoga is still central
to their lives.
“The postures are the gateway,” Allman says, “but yoga is a
multilevel way of life. Breath, diet, meditation, ultimately the
unification of body, mind and spirit. We use it every day.”
Allman even wrote a book about it. Yogic Wisdom explores
the teachings of the original yoga masters. And combining
his backgrounds in yoga and international law with a love
of writing and adventure, he has begun an action series with
Downward Dog in Miami. Allman, a frequent contributor to St.
Lucie Voice, is also available for speaking engagements. E
again four years later, she was a widow.
“We only chatted for 10 minutes but a voice inside my head
said ‘this is special.’ ”
Two years later, Allman spent Christmas at the Bahamas
ashram. Marie-Laurence was there.
“We hung out, liked each other, decided that the relationship
was worth pursuing. It was meant to be.”
Los Angeles, however, was not. After the couple married,
they experienced the “weirdest two years in LA history.
Floods, fires, a huge earthquake. An airplane crashed in the
street, neighbors were assassinated.”
Reaching their limits, the Allmans moved to Geneva,
Switzerland.
“The culture is amazing, organized. It’s the cleanest country
in the world.”
Marie-Laurence taught German and French literature and
within six months, Allman landed “the world’s greatest job.”
Geneva is Europe’s international capital. Many United Nations
agencies are based there, including the World Intellectual
Property Organization.
Allman’s background as a copyright and contract lawyer
opened the door to becoming a senior counselor in WIPO’s
international treaties section at a time when the world was
focused on adopting new protections.
“I was at the right place at the right time.”
Holding a diplomatic passport, Allman was sent to 44
countries to teach the copyright system to developing
countries, working to protect everything from patents and
trademarks to indigenous and traditional material.
After six years, Allman switched to developing books. One
of them, Teaching of Intellectual Property: Principles and Methods,
is still in use. During this period, Allman also returned
to swimming. Competing in the Olympic pool in Munich, he
placed ninth in the world for his age bracket in the 50-meter
breaststroke.
When Allman’s father moved to Fort Pierce, Allman purchased
a home in the same development — the logical place
to eventually retire in 2009. Allman served as president of
LARRY ALLMAN
Seen here at the Great Wall of China, Larry and Marie-Laurence Allman
became Team Allman for Branca Realty in 2018.
Port St. Lucie Magazine 31