The Hudson-Fulton Celebration commemorated the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the Hudson River and the 100th anniversary of Robert Fulton's first successful commercial application of the paddle steamboat. The collection was created by Allen Fink and Susan Bette Fink (nee Budson). They devoted years to researching and collecting Hudson-Fulton Celebration items to create a comprehensive collection of materials telling the event's story. The Fink's collection was recognized for its excellence while featured in a 2009 exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration at the New York State Museum in Albany. Allen Fink (1934-2020), a native of Brooklyn, NY, and Passaic, NJ, was born in 1934. Allen attended public school until he left school and home at 16. He worked various odd jobs - laborer, butcher's apprentice, tool, and dye-maker until he joined the United States Air Force at 19. While in the USAF, Allen went to school to become a radar technician. Later, he served 18 months in Morocco, working for Strategic Air Command. He explored the various cities nearby and learned about the history and local customs. Although Allen had not finished high school, he continued his education through reading, always going to the local library in his community or near his military base, reading anything and everything. Upon returning to New Jersey in 1959, he attended classes to complete his GED. Under the Veteran's GI Bill, Allen entered the Newark Institute of Technology, now the New Jersey Institute of Technology. During his college years, he worked one summer in Israel, affiliated with Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, on telephone communications systems. During this time of national insecurity, he was required to become a temporary resident to do work in Israel. Allen's travels sparked an interest in history, and he began collecting stamps during travel from various locations. This led to his lifelong passion for collecting other materials, including postcards, coins, maps, prints, toys, comic books, and other types of ephemera. His specialties included the United States, France, the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, Early Flight, Zeppelins, the Civil War, and Judaica. Allen married Enid Reisberg of Newburgh, NY, and they had two children, Steven and Joli Anna. He then continued his education and earned a Master's degree in Industrial Management from Union College. After college, he began working in the Eclipse Pioneer Division of Bendix Aviation Corporation. In 1964, after several years in Advanced Research and Development, Allen left Bendix and joined International Business Machines (IBM) in Poughkeepsie, NY. At IBM, he worked in the research and development of mainframes until his retirement in 1993. After Allen retired from IBM, he continued to pursue his passion for collecting. In 1997, he married Susan Budson, who joined him in his varied endeavors, including table tennis and competition, and shared his passion for collecting. Post-retirement, Allen joined Vassar College as their Table Tennis Coach, was an active member of Vassar Temple, and taught classes at IBM and Marist College Center for Lifetime Studies. In his life, Allen encouraged people to pursue their interests and passions, learn, and be the best they could be.