[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 38 (Tuesday, April 12, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                TRIBUTE TO DOZIER T. AND MATTIE H. ALLEN

                                 ______


                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 1994

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to dear 
friends from my district, Dozier T. and Mattie H. Allen, who on April 
10 celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.
  At a time when many families lack cohesion and unity, Dozier and 
Mattie truly deserve to be recognized as a model for the preservation 
of family values, and for their lifetime commitment to one another. The 
Allen's have actively contributed to community life in Gary, 
participating in social, civil, and religious affairs on a regular 
basis.
  Upon completion of his studies at Alabama A & M College in 
Huntsville, AL in 1920, Dozier relocated to Gary, IN. He began his 
extraordinary career at U.S. Steel, and after 5 years, went on to 
become the first African-American business owner in the city of Gary 
when he opened the Allen service station. The Allen service station 
weathered many storms throughout the years, the most devastating being 
the Great Depression. The survival instinct prevailing, the Allen 
service station remains one of few businesses to have endured that 
tumultuous era.
  A shining example for his fellow men, Dozier was a cofounder, charter 
member, and the first president of the South Side Businessmen 
Association, which was the first Black business organization in Gary, 
IN. He has held memberships in the Gary chapter of the NAACP, the 
Masons, the Odd Fellows, the American Woodmen, the Gary Gasoline 
Retailer's Association, and the Salt Creek Protective Association. 
Ordained as a full deacon of the First Baptist church of Gary in 1945, 
Dozier continued to serve as chairman of the board of deacons 
throughout his 57 year patronage of the church.
  Mrs. Mattie J. Allen attended Alabama State College and Tuskegee 
Institute in Montgomery, AL before joining her husband as his business 
manager and bookkeeper. A strong community leader, Mattie has held 
memberships in the Gary League of Women Voters, the Gary chapter of the 
NAACP, and remains the oldest active member of the Colored Women's 
Federated Club. She has also served as a board member of the Gary Urban 
League, president of the Modern Priscilla Club of Gary, and treasurer 
of the Northern Star District.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in my 
congratulations to Dozier and Mattie Allen for their commitment to each 
other and those around them. At the age of 93, they are a fine example 
of what is good and right. I am honored to know Dozier and Mattie, and 
their two very successful sons Dozier T. Allen, Jr., and Paris M. 
Allen, and I wish them the greatest happiness for their years to come.

                          ____________________