[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 206 (Thursday, December 21, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S19109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PATRICK T. ALLEN: DEDICATED TO SOUTH CAROLINA

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise today to remember and to thank 
Patrick R. Allen for his 25-year career as head of the Central Electric 
Power Cooperative in my home State. Pat is retiring in January and 
he'll be sorely missed.
  Central Electric plays a critical role in the lives of thousands of 
South Carolinians. It is a wholesale supplier for 15 rural electric 
cooperatives in South Carolina, which in turn supply electricity to 
more than 345,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in 
two-thirds of the State. Pat Allen's role in steering Central Electric 
has been critical.
  Pat moved to South Carolina from his native Texas in 1970 to take a 
job as manager of engineering and construction with Central Electric. 
He became president and chief executive officer in 1975. The company 
has grown tremendously under his leadership and moved from a one-floor 
office in the Farm Bureau Building in Cayce to its present home in 
Columbia.
  Pat introduced the first computers to Central and wrote the original 
programs. He installed an economic development department, which later 
became the nucleus of a successful new venture, Palmetto Economic 
Development Corp. Now, the spin-off company represents Central Electric 
and another public service company, Santee Cooper, in its economic 
development mission.
  Pat introduced many marketing concepts to Central's member 
cooperative that have earned national recognition for their proactive 
and aggressive approaches.
  Mr. President, I appreciate the opportunity to recognize the years of 
devotion and strong leadership that Pat has brought to Central Electric 
and its customers. I wish him and his wife JoAnne all the best during 
Pat's retirement and hope they have many more happy years to come.

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