[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 29, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1989-E1990]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO ALLEN A. PICKENS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 1999

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend and congratulate 
Mr. Allen A. Pickens on his very distinguished career and well-earned 
retirement. Through the years, Al has made great contributions toward 
the development and economic stability of the island of Guam. He played 
a significant role in the transformation of Guam from an economy 
dependent on Federal and local government to its present state as a 
self-sufficient economic center of the Western Pacific.
  As a teenager growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, Al dreamt of being an 
accountant. In pursuit of this objective, he attended the Central 
College in Iowa for a year on a basketball scholarship. Forced to drop-
out due to an illness, he later enlisted in the United States Air 
Force. After four years of involvement with Air Force security 
operations in West Pakistan and Okinawa, Al was able to return to 
school. He spent the next 3 years finishing his studies at Drake 
University.
  Upon graduation, Al was offered a job in Hawaii with the accounting 
firm Peat Marwick. It was in Hawaii that he met and married his wife 
Dianne, who was an office manager and accountant for the state's 
Catholic Social Services.
  Al first came to Guam in 1962, during the island's introduction to 
international commerce which was made possible by President Kennedy's 
withdrawal of the island's security clearance requirements. After 
several years of working and traveling between Guam and Hawaii, Al was 
assigned to manage the Peat Marwick Guam office in 1969. Less than six 
years later, he became the youngest partner in the firm. As resident 
manager and, later, partner, Al guided KPMG Peat Marwick toward great 
success as a premier accounting firm on Guam. Since the 1994 merger of 
KPMG Peat Marwick with Deloitte & Touche LLP, Al served as managing 
partner. As one of the first accountants on the island, he was 
considered mentor to hundreds of young accountants who have gone 
through his firm. A large number of his former apprentices now run 
Guam's top companies.
  In time, Al also gained a solid reputation as a business consultant. 
Local businessmen have come to rely upon his professional advice. 
Several island businesses would never

[[Page E1990]]

make a major move without first consulting him. They have come to 
realize that the value of his advise is worth far beyond any fee that 
he may charge.
  A confessed workaholic, Al usually works 7 days a week taking time 
off only on Christmas, Thanksgiving and an annual 2-week vacation. Not 
one to miss a day of work, Al claims never to have had a sick day. He 
is usually at his desk by seven in the morning.
  Although he usually works eleven-hour days, Al is usually home at 
around six in the evening for his daily run. Begun in 1976 to cure 
chronic headaches and chest pains, Al's preoccupation with this 
activity led to the formation of the Guam Running Club. On behalf of 
the club, he has organized marathons--participating in more than a 
dozen. Nowadays, he usually participates in 10k's and hill climbs.
  Always one to foster community involvement, Al has been a pervading 
presence in the island's many civic and community organizations. Among 
others, Al served as charter president of the Guam Society of Certified 
Public Accountants, member and charter vice-president of the Guam 
Chapter of the Association of Governmental Accountants, chairman and 
director of the Guam Chamber of Commerce, charter chairman of the Guam 
Business Hall of Fame and president of the Rotary Club of Guam, the Air 
Force Association and the Navy League of Guam. He is also president 
emeritus of the St. John's School Board of Trustees and founder of 
Junior Achievement of Guam. For his achievements he merited mention in 
the 1988 Who's Who in America and in the 1984/1985 Who's Who in the 
West.
  The distinguished professional career and expansive community 
involvement of Allen A. Pickens has endeared him to the people of Guam. 
I congratulate him for his outstanding achievements and commend him for 
all the good work he has done for the local community. I wish him and 
his family the best for his retirement. On behalf of the people of 
Guam, a heartfelt ``Si Yu'os Ma'ase'' to a distinguished business and 
community leader.

                          ____________________