[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 30, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S7773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO P.E. MacALLISTER

 Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I am pleased to have the opportunity 
today to recognize the important leadership of a remarkable Hoosier 
businessman, community leader, and treasured friend of 41 years, Mr. 
P.E. MacAllister. On August 30, 2008, P.E. will celebrate the signal 
occasion of his 90th birthday. This birthday is a special event for his 
many friends throughout the Midwest and especially for Hoosiers in 
central Indiana where P.E. has enriched countless lives through his 
important service to the Indianapolis community.
  P.E. was raised in Wisconsin and graduated from Carroll College in 
1940. He then spent 5 years in the Air Force as a captain and 27 months 
overseas in the 1st Fighter Group.
  Joining the family business of MacAllister Machinery Company in 
Indianapolis after his service abroad, P.E. has been chairman of the 
board since 1952. His awards in the business industry are many and 
well-deserved. In addition to these accomplishments, P.E. has served on 
boards in the arts, health, recreation, philanthropic, and municipality 
arenas. His love of opera, to cite one example of his activism, 
engendered the largest nonrestricted vocal competition for opera 
singers in the Nation. This competition--The MacAllister Awards--ran 
for 22 years.
  When I was elected mayor of Indianapolis in 1967, P.E. was among my 
earliest and strongest supporters whose generous and wise counsel was 
most appreciated. My election occurred just months before the death of 
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the extraordinary convulsions which 
troubled most American cities at that time. P.E. provided exemplary 
leadership during this challenging time by recruiting business leaders 
to aid in the creation of outreach programs for our city's youth.
  I recall one particular initiative in which the city was availing 
itself of Federal resources through the Special Employment Program and 
the Special Program for Disadvantaged Youth in order to employ idle 
youth in a public works project that turned unused land into gardens. 
P.E., in recognizing the value in such a project, generously provided 
the heavy equipment that allowed for the planting of trees, the moving 
of soil, and the beautification of Indianapolis.
  Further, in 1971, P.E. successfully served as the executive director 
of the Conference on Cities held in Indianapolis. This was an 
international symposium on urban problems in collaboration with the 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Since our early work, I have found 
his insights on world events to be profound, continually aided by his 
travels and comprehensive reading.
  I celebrate P.E.'s achievements, friendship, and tireless dedication 
to engaging in constructive acts that always lead to great discussion 
and debate on complex issues. I wish P.E. MacAllister a very Happy 90th 
birthday.




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