[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING F. V. ``PETE'' ALLISON, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2014

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call our 
colleagues' attention to the passing last Monday of a great North 
Carolinian, F. V. ``Pete'' Allison, Jr. Mr. Allison died at age 91 
after an extraordinary life as a businessman and banker, community, 
church, and political leader, husband, father and grandfather, and 
friend and mentor to many. A memorial service is planned for Saturday 
at the White Rock Baptist Church in Durham, which I am certain will 
witness an outpouring of community appreciation, affection and respect.
  A native of Greenville County, Virginia, Pete Allison came to Durham 
after receiving his undergraduate degree from Hampton Institute and his 
master's in business administration from New York University, and he 
never left. Remarkably, he worked for only two institutions his entire 
career--in the business office of Hampton Institute and, after 1953, 
Mutual Savings and Loan of Durham, where he started as a teller and 
accountant. Mr. Allison rose steadily through the ranks, becoming 
chairman and CEO in 1978. He saw Mutual through its conversion to a 
community savings bank and through the acquisition of two other 
institutions. The bank, which he led with a strong hand until his 
retirement in 1996, became a mainstay of Durham's African-American 
community, making home ownership possible for thousands of families and 
helping launch and expand hundreds of businesses.
  Pete Allison's professional and civic endeavors could fill several 
pages. He was especially proud of chairing the Raleigh-Durham Airport 
Authority during the period when direct flights to London were 
inaugurated. He received a gubernatorial appointment to the N.C. 
Education Assistance Authority. He took leadership roles in the 
American League of Financial Institutions, the U.S. League of Savings 
Institutions, and the Savings and Community Bankers of America. In 
Durham, he was the chair and long-time treasurer of the Durham 
Committee on the Affairs of Black People, chaired the Durham Business 
and Professional Chain, helped lead the Greater Durham Chamber of 
Commerce, and served on the board of visitors for N.C. Central 
University's business school. For his extraordinary contributions, 
Governor Jim Hunt named Pete Allison to The Order of the Long Leaf 
Pine, North Carolina's highest honor for service to the state.
  The list goes on, Mr. Speaker, but such a recounting cannot do full 
justice to the qualities of leadership and friendship that made Pete 
Allison beloved by so many. His generosity, warmth, and strength of 
character shone through. I was fortunate to experience this personally 
in representing the Durham community in Congress and being associated 
with him in various political and civic endeavors. I always looked 
forward to seeing Pete, to hearing his observations as to what was 
going on at the moment. Indeed, he was a keen observer, but he 
expressed his views gently, with humor and compassion, and he much 
preferred reaching agreement to dictating his views. People wanted to 
follow Pete and to work with him because they liked and respected him 
so much and were assured of his integrity and his genuine concern for 
them and for the community.
  Durham and North Carolina will miss Pete Allison and the wise 
counsel, encouragement, and inspiration he offered. He is survived by a 
son, Vincent, a daughter, Michelle, and his wife of 59 years, Lavonia 
Ingram Allison. Pete and Lavonia have been partners in a commitment to 
social justice and to community leadership over many decades. Lavonia's 
political and civic endeavors, including chairmanship of the Durham 
Committee on the Affairs of Black People, have been ground-breaking, 
and Pete supported and encouraged her every step of the way. She has 
been likewise devoted to him, and has especially exemplified compassion 
and care during Pete's long final years of illness.
  Mr. Speaker, it is people of character, compassion, and courage like 
Pete Allison who make our communities and our country flourish. At this 
time of loss, we give thanks, in the words of the apostle Paul, ``for 
every remembrance'' of him.

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