[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17113]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          NEBRASKA'S TOM ALLAN

 Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, Tom Allan wasn't born 
in Nebraska, but that didn't stop him from falling in love with my 
State or from making the entire State feel like part of his family. Tom 
traveled the highways and byways for over 40 years, seeing the beauty 
of Nebraska, making friends, and sharing his experiences through his 
often humorous and always insightful news articles. When he passed away 
recently there were Nebraskans in every city, town, and village that 
mourned him and fondly remembered their favorite Tom Allan stories.
  Tom Allan was born in Scotland and moved to Nebraska when he was only 
9 years old. After graduating from high school and Ottawa College he 
served his Nation honorably in World War II with tours in the 
Philippines and Alaska. He retired as a major in the Nebraska National 
Guard.
  He began working for the Omaha World Herald in 1947 and became the 
paper's roving reporter in 1959. He traveled more than a million miles 
and wore out 20 cars while filing stories from every community in the 
State. He covered the occasional big news story, but Tom Allan 
specialized in simple stories that touched the heart. For readers in 
Omaha, Tom brought to life the unique people and small towns that can't 
be found on a map.
  Tom Allan outran tornados, trekked through the Amazon jungle, and 
even stood in for a U.S. Ambassador in Finland. He covered the State 
fair with such regularity that he was honored with ``Tom Allan Day'' at 
the Nebraska State Fair in 1997. His humor and humility were clear when 
he wrote, ``I'd rather they'd just given me a fat-hog blue ribbon and 
let it go at that.''
  In that same column Tom described his job as the privilege of 
discovering what is over the next hill and who is around the next bend 
in the road along the byways of Nebraska. On behalf of all Nebraskans, 
I would like to thank Tom Allan for the privilege of his company and 
for the wonderful stories he shared with all Nebraskans for over 50 
years. We will always remember his love for the State of Nebraska, and 
we are grateful that through his stories he taught us about Nebraska 
and helped us understand ourselves.
  Tom Allan passed away on June 27, 2003.

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