Lt. Col. John W. Allison, Jr.

ALLISON, JR., LT. COL. JOHN W. Lt. Col. John W. Allison, Jr., age 81, of Waco died Sunday, April 28, 2002 at a local hospital. A graveside service will be held at 11:00AM Wednesday, May 1 at Lorena Cemetery with Rev. John Cooke officiating. Visitation with the family will be 6:00-8:00PM Tuesday, April 30 at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey, 1124 Washington Ave. Lt. Col. Allison was born December 16, 1920 in Middlesboro, Kentucky to John W. Allison, Sr. and Rosa Belle Phillips Allison. His father was manager of the local lumber company. The family moved to Morristown, Tennessee where his father was partner and general manager of the Allison Lumber Company. His mother was a nurse and homemaker for their three children. Mr. Allison graduated from Morristown High School in May 1939. He attended Lincoln Memorial University on a music scholarship. In January 1942, he volunteered for service in the Army Air Corps as an Aviation Cadet. He received his commission and pilot’s wings at Blackland Army Flying School in Waco, Texas on January 14, 1943. He married Margaret Nan Taylor of Waco on January 27, 1943, in Savannah, Georgia, where he was stationed at Hunter Field flying dive-bombers. Lt. Col. Allison was qualified to fly and flew all of the Army Air Corps fighter planes except the P-40, P-38 and P-43. After training other new graduated pilots in gunnery, bombing and combat flying for a year, he requested to be assigned to a fighter unit for an overseas destination and served in the Pacific flying the P-47N, the most advanced combat fighter-bomber at that time. He was flight leader for one of the last dive-bombing missions on Kyoshu, just days before the atomic bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the War, he served in the Air Force Reserve for a total military service of 28 years, retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel. In 1950, Lt. Col. Allison graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and moved to Waco where he was employed with Texas Power and Light Co. In January 1953 he was in charge of providing emergency power for rescue operations after the Waco tornado. Allison was a member or president of many organizations in Waco. He was president of Kiwanis Club of Waco, U.S.O. of Waco, Texas Mfg. Association-Waco Chapter, Lorena Cemetery Association, HOTCOG Advisory Committee on Aging and member of the committee for nine years; Chief Operating Officer of the Central Texas Regional Science Fair for five years and Chief Judge and Board Member for 30 years; Charter Member of James Connally Chapter of the Air Force Association, State President of the Air Force Association of Texas; member of Evangelia Home Board, Crippled Children’s Hospital Board, Waco Chamber of Commerce Industrial Committee and others. During the energy crisis of the mid 1970s, Mr. Allison formed the second organization in the state of Texas to disseminate energy saving information on programs to industrial and commercial installations and assisted them in installing these energy saving programs and equipment. Lt. Col. Allison retired as Senior Power Consultant from Texas Power and Light Co., February 1, 1986, with 35 years of service. He was a 51-year member and deacon of the First Baptist Church of Waco. Lt. Col. Allison is survived by his wife of 59 years, Margaret Taylor Allison; son, John Wallace Allison, III and wife, Lisa Hutson Allison of Arlington; daughters, April Allison and Amy Allison Mayers; grandchildren, Allison Behringer, John Taylor Mayers, Andrew Thomas Mayers, all of Waco; sister, Mrs. Margaret Sims of Rockford, Illinois, a sister-in-law, Lucile Poland Allison of Knoxville, Tennessee and numerous nieces and nephews. Honorary pallbearers are Judge Bill Logue, Dr. Ross F. Shipp, Dr. J.L. McAtee, Jr., Dr. Herb Reynolds, Lt. Col. Alan Linville, J.D. Hudson, H.H. Behringer, Owen Kersh, Lyndon Olson, Sr., John Davis, Lynn Elliott, John Starkey, Winfield McAtee, Billy Behringer, Stephen T. Schwarting, Mike Hassell, and Roy Smallwood. Memorials may be made to the Lorena Cemetery Association, P. O. Box 51, Lorena, TX 76655. WILKIRSON-HATCH-BAILEY