Gary Allison

In Loving Memory of A Cool Guy... I suppose I first met Uncle Gary in about 1964, sometime just before his marriage to my Aunt Shirley. I thought he might be a cool guy. I knew Aunt Shirley was cool, so maybe Gary was just cool by default. I got to walk down the aisle just after them, as their ring bearer. I was cool, too. We didn’t see much of Shirley and Gary as they moved to Boulder soon after they got married, but on the occasions that we did, Gary would have something interesting (and cool) for us to do. My brother and I drove his Jeep when I was about 11. The Jeep was fun, rough and well ventilated (it had a huge hole in the floor just below the brake pedal, so you could see the dirt and rocks and brush you were driving over). Pretty cool. Shirley told me the other day that she thought it was pretty cool too, as she got (had) to drive it when the kids were tiny because Gary had the “real car” at work. Winter blew right up off the Colorado streets. On another trip out to Colorado, we got to shoot the shot guns. Never hit anything, but they sure made a lot of noise! Cool… I thought the 20 gauge was pretty cool but apparently the 12 gauge was the cool gun (insert Manly if so inclined), so I thought I better have a go with that one. It was REALLY LOUD. Gary had to hold up the barrel in front of me with one hand and brace my shoulder behind the stock with the other hand. Bruised shoulder, not so cool, but I wasn’t saying that out loud. On another family trip we went to Lake Powell. First time for the Allisons, not the last. Fun trip, but we ran out of gas in the big boat, and had to tow the big boat with the little boat about a million miles at 0.2 miles per hour to the nearest marina. It was only about 200 degrees out (cool?) so we had a good time watching my Dad get more and more sunburned sitting in the back of a tiny little skiff clutching the throttle of the outboard. Understandable that the Allisons would want to go back every year for the next 50 years, to relive the good old days! (Insert cool for good.) As I got older, trips to Boulder included fewer and fewer sightings of Gary, who was always off on business somewhere or sleeping like a log, getting ready to leave again. But he did provide a pretty cool house (that gave Shirley something to do), with 2 very cool cousin that I could wrestle to the ground at the same time. And we could play in the pool, and then go play pool if we didn’t let anyone know. I saw even less of Shirley and Gary as I got busy with life, but about 20 years ago I considered going into business with Gary, as my fledgling construction firm needed money. Gary and I had almost come to terms when I got a much better offer from my former boss. I talked to Gary, saying I thought I could make a lot more money with the other guy. An angry Gary said, “I was trying to be helpful. Guess you know how to make money for you. I know a way to double my money in 5 seconds.” He took a dollar bill out of his pocket, folded it in half, and put it back in. We never talked about it again, but it never affected our loving relationship. Cool guy….

my condolences for Gary's family and all his many friends. Gary married my daughter Tory and her husband, kevin, in a beautiful mountain setting. Whenever I met Gary I was in stiches at his jokes and tall tales. I was gullible to his outlandish stories and smitten by his handsome smile. men like Gary dont show up on this earth often enuf.

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I COULD REMEMBER EVERYTHING - WHETHER IT HAD HAPPENED OR NOT. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) IN HIS OWN WORDS GARY L. ALLISON b. Jan 6, 1941 – d. Sept 23, 2022 INTRODUCTION : The below is a retrospective, adapted from Gary’s own autobiography, which he wrote in 2012. At the time, he didn’t imagine that he still had ten more years to live. On the other hand, he imagined himself living to be 100 years old. You do the math. In addition to his working life, where he invested significant time, energy and mental prowess - he was always ready to entertain and enjoy himself with family and good friends, and as we all noticed, he was happiest when leading the parade. MY PERSONAL LIFE: As some of you may know, I had a difficult health background for 40 plus years. In 1980 I contracted a rare disease known as Wegeners Granulomatosis, and was treated at NIH by Dr. Anthony Fauci. In 1996 the disease reocurred, and practically overnight destroyed both my kidneys. After two years of dialysis, in 1998 my son Brian gave me one of his kidneys in a transplant surgery. What a magnificent and courageous gift for which I was forever grateful. The light of my life for over 50 years has been my wife Shirley Poulton Allison. She has been so since the first day I met her when we were both freshmen at Univ of Calif Davis. We were wed five years later. Shirley and I raised two highly successful young men, Brian and Tim, in Boulder, Colorado. Those boys delighted, impressed and filled us with laughter and love many times over. Brian and his wife, Kathryn, added three wonderful grandchildren to our family: Robbie (Robert), Jack (Jonathan), and Meskele. They lived in Park City, Utah, starting in 2010. Soon after that, Shirley and I moved to St.George, Utah. We liked the warm weather and being closer to Lake Powell. The best part was being closer to Brian, Kathryn and the grandkids. At Lake Powell, we conducted H.S.graduation cruises for each Brian and Tim, all boys and dads. And ask Stan – those boys could eat! I taught Robbie and Jack to fish, water ski and drive boats. Our trips to Lake Powell with family and friends spanned 50 years and were full of water skiing, leaping from high ledges, hiking and fishing. There were a few exciting surprises such as falling rocks, wind & sand storms and rainy downpours. And..nobody could count the number of jokes we told, fish stories we created or beers and salty dogs we drank. Also - I’ve been an avid golfer, snow and slalom water skier, and always loved Jeeps, airplanes, boats, big game hunting, all dogs and one cat. Page 1 G.L. Allison - HIS PROFESSIONAL LIFE: Gary L. Allison, a former CEO and Founder of Breece Hill Technologies, Chaparral Technologies Inc, and ICU2 Corp, passed away at his home in Washington, Utah In prior years, he was an Executive VP at Seagate Technologies, an Executive VP and member of the Board at Jacobs Engineering Group, and a Senior VP at Wheelabrator Frye/Rust Engneering (now Signal Technologies). He had Engineering degrees from UCLA and USC Graduate School. He had Professional Engineers licenses from several states, a Commercial Pilots license with single and multi engine IFR ratings, and taught part-time at the University of Colorado Engineering School for several years in the early 1970’s and through 1981. In his twin engine Cessna he and Shirley flew far and wide including north to Canada and south to the tip of Baja, Mexico. At Madera Union High School, Gary was a multi sport varsity letterman, Junior Olympian in swimming, as well as Student Body President. He began his career at IBM as an associate development engineer in 1965, and left in 1971 as a development program manager. He thrived in management…being in charge was always natural to him. Next, he was Director of Product Development in a start-up company by the name of Xytex, which in 1975 was merged with Calcomp Corporation of California. His team developed the first ever multi volume-major capacity data automated storage tape library for which Gary held numerous patents related to that technology. Their biggest and most recognized client was United Airlines, which used this technology to pioneer automated reservation systems. Gary’s positions with these companies was Director of Product Development and Director of Western Region Sales including Alaska. In 1976 he left Calcomp to assume the position of VP Engineering Sales at Wheelabrator-Frye/Rust Engineering. While there for several years, he led the development for renewable energy programs including Biomass waste cogeneration, municipal waste power generation, and the design, construction, finance ownership and operation of several alternate energy facilities. All this occurred before Gary turned 40 years old. Gary valued his long term friends and business associates whom he liked and trusted. They included Stan Adolphson of Madera, Ca; Dan Dzaack of Scotts Valley, Ca (now of St. George, Ut) ; Bob Munson of Boulder, Co; Bill Childs of Denver, Co; Dick McGuire of Wyo and Mex; Joel Thies of Longmont, Co; Kathy Sills of Longmont, Co. Page 2 Shirley Allison - A CLOSING COMMENT: We first met at the UC Davis swimming pool. Gary was performing his flips, turns, spins and dives from the 30 foot platform – I was appropriately in awe. Gary, in his own words, considered himself to have lived a wonderful, fortunate and charmed life, and was grateful for his many friends and family. He also wondered if I, Shirley, enjoyed the journey half as much as he did. Yes!!! I loved him and I loved our life’s journey together.

Uncle Gary offered to take me elk hunting with him in Colorado; I think it was while we were all at Grandma Cora’s 90th birthday party. I don’t know if Gary really thought I’d take him up on it, but I sure did, and had a week of epic hunting adventures with him in fall of 2003. It had recently snowed quite heavily, so driving on muddy/icy mountain roads was a challenge...for anyone else but Gary! The first day included hauling an outfitter’s rig of truck and stock trailer out of the ditch, with Gary’s CJ-7 Jeep skittering back and forth on the end of the winch, but successfully saving the day. Then Gary let me try my hand at getting the Jeep up a snowy road to Yellowjacket Pass. Once we made it to the top, I realized the brakes didn’t work, as my inexpert driving may have torn the brake lines out on a root or snowbank. No problemo! – Gary got us safely down the mountain using just engine compression and the e-brake! We didn’t bring home any elk that week, but the adventures, stories, friendly debates, and sha

Epic Hunting Adventures with Uncle Gary

Thank You to Gary

Gary's passing brought back many fond memories growing up in Colorado with the Allison Family..

I first met Gary while working at IBM, Boulder. Gary was an engineering manager assigned to the “Camanche” project and I had returned to IBM after graduating from CU. In walking past Gary’s office one day, I noticed a poster on his wall which showed a western gunslinger with a small electric motor (tape drive spindle motor) holstered instead of the usual 6-shooter. The caption read, “Fastest Motor in the West!” I stopped and told Gary that that was a cool poster! He agreed and then, surprisingly, offered it to me. The poster was displayed on my office wall for several years thereafter. Sometime later Gary resigned to join Xytex, a Boulder start-up company dedicated to developing an automated tape library system. I interviewed with Gary, was accepted, and thereupon started a professional and personal association that lasted almost fifty years. I worked for him in several business ventures; partnered with him in an engineering company in Arizona; and spent almost a year in Washington, DC, as a project manager on a biomass energy conversion proposal with the Department of Energy. During that time, in 1977, Christine and I were married, and he agreed to participate as a groomsman. The marriage and our friendship with Gary and Shirley have endured and prospered over the years. We hunted doves and quail in Arizona, deer and elk near Steamboat, and fished Lake Powell. We shot 8-ball pool and consumed “prestigious” amounts of beer during which Gary, as I recall, expounded at length on a variety of subjects. These included his views of the shortcomings of the medical and legal professions, past trophy-level elk hunts, incredible crosswind landings he had made, politics in general, and specifically the democratic party leadership vacuum in Washington! Throughout my life I’ve met individuals whom I consider significant, and some who were indeed influential. But there’ll never be another Gary Lynn Allison. GLA, as I knew him, stands alone! Rest in peace, Gary! Love and Respect, Joel and Christine Thies

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Gary and his family. Mary and Bernie were like second parents to me while I was growing up, as my mother was a single parent. I have fond memories of our junior high and high school days with Gary. Gary’s dad would let us use the army jeep to explore the Fresno River bed. We spent many hours there finding interesting things to do and things to explore. We once built a small cabin out of driftwood with a fireplace and chimney. We would put potatoes under the coals of a fire so we would have something to eat after hunting for rabbits. On multiple fishing trips, Bernie, or Gary’s uncle, would drop us off at the King’s River to go rafting and fishing. Other times they dropped us off at Shaver Lake and we would explore other lakes by jeep, and one time horseback. Sometimes, Keith would join us. We were usually gone for a week. Gary always knew a lot about the mountains and had great camping skills. He never got us lost! There were other outdoor adventures, too numerous to mention, yet all were significant in my formative years. When we were old enough to drive we would spend Friday and Saturday nights doing the “American Graffiti” thing — dragging down Yosemite Ave in Madera and Fulton St in Fresno stopping at Stan’s Drive-In. We looked for girls to ride with us, but seldom found any! There were also flights in Bernie’s airplane. I was invited to go on short trips as he would make his rounds to various cotton gins. This was quite an experience for me being raised in a small farm town. One time Gary and I threw small handmade parachutes out the window so we could see how they opened and floated down. We were also members of the Madera Swim Club and four of us held a Valley record for the 100 meter freestyle relay for a number of years for our age group. But, I can’t leave out Gary’s inventive ideas of making snow shoes, kayaks, and other things. He had the creative vision to try new things. We were never bored. As we all know, Gary continued to be an innovator the rest of his life. I am grateful to have stayed connected with him all of these years and will miss our conversations. My life has been enriched because of our long standing friendship. Carol and I extend our heartfelt sympathy to Shirley and the family.

I am sad to hear that Uncle Gary has passed. I am so thankful that I have so many fond memories. He always greeted me with such a loving smile and warm hug. All the fun adventures in the boat, golf cart or plane. I don’t think I was very good at caddying for him but I always had a great time. I know that Uncle Larry, Aunt Bobbi and cousin Tim are certainly happy to welcome him home.

Hi Shirley, Below are some of the highlights of our long relationship with Gary and you. We will miss him. Hope you are doing well. Best Regards, Dick and Kris Gary Allison - a True Friend Gary Allison was always on the prowl, hunting for business opportunities, golf games, and adventures of any stripe. When he inquired into the purchase of our small environmental company, we hired him on the spot as a consultant. His experience at Jacobs Engineering made him a perfect consultant for Mariah Associates to attract government contracts. And it worked. But Gary was always on top of everything. His first suggestion was "to clean up 'the crew,' and get them into some decent suits." According to Gary, “only then could I introduce them to my contacts in government”. I sent one crew member to a Dale Carnegie course and gave him a clothing allowance. It all worked; Gary was instrumental in moving our company into the federal government contracting market. One winter a few years later, Gary and Shirley were in Laramie, WY with their airplane when the airport closed. Uncharacteristically, Gary was grounded, caught in a blizzard. Since we live nearby, we invited them to dinner and an overnight stay in our guest house. That's when we got to know them as friends, and after that, we became good buddies. Gary was always at the other end of a phone line as Mariah blossomed and bore fruit. Then I was finally able to retire. We spent the first winter of our retirement in Costa Rica. Who else could join us on short notice? Gary and Shirley, of course. But Gary said, "no way I'm spending two weeks on vacation without playing golf, so you two will just have to learn." We had never before picked up a golf club, so Gary and Shirley gave Kris and me quick but effective lessons. We have been hooked on golf ever since, and I have to play golf at least twice a week now. I later told Gary he ruined my life. Gary loved his boat(s), and we both kept our boats on Lake Powell; me with the African Queen (a relic of the past), and Gary with his modern, fully equipped 32-foot Sea Ray. We liked to hang out with Gary and Shirley in case we needed a tow. We spent many pleasurable hours fishing and water skiing off the Dolce Vida with the Allisons. Gary and Shirley visited our winter home in Mexico several times, once with his twin-engine airplane. Captain Allison was delighted to take us on an extended aerial view of the mid Sea of Cortez and Baja Península. Later trips to our home on a golf course and beach in Mazatlan centered on golf and fishing. Gary always won at golf and sometimes caught the biggest fish. We tracked Gary and Shirley through the years as they migrated haltingly westward to Hurricane. We usually stopped at the "Allison Hotels" in Grand Junction and St George on our road trips to Mexico. Visits traditionally centered on golf and dining at restaurants where all the staff acted like Gary was their best friend. I never got to the point where I could beat Gary in golf, but I will still always consider him a true friend.

Our Friendship With Gary

Thank You to Gary