Elizabeth McQuern - writer

by Elizabeth McQuern

(special feature published June 2008 in the Indianapolis Star)

Renaissance man, philanthropist, veteran

P.E. MacAllister is a dynamic Indianapolis civic leader, businessman, philanthropist, and veteran who served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War Two. He is as sharp and engaging as people one third his age, still brimming with enthusiasm for his lifelong interests. He remains active as Chairman of MacAllister Machinery, the family business which he helped to found with his father shortly after the war. MacAllister managed the company, which currently employs nearly 500 people, for about 40 years before handing the reins to his son Chris.

A humble, kind, and friendly man, he has been awarded honorary doctorates in Law, Public Service, and Humane Letters from several universities, and supports the advancement of human knowledge by funding academic chairs, awards, and grants for top experts in many fields. MacAllister is an author and essayist and possesses amazingly thorough knowledge of his favorite subjects including opera, history, and the Bible. A patron of the arts and a true Renaissance man, he shared his knowledge with Indianapolis for over 25 years when he produced over one thousand public television and radio programs about every imaginable topic. His work in this area created a rich and detailed oral narrative of Indianapolis and Indiana history.

Why we should honor our veterans

He is also a firm believer in the importance of honoring the military contributions of our men and women in uniform. "Historically speaking, without our armed forces we would not be here as a people," MacAllister explained. "There are parts of our history in which the military itself had a lot to do with the establishing of the system which we call the United States."

"When the Revolutionary War broke out, only about a third of the colonists were supportive, so it was only a small handful of people who marched to the beat of the drums and blasted through years of battle to defeat the British. We know at Valley Forge we had citizens and farmers fighting against professional soldiers. There was a lot of effort there without which we might still be a part of Britain."

Beyond contributing to the establishment of our nation, our soldiers also stepped up and defended it from worldwide threat as well. "We went to World War Two and were attacked by Japan, and watched Hitler create his machine and begin brutalizing Europe, threatening the free world," MacAllister continued. "Britain and France collapsed. And with our effort, organization, skill and manpower, we sent 16 million men and women in arms to stop Japan, Italy, and Germany, and recreate the contemporary world."

Public events, private moments

What can we do to publicly honor our veterans? "We can show respect to soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. We can fly the flag, and support military organizations in their endeavors." We can also attend events like "America We Remember," a patriotic celebration taking place June 26 in Garfield Park. MacAllister himself is one of the sponsors of the event. Fireworks will begin at dark, and patriotic music will be played at The MacAllister Center for the Performing Arts.

Though his own military experience is several decades in the past, MacAllister has insight into the experiences of today's returning veterans, and has some words of advice to the families and loved ones of today's veterans as they return home to Indiana from places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

"When I came back from service overseas, what struck me was that most of what I was talking about or had been dealing with was almost foreign to people back home," MacAllister explained. "I discovered the importance of conversation, and trying to understand the experience of someone who's been away living a very different kind of life. An openness, and a willingness to engage in conversation are very helpful. Respect is also important. You might not like the person, but you should like what the uniform stands for, and what his efforts stood for, in terms of preserving the world's peace and stability. I guess that we should try to empathize with what they've been through and, as much as possible, try to understand what their mindset is, and the how they're dealing with civilian life as juxtaposed with their military experience."

MacAllister sums up his conviction with a simple philosophy. "We are inclined, once the job is done, to forget the job our servicemen have done for us, and the sacrifices that were made for us. It's important to remember that while some were content to read the headlines, some gave their lives to keep the United States intact."