No: 85
Date: 10/1/2001
Name: Tom Allan
For 40 of his 52 years as an Omaha World-Herald reporter, Tom Allan was the newspaper's roving reporter and goodwill ambassador. He filed an estimated stories in small towns. Although he officially retired in 1999, at age 83, he was still driving around the state and writing his "Nebraska Byways" column until 2002. Asked one roaster: "What other Nebraskan has spoken at Cambridge, Harvard and Oxford - all in Nebraska?" The caricature shows Allan speeding down a Nebraska byway in car No.18 wearing his signature Scottish cap and shooting photos. Various Nebraska scenes surround him, from the Panhandle to the State Fairgrounds. Both Allan and his son, Tam, showed up for the Face event wearing kilts to salute their Scottish heritage. Said roasters: "Like a fine scotch, Tom seems to get better with age. He always was and always will be Mr. Nebraska." Allan died in September 2003.  Back to Top