2020 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 34
BY SENATOR FOIL
A RESOLUTION
To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
death of G. Allen Penniman.
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the citizens of Louisiana
learned of the death of G. Allen Penniman on April 1, 2020; and
WHEREAS, G. Allen Penniman was the eldest son of G. Allen Penniman Sr. and
Frances Staten Penniman; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman was a graduate of Highland Park High School in Dallas,
Texas, and also graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1948; and
WHEREAS, he later attended Louisiana State University (LSU), was a graduate of
the first class of the Mid-South Executive Development Program, and a member of Kappa
Alpha Order, Beta Chapter; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman is fondly remembered as the owner and proprietor of the
Pak-a-Sak convenience stores which offered all-day shopping seven days a week and
featured the first self-service gasoline pumps, as well as legendary barbeque sandwiches and
Icee frozen drinks; and
WHEREAS, he served on the board of the Council of Profit Sharing Industries and
was especially proud that his company offered a profit sharing program to all employees;
and
WHEREAS, in 1971, Pak-a-Sak merged with Southland Corporation of Dallas,
Texas, and Mr. Penniman served as a liaison and regional manager throughout the
southeastern part of the United States; and
WHEREAS, in 1982, he founded the Penniman Company with a business outlook
of acquiring, managing, and selling companies; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman was a mentor, counselor, and friend to many young
business people, and was respected and revered for his generosity and business acumen; and
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WHEREAS, as an active businessman, he cared deeply for his community and was
involved in many philanthropic activities, serving tirelessly on numerous nonprofit boards
of directors, including the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, the National Association
of Convenience Stores, and St. Lukes and St. James Episcopal Churches where he acted as
a vestryman and served on the school boards; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman also served as a board member of the Capital Savings
and Loan Association, City National Bank, Community Coffee Company, Charter Chambers
Supply, Miller Penniman Equipment, and Vermillion Inc.; and
WHEREAS, he was also campaign chairman and president for the United Givers
Fund, and in 1961, he received the Young Businessman of the Year award; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman's proudest civic contribution came in the support of the
Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, where he was a founder and the last surviving member
of that group; and
WHEREAS, he served as board president many times in the early years and was
unfailing in his support throughout the decades, contributing to building campaigns,
scholarships, and teacher incentives; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman would say, "A day never goes by without my thinking
of Episcopal School", and he considered his support of the school his greatest
accomplishment, having had the honor of presenting four of his grandchildren with their
graduating diplomas; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman was a member of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and
used his Penniman Family Fund to support many nonprofit organizations; and
WHEREAS, he was a member of the LSU Foundation and supported the School of
Arts and Music and the E.J. Ourso School of Business; and
WHEREAS, a fan of LSU baseball, he was a member of the Coaches Committee, and
was a regular attendee at Alex Box Stadium; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman grew up hunting and fishing, loved the outdoors, and in
1975, he bought property in Clinton, Louisiana, developed the land, and named it Penniman
Oaks; and
WHEREAS, he taught every grandchild how to shoot a shotgun and bait a hook; and
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WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman planted fifty live oak trees, and those trees carry his
legacy of love of family and promise in the future; and
WHEREAS, he was a loving and generous patriarch, having married Mary Virginia
Crain Penniman in 1948, and becoming parents to five children; and
WHEREAS, after Mary's death, he married Joan Calder Penniman in 1977 and is
survived by the Penniman family consisting of Laurie and Al McDuff, and girls; Mary
Virginia and Kate; Mary Crain and Bill Brumback, and son Jake; Margaret Boudreaux and
children, Elliott and Anne; Graham and Maureen Penniman, and children, Alyce, Rita, Mary
Margaret, William, and Catherine; Robert and Rebecca, and children, George, Jack, and
Elizabeth; Lila and Randy Mulkey and daughters, Sarah, Claire, and Amy; Caroline and
Charles Coutret, and children, Will, Gordon, and Eloise; Gordon and Susan Atkins, and
children, Mary Katherine, Edward and Henry; and four great-granddaughters; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Penniman kept up with every child and grandchild, never forgot a
birthday, knew the name of every school and college they attended, every field of study, and
every "A" they received; and
WHEREAS, he attended every graduation and would say his family was his greatest
accomplishment; and
WHEREAS, his family would say he was their greatest gift; and
WHEREAS, with the death of G. Allen Penniman, Louisiana has lost one of its finest
sons, a quintessential southern gentleman who loved his community and whose
accomplishments have left an indelible mark upon his community, state, and nation; and
WHEREAS, the death of G. Allen Penniman has left a substantial void in the Baton
Rouge community and a sense of loss in the citizens whose lives he touched; and his
memory shall live forever in the minds and hearts of all those who knew and loved this
remarkable gentleman.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of G. Allen Penniman,
record for posterity his outstanding achievements, and extend enduring appreciation for the
tremendous pride and honor that he will forever bring to the Baton Rouge community, the
state of Louisiana, and the United States of America.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
family of G. Allen Penniman.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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