Krowe, Allen J.

In June of 1954, Allen J. Krowe was Commissioned as a 2nd Lt, at the University of Maryland (ROTC), and entered active duty in November of 1954. In 1955 he attended training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, and then Primary Flight Training at Stallings Air Base in Kinston NC flying the Piper PA-18 and the Texan T-6.

Krowe later moved to Donaldson Air Force Base in Greenville, MI for advanced training in the T-28 and T-33.  In January of 1956 “Big Al” continued on to Tyndall AFB in Florida for Intercept Controller School and Perrin AFB in Texas for F-86D Intercept Training. He recalls flying T-33 target missions and running intercepts behind the scope.

In 1957 Capt. Krowe transferred to the Cape Charles, VA, ADC Radar Site (looking East) flying the T33 at Langley and L-20 out of Cape Charles. In total Capt. Krowe flew 2000 intercepts behind the scope and as a TBird target.

Captain Allen Krowe was discharged from duty in November of 1957.

But that wasn’t the end of his flying days. Al joined DC Air Guard in May of 1958 and checked out in the F-86H (the last of the real sports models, he says), and then checked out in the F-100C. During the 2nd Berlin Crisis, he was recalled to active duty and again during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the Cuban Missile Crisis (’62) he was in a mass deployment with F-100’s from DC ANG and Myrtle Beach (with Gabby Gabreski). The US had placed a blockade of ships around Cuba and put a robust USAF presence in the air.

JFK and Soviet leader Kruschev decided the escalation of the war was not in the best interest of either country and Russian trawlers carrying nuclear weapons that were headed to Cuba, turned around.

From 1957-1960 Al was employed by Touche Niven Bailey & Smart CPA Firm as an accountant/auditor in their Washington DC office. He passed the CPA exam 3 months after leaving the Air Force

In 1960 he joined IBM in the Federal Systems Division in finance and planning. He took 13 months off when called to active duty with DC Guard. After returning to IBM in 1963 he was transferred to IBM HQ in Armonk NY on the staff of the CFO.

In November of 1963: while employed by IBM, Al was transferred to the company’s Chappaqua NY location. The nearest Guard Unit was in Westchester, NY flying KC-97s, so as Al says he “hung it up and concentrated on making money”.

Allen was promoted to CFO of IBM Marketing Division in 1969 and subsequently became an IBM Vice President in 1975. He was then promoted to IBM VP of Business Plans in 1976.

In 1977 became President of IBM Systems Communications Division and in 1983 became IBM CFO. Allen Joined IBM’s Board of Directors in 1986, became IBM’s Executive VP in 1988 and then retired from IBM to join Texaco Inc as CFO and then Vice Chairman.

Allen Krowe retired from Texaco in 1997.

He has served on the Boards of IBM, Texaco, PPG, Navistar International, UniRoyal, IBS Whitehall

These days he calls himself a “double snowman” (88-years-old) and since his retirement, he’s run a Private Equity Investment firm, but mostly concentrates on “Family and Fun”.