Don Allen
Founding President of Cupertino National Bank
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2005 JA Laureate Don Allen did not intend to become a banker as he was growing up in Oakland. In fact he planned to go to law school after graduating from U.C. Berkeley, but took an interim job at a bank, and spent the next 44 years being a banker with a greater calling to make his community a better place. Don built his experience in Crocker, Pacific Valley, and 1st Western Banks, and early in his career became active in Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Boy Scouts, and other community organizations through his sons and his colleagues. Thus Don Allen was the ideal candidate to become Founding President for the fledgling Cupertino National Bank in 1984. Eventually Don helped merged Cupertino National with Mid-Peninsula Bank then later into Greater Bay Bancorp. What he helped launch became part of $8 billion in assets and a culture of giving to local communities. He is a strong believer that banks can join with people, schools, businesses and other local organizations to make communities stronger, so Don became very involved as a leader in many ways in the City of Cupertino and Santa Clara County. In fact, Don Allen is so active in Rotary and Cupertino, that his name is often said in the next breath when they are discussed. In the City of Cupertino, Don has been a strong supporter of Cupertino Cross-Cultural Coalition, De Anza College and the Cupertino K - 8 and Fremont High School Districts. During his 30+ years in Rotary, Don has been President in Cupertino and District Governor for 4,000 members in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito and part of Alameda and San Mateo Counties. He has spoken at many Rotary events, spent a lot of time and raised money for Rotary Project PolioPlus (to rid the world of polio), and traveled extensively representing Rotary. In his spare time back in the 1970s, Don Allen was President of the Santa Clara County Boy Scout Council and President and Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in Los Altos and San Jose, respectively. When Don Allen married his wife Sally, he instantly doubled the size of his family: her 3 daughters joined with his 3 sons. Two of his sons have remained local (San Jose and Sunnyvale), and one is in Idaho with a boy of his own. Now that he has supposedly retired, Don and Sally make frequent trips to Los Angeles and Idaho to visit their grandson and twin granddaughters. But Don Allen's commitment to his community remains very strong. Congratulations to 2005 Laureate Don Allen, Mr. Rotary and Mr. Cupertino. |
