When she was in sixth grade, Allison Grace Conley was assigned to create a book outlining her family history.
If you look at that book, you can almost imagine the teacher’s pangs of regret over making that assignment. Allison gave her a lot to read.
Allison’s hardcover book is between 3 and 4 inches thick — heavier than your favorite volume of Harry Potter. It overflows with page after page of meticulously placed photos, captions, hand-drawn timelines, family trees and written descriptions.
And as a work, it tells you a lot about the kind of young woman Allison is today.
Allison, the daughter of Deborah Marks Conley and John H. Conley, both of Omaha, was crowned the 113th queen of Ak-Sar-Ben at a gala ball Saturday night, an honor that recognizes not only Allison’s accomplishments but also the entire Conley family’s civic leadership and community service.
John Conley is president and CEO of Conley Investment Counsel, a financial consulting and portfolio management company he founded in 1986 after leaving high-ranking positions with First Mid-America Inc. and Chiles, Heider & Co. Inc. Deborah Conley is a gerontological nurse. Both parents are involved with a number of community organizations and projects.
At a pre-coronation interview, John Conley talked about the event with excitement.
“I’ll have friends seated at my table, very dear friends, who won’t find out about it until they announce it in front of 2,500 people,” he said. “It’s just been so fun trying to keep the secret, dancing around it, you know? We’re so proud of her, and it’s such an honor.”
He has every reason to gush.
A student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the 22-year-old queen is on track to complete a five-year professional program in four and a half years this December. Her focus is interior architecture — a hands-on subject that she describes as a “combination of structural architecture, interiors and a little bit of product design,” and she’s considering pursuing a master’s degree in architecture. Her studies have taken her to Europe on a grant, where she wrote a bilingual book (English and French, her minor) on sustainability in French architecture, all while completing a study-abroad program and summer internship.
She also focuses her talents on helping others — a commitment she learned from her parents. At school, Allison volunteers in a program called My Sister’s House, assisting in the construction of homes for teenage mothers. She’s also helped raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Winston-Salem, N.C., and has helped teach English to African refugees.
“It was never a question of whether to do things like that,” she said. “It’s just something we always did. Giving is just a part of responsibility.”
Allison’s parents were never much for preaching about doing right. They taught by example.
John Conley has been a trustee and president of the board of trustees for Brownell-Talbot School — where Allison attended before high school.
He also was a member of the University of Nebraska President’s Advisory Committee and has worked with the National Conference for Community and Justice and the American Cancer Society, among many other groups.
“I was personally brought up very humbly, and we both feel like that kind of service is essential,” John said.
In many ways, Deborah Conley lives a life of service. Besides her extensive volunteer work, her career as a gerontological nurse means she spends most of her time seeking ways to better the lives of senior citizens. She is a clinical nurse specialist-advanced practice registered nurse at Methodist Hospital and an assistant professor in the Nebraska Methodist College department of nursing. She also is a frequent local, national and international guest lecturer on gerontological nursing.
Outside of work, she founded the Lincoln chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association in 1981 before moving to Omaha and has held most of the major positions within the Omaha chapter, including president of the board of directors in 2005.
“It’s my job and it’s my passion, and I think that Allison got to see a lot of that from both of us,” said Deborah. “We brought her up attending things like (events for the Alzheimer’s Association), so we’ve never had to tell her to try to do things for people. It’s just part of who she is.”
The Conley clan’s involvement in Ak-Sar-Ben, a commitment spanning generations, has occurred just as naturally.
Allison’s grandfather Eugene A. Conley, retired president of Guarantee Mutual Life Insurance Co., served as a councillor of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation from 1978 to 1979 and was appointed as a governor in 1980, a position he held until 1990.
John’s Conley’s extensive service with Ak-Sar-Ben includes serving as president of His Majesty’s Council, chairman of the Scholarship Committee and a three-year term as chairman of the River City Roundup Board.
But the relative who makes Allison the most proud is Dr. Carol Sue Conley, her aunt, now a dermatologist in Madison, Wis. She served as the 87th queen of Quivira — “13 years before the 100th anniversary celebration, and I’ll be crowned 13 years after,” Allison said.
“I’m just so excited. It’s one of those things where you almost can’t get used to it. It’s such an honor,” Allison said of her selection as queen.
She was a page in 1995 and a princess in 2008.
Despite all their Ak-Sar-Ben titles, Allison and her parents are just a normal family. Though they divorced in 1991, John and Deborah are thankful that they’ve nonetheless been able to nurture their only child to a successful adulthood.
Allison is John’s sometime golf rival, though they don’t get a chance to play as often anymore. John taught Allison to play when she was a child, and she excelled in the sport at Westside High School (she graduated in 2005), once even scoring a hole-in-one.
Though John has an impressive handicap, honed through the decades, she’s beaten him at least once.
Mother and daughter, on the other hand, reveled in the chance to pick out her gown together — a fairy-tale opportunity come true and played out in New York’s fashion district.
For all her awards and achievements, Allison’s parents say that no crown or scholastic honor could make them prouder than knowing she has become a wonderful person.
“Through everything,” said John, “she’s been able to make and keep friends, good people, around her. She has this amazing work ethic, she’s decisive and she’s creative. It’s who she is.”
Added Deborah, “Allison’s character is what makes me proudest. Who she is and what she believes in. Her graciousness, and just being kind and thoughtful. That’s what means the most to me.”
Contact the writer:
444-1339, wesley.taylor@owh.com
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