The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Ron Peterson, President of First State Bank of Western Illinois, was recently named 2005 "Illinois Banker of the Year". The presentation was made June 10th at the Annual Convention of the Illinois Bankers Association in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He has been actively involved with the Illinois Bankers Association for many years serving as a member of Illinois Bank Service Corporation Board of Directors, Illinois Bank Pac, Committee on Federal Legislation, Chairman of the Government Relations Committee, IBA Bank Policy Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and Illinois Bankers Association Board of Directors.
Mr. Peterson started his banking career in 1968 upon graduation from Western Illinois University. He joined the bank as a loan officer and continued in that position until 1982 when he was promoted to President. He has been a member of the Bank's Board of Directors since 1973. In 1988 he was elected as a member of the Board of Directors and President of Lamoine Bancorp, Inc., the bank's newly formed holding company. The company currently has total assets of $157,000,000 with locations in LaHarpe, Carthage, Macomb, Hamilton, Blandinsville and Monmouth.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors and a member of the Executive Committee of QCR Holdings, a publicly trade multi-bank holding company with $870,000,000 in total assets headquartered in Bettendorf, Iowa. QCR Holdings own Quad City Bank and Trust, Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, Rockford Bank and Trust and Quad City Bancard, Inc. Mr. Peterson is on the Board of Directors of Quad City Bank and Trust as well as being Chairman of the Loan Committee and a member of the bank's Asset/Liability Committee.
Ron and his wife, Gayle, reside in rural La Harpe and are the parents of three daughters, Ronda (Bruce) Leahy of Tampa, Florida, Leahann (Trenton) Borth of Oglesby, Illinois and Mary (Bryon) Borth of Towanda, Illinois. In addition, they are the proud grandparents of eight grandchildren.