Veteran banker, T.R. McDowell, owes his profession to his mother-in-law. She piqued his interest in banking which led to his employment and ultimate directorship at First National Bank of Danville, Illinois…25 miles from his hometown of Sidell. He became CEO of Sidell State Bank in 1964 where he served as President and Chairman of the Board until 1999.

TR and Lyle Campbell met in the late 1960’s when Lyle was with the Northern Trust Company and was the “Calling Officer” for Sidell State Bank. In 1980, Lyle Campbell purchased The First National Bank of Danville and sold his interest in the First National Bank of Westville to TR. TR then served as Chairman of the Board and President of the First National Bank of Westville until 1995.

TR is currently a Director of Founder’s Bancorp, Inc.; Vice Chairman of First National Bank of Danville, IL; Director of Founder’s Bank of Illinois and a Director of Legacy Bank, Scottsdale, AZ.

TR resides in Scottsdale, AZ with his wife, Carolyn McDowell and has two daughters…. Jan McDowell, Legacy Bank’s Chief Financial Officer, and Lisa Gress who lives in Cedar Lake, IN. TR served in the US Army from 1953 to 1955 and received a Bachelor of Science Degree from UCLA’s School of Business in 1958. He also received the Illinois Banker’s School Certification from Southern Illinois University in 1968.

His previous professional affiliations and activities include the Illinois State Vice President of the American Banker’s Association, Director and Secretary of the Illinois Bankers’ Association and he served as Illinois State Chairman of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. He also served as Arizona State Chairman of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors for several years.

TR’s favorite quote is “It just gets better…”.