Former Independent Community Bankers of America Chair Thomas Harold Olson, Sr., died peacefully July 26 at 85 years old. Olson, who served as ICBA chair in 1987-88, was a U.S. Military veteran and owned banks in more than 20 communities across Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming.
Throughout his career, Olson served as a director with Farmer Mac and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Omaha branch. Olson was most proud of his work as a board member and treasurer for more than 50 years at Rush Creek Land & Livestock Company in Lisco, Neb., and as a board member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka for eight years.
His dedication to the banking industry and rural America was acknowledged by his peers through special honors, including the 1992 University of Nebraska Builder Award, 1991 University of Nebraska College of Business Administration Alumni Association Business Leadership Award, 1993 Nebraska Bankers Association Contribution to Agriculture Award, and the 1982 University of Nebraska Alumni Achievement Award, among other awards. In 2010, Olson received the prestigious Bruning Award from the American Bankers Association Center for Agriculture and Rural Banking honoring his lifetime commitment to ag banking.