“I always knew I would come back here – I’ve always considered it my hometown!” Dick Queen not only came back after he retired, but he has also now served as the Mayor of Rossville since 2013.
Mayor Queen graduated from Rossville High School in 1958. He played sports and loved the smalltown feel. He stayed until 1959 when he joined the army for six years, and then moved to Schaumburg, Illinois where he met his wife DeeAnn. Dick retired from the painter’s union in 2004 and immediately moved back to Rossville.
After he moved home, Mr. Queen joined the Rossville Community Organization (RCO) and ran for the village board where he served for 8 years. Then when his predecessor decided to retire, he ran and was elected mayor of Rossville.
Through the RCO, Mayor Queen and his team have been able to sponsor events in town including the Fourth of July parade, the Halloween Lollapalooza, and Christmas in the Village, in which he takes great pride. “Believe it or not, the average age of the people who decorate the park in Rossville are probably 72-74! We all love doing it, and we will do it until we are physically unable to do it,” Mayor Queen says.
Mayor Queen and his wife, DeeAnn, love attending local ball games from little league to high school, attend church regularly, play cards in the euchre club, and love to socialize. “I love to be able to sit on my porch and say hello to 90% of the people who pass by, because I know them.”
Thank you, Mayor, for your commitment and love for the enchanting, small town of Rossville.
If you have someone you would like to share,
visit https://forms.gle/deCPiQ1cxn1pDLhZ9
or contact Ashton Greer, City of Danville agreer@cityofdanville.org or
Nicole Van Hyfte, Vermilion Advantage nvanhyfte@vermilionadvantage.com.
