Longtime Zionsville resident, businessman and civic leader Rollie Dick, 94, died Jan. 3, according to close family friend Brian Kelly. The former Conseco executive, Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame inductee, arts supporter and nonprofit volunteer is survived by his wife, Cheri, and many other family members.
Dick, who resided in Zionsville since the early 1970s, was originally from Sanborn, Iowa, and earned an associate’s degree from the American Institute of Business in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1950. He started his career as a Certified Public Accountant, becoming an executive with Conesco, a financial services company now called CNO Financial Group; and later was a consultant at MH Equity Investors. He also previously partnered with Donald Trump on the 1998 purchase of the General Motors Building in New York City, which they sold in 2003.
Dick told Current in a 2013 interview that he grew up “dirt poor,” which taught him the value of giving his time. In his 20s, he volunteered with a community theater organization, and said that experience started him on the path to becoming a regular supporter of the performing arts, as well as supporting educational opportunities for disadvantaged communities. He was a founding board chair of the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel
“You should become involved with organizations you have a passion for,” Dick said in that interview, “There are very few organizations that I write a check to where I don’t have some involvement. It’s not just the joy in writing the check but seeing the good that’s done with it.”
In 2021, Dick was honored at the Payne & Mencias Palladium at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel for his support of a renovation project there. His portrait hangs in the Palladium’s Founders Club hospitality space. Cheri Dick is the former executive director of the Allied Solutions Center’s Civic Theater.
In 2017, Rollie and Cheri Dick were recognized as Benefactors of the Year for Central Indiana by the Ivy Tech Foundation after they funded half of the expansion project for the school’s Associate Accelerated Program, which helps students earn an associate’s degree in a shorter time frame.
Jeffrey McDermott, president and CEO of the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts, stated in a Jan. 4 message to center board members that Dick also was a member of the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Board of Directors, serving in various leadership roles. He was unanimously elected by both boards to serve as a Legacy Member.
“Neither of our organizations would be where we are today if not for the wisdom, guidance and generous support of Rollie Dick,” McDermott stated. “He was a wonderful colleague and friend who lived a long and remarkable life. He will be greatly missed.”
