C. Paul Johnson

PAUL JOHNSON

"At twenty-nine years of age, Johnson formed a venture capital company that served to familiarize him with a variety of entrepreneurial pursuits, such as the production of a full-length feature film. He also oversaw investment in and marketing of the largest hotel in Jamaica, which he sold to the Playboy Club in 1964.

"In 1972 Johnson purchased his first bank, the $60 million Colonial Bank in Chicago, Illinois. He developed the company into First Colonial Bankshares Corporation, a $1.8 billion company comprised of 17 banks with 36 locations, and four financial services subsidiaries. During his years as a banker, Johnson served as president of the Illinois Bankers Association, Chicago district, and worked tirelessly and successfully for passage of multi-bank holding company and branch legislation.

"Among Johnson´s consuming interests is Western art and history. His cattle ranch in Wyoming is a magnet for friends and family. Another of his interests is astronomy, which led him to many happy hours taking classes at Chicago´s Adler planetarium. Johnson now serves as a life trustee of the planetarium. His family foundation recently contributed a gallery dedicated to archaeo-astronomy. Johnson has also made a study of archaeology and paleontology. This led to his chairmanship for eight years of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado, and his current position as a trustee of the Leakey Foundation in San Francisco.

"He has sponsored archaeological excavations in both Israel and Jordan for more than fifteen years. He also serves as trustee of Roosevelt University, Chicago. Moving to California gave Johnson the opportunity to purchase a winery he named Astrale e Terra (meaning "heaven and earth" - encompassing two of his favorite areas of study) and once again to establish a de novo bank. He lives in Napa with his wife Debbie and their two sons, seven and three years old, and keeps in close touch with his three daughters and six granddaughters."