Richard L. “Dick” Nelson was born in Princeton to Francis and Malcolm Nelson. He graduated from Princeton High School in 1953 and served in the U.S. Army as a radar operator in Virginia and Alaska from 1955 to 1957. He married Judy on September 1, 1957, and they raised three children, Leanne, Laurie and Steve. He founded Advanced Asphalt Co., Tri-Con Materials, Inc, TCI Manufacturing, Pavement Maintenance Services, Inc, and Production Engineered Products, and became a nationally known leader in the aggregate industry by developing and obtaining a patent for the “Vari-Vibe High Frequency Screen.” He was past president of the Princeton Park District, where he helped develop Zearing Park and the Bureau County Metro Center, served as the first fundraising chairperson of the Bureau County United Way, established an annual scholarship for Bureau County senior students who chose to attend a vocational school, and in 2011 wrote his autobiography, “Paving the Road to Success”; his journey through life and management.