EXHIBIT 10.9
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                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
                              --------------------


         THIS  AGREEMENT  entered into this 31 st day of May,  1998  ("Effective
Date"),  by and between  Landmark Federal Savings Bank (the "Bank") and James F.
Strovas (the "Employee").

         WHEREAS,  the  Employee  has  heretofore  been  employed by the Bank as
Senior Vice  President and is  experienced  in all phases of the business of the
Bank; and

         WHEREAS, the parties have previously enter into an Employment Agreement
dated September 30, 1994, as subsequently amended and renewed; and

         WHEREAS, the parties desire by this writing to set forth the continuing
employment relationship of the Bank and the Employee.

         NOW, THEREFORE, it is AGREED as follows:

         1.  Employment.  The Employee is employed in the capacity as the Senior
Vice President of the Bank. The Employee  shall render such  administrative  and
management services to the Bank and Landmark Bancshares,  Inc. ("Parent") as are
currently  rendered and as are  customarily  performed by persons  situated in a
similar executive capacity. The Employee shall also promote, by entertainment or
otherwise,  as and to the extent  permitted by law, the business of the Bank and
Parent.  The Employee's other duties shall be such as the Board of Directors for
the Bank (the "Board of Directors" or "Board") may from time to time  reasonably
direct, including normal duties as an officer of the Bank.

         2. Base  Compensation.  The Bank agrees to pay the Employee  during the
term of this  Agreement  a salary at the rate of $60,000  per annum,  payable in
cash not less  frequently than monthly;  provided,  that the rate of such salary
shall be reviewed by the Board of Directors  not less often than  annually,  and
Employee shall be entitled to receive annually an increase at such percentage or
in such an amount as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may decide at
such time.

         3.  Discretionary  Bonus. The Employee shall be entitled to participate
in an equitable manner with all other senior management employees of the Bank in
discretionary  bonuses  that may be  authorized  and  declared  by the  Board of
Directors  to its  senior  management  employees  from  time to  time.  No other
compensation provided for in this Agreement shall be deemed a substitute for the
Employee's  right  to  participate  in such  discretionary  bonuses  when and as
declared by the Board of Directors.

         4.       (a)      Participation in Retirement and  Medical  Plans.  The
Employee shall be entitled to participate in any plan of the  Bank  relating  to
pension, profit-sharing, or other retirement benefits


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and  medical  coverage  or  reimbursement  plans that the Bank may adopt for the
benefit of its employees.

         (b) Employee  Benefits;  Expenses.  The  Employee  shall be eligible to
participate in any fringe benefits which may be or may become  applicable to the
Bank's senior management employees,  including by example,  participation in any
stock  option or  incentive  plans  adopted by the Board of Directors of Bank or
Parent, club memberships,  a reasonable expense account,  and any other benefits
which are commensurate with the  responsibilities  and functions to be performed
by the Employee under this Agreement.  The Bank shall reimburse Employee for all
reasonable  out-of-pocket expenses which Employee shall incur in connection with
his service for the Bank.

         5. Term. The term of employment of Employee under this Agreement  shall
be for the period commencing on the Effective Date and ending twelve (12) months
thereafter  ("Term").  Additionally,  on each annual  anniversary  date from the
Effective  Date, the term of employment  under this Agreement  shall be extended
for an additional one year period beyond the then effective expiration date upon
a determination and resolution of the Board of Directors that the performance of
the Employee has met the  requirements  and standards of the Board, and that the
term of such Agreement shall be extended.

         6.       Loyalty; Noncompetition.

         (a) The  Employee  shall  devote  his full  time and  attention  to the
performance  of  his  employment  under  this  Agreement.  During  the  term  of
Employee's employment under this Agreement, the Employee shall not engage in any
business or activity  contrary to the business  affairs or interests of the Bank
or Parent.

         (b) Nothing contained in this Paragraph 6 shall be deemed to prevent or
limit the right of Employee to invest in the capital  stock or other  securities
of any  business  dissimilar  from that of the Bank or Parent,  or,  solely as a
passive or minority investor, in any business.

         7.  Standards.  The  Employee  shall  perform  his  duties  under  this
Agreement in accordance  with such  reasonable  standards  expected of employees
with comparable positions in comparable  organizations and as may be established
from time to time by the Board of Directors.

         8. Vacation and Sick Leave.  At such  reasonable  times as the Board of
Directors  shall in its  discretion  permit,  the  Employee  shall be  entitled,
without loss of pay, to absent himself  voluntarily  from the performance of his
employment  under this Agreement,  with all such voluntary  absences to count as
vacation time; provided that:



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         (a) The  Employee  shall  be  entitled  to  annual  vacation  leave  in
accordance  with the policies as are  periodically  established  by the Board of
Directors for senior management employees of the Bank.


         (b) The  Employee  shall not be  entitled  to  receive  any  additional
compensation  from the Bank on account of his failure to take vacation leave and
Employee  shall not be entitled to  accumulate  unused  vacation from one fiscal
year to the next, except in either case to the extent authorized by the Board of
Directors for senior management employees of the Bank.

         (c) In addition to the aforesaid paid vacations,  the Employee shall be
entitled without loss of pay, to absent himself voluntarily from the performance
of his employment with the Bank for such additional periods of time and for such
valid and  legitimate  reasons as the Board of Directors in its  discretion  may
determine.  Further,  the Board of  Directors  shall be entitled to grant to the
Employee a leave or leaves of absence  with or without pay at such time or times
and upon such terms and  conditions as the Board of Directors in its  discretion
may determine.

         (d) In addition, the Employee shall be entitled to an annual sick leave
benefit as established by the Board of Directors for senior management employees
of the Bank.  In the event that any sick leave  benefit shall not have been used
during any year, such leave shall accrue to subsequent  years only to the extent
authorized by the Board of Directors for employees of the Bank.

         9.       Termination and Termination Pay.

         The Employee's employment under this Agreement shall be terminated upon
any of the following occurrences:

         (a) The death of the  Employee  during the term of this  Agreement,  in
which event the Employee's  estate shall be entitled to receive the compensation
due the Employee  through the last day of the calendar  month which is three (3)
months after the Employee's death.

         (b) The Board of Directors may terminate the  Employee's  employment at
any time, but any termination by the Board of Directors  other than  termination
for Just Cause,  shall not prejudice the  Employee's  right to  compensation  or
other benefits under the Agreement.  The Employee shall have no right to receive
compensation or other benefits for any period after  termination for Just Cause.
Termination for "Just Cause" shall include termination because of the Employee's
personal dishonesty,  incompetence, willful misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty
involving personal profit, intentional failure to perform stated duties, willful
violation  of any law,  rule or  regulation  (other than traffic  violations  or
similar  offenses) or final  cease-and-desist  order,  or material breach of any
provision of the Agreement.



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         (c) Except as  provided  pursuant  to  Section 12 herein,  in the event
Employee's  employment  under  this  Agreement  is  terminated  by the  Board of
Directors without Just Cause, the Bank shall be obligated to continue to pay the
Employee  the salary  provided  pursuant to Section 2 herein,  up to the date of
termination  of the term  (including any renewal term) of this Agreement and the
cost of Employee  obtaining all health,  life,  disability,  and other  benefits
which the Employee  would be eligible to  participate in through such date based
upon the benefit levels  substantially equal to those being provided Employee at
the date of termination of employment.

         (d) If the  Employee  is removed  and/or  permanently  prohibited  from
participating  in the  conduct of the Bank's  affairs by an order  issued  under
Sections  8(e)(4) or 8(g)(1) of the Federal  Deposit  Insurance Act ("FDIA") (12
U.S.C.  1818(e)(4) and (g)(1)), all obligations of the Bank under this Agreement
shall terminate, as of the effective date of the order, but the vested rights of
the parties shall not be affected.

         (e) If the Bank is in default (as  defined in Section  3(x)(1) of FDIA)
all obligations  under this Agreement shall terminate as of the date of default,
but this  paragraph  shall not  affect  any  vested  rights  of the  contracting
parties.

         (f) All obligations under this Agreement shall be terminated, except to
the extent  determined that  continuation of this Agreement is necessary for the
continued  operation  of the Bank:  (i) by the  Director of the Office of Thrift
Supervision  ("Director of OTS"),  or his or her designee,  at the time that the
Federal  Deposit  Insurance  Corporation  ("FDIC")  enters into an  agreement to
provide assistance to or on behalf of the Bank under the authority  contained in
Section  13(c)  of  FDIA;  or (ii) by the  Director  of the  OTS,  or his or her
designee,  at the time  that the  Director  of the OTS,  or his or her  designee
approves a supervisory  merger to resolve  problems  related to operation of the
Bank or when  the  Bank is  determined  by the  Director  of the OTS to be in an
unsafe or unsound condition. Any rights of the parties that have already vested,
however, shall not be affected by such action.

         (g) The voluntary  termination by the Employee  during the term of this
Agreement  with the delivery of no less than 60 days written notice to the Board
of Directors,  other than pursuant to Section 12(b),  in which case the Employee
shall be entitled  to receive  only the  compensation,  vested  rights,  and all
employee benefits up to the date of such termination.

         (h) Notwithstanding  anything herein to the contrary, any payments made
to the Employee pursuant to the Agreement, or otherwise, shall be subject to and
conditioned   upon  compliance  with  12  USC  ss.1828(k)  and  any  regulations
promulgated thereunder.

         10.  Suspension  of  Employment . If the  Employee is suspended  and/or
temporarily  prohibited from  participating in the conduct of the Bank's affairs
by a notice served under Section 8(e)(3) or


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(g)(1) of the FDIA (12 U.S.C.  1818(e)(3)  and (g)(1)),  the Bank's  obligations
under the Agreement shall be suspended as of the date of service,  unless stayed
by appropriate proceedings. If the charges in the notice are dismissed, the Bank
shall, (i) pay the Employee all or part of the  compensation  withheld while its
contract  obligations  were suspended and (ii) reinstate any of its  obligations
which were suspended.

         11. Disability.  If the Employee shall become disabled or incapacitated
to the extent  that he is unable to perform his duties  hereunder,  by reason of
medically determinable physical or mental impairment,  as determined by a doctor
engaged by the Board of  Directors,  Employee  shall  nevertheless  continue  to
receive the compensation and benefits which may be payable to Employee under the
provisions of disability  insurance coverage in effect for Bank employees.  Upon
returning to active full-time  employment,  the Employee's full  compensation as
set forth in this Agreement  shall be reinstated as of the date of  commencement
of such activities.  In the event that the Employee returns to active employment
on  other  than a  full-time  basis,  then  his  compensation  (as set  forth in
Paragraph 2 of this Agreement)  shall be reduced in proportion to the time spent
in said employment, or as shall otherwise be agreed to by the parties.

         12.      Change in Control.

         (a) Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary,  in the event
of the involuntary termination of Employee's employment under this Agreement, in
connection with or within 18 months after,  any change in control of the Bank or
Parent,  Employee shall be paid an amount equal to the product of 1.50 times the
Employee's  "base  amount"  as defined in  Section  280G(b)(3)  of the  Internal
Revenue  Code of 1986,  as amended  (the  "Code")  and  regulations  promulgated
thereunder.  Said sum shall be paid,  at the option of  Employee,  either (i) in
periodic  payments  over  the  next  36  months  or the  remaining  term of this
Agreement,  whichever  is  less,  as  if  Employee's  employment  had  not  been
terminated,  or  (ii)  in one (1)  lump  sum  within  thirty  (30)  days of such
termination,  and such  payments  shall be in lieu of any other future  payments
which the Employee  would be otherwise  entitled to receive  under  Section 9 of
this Agreement.  Notwithstanding the forgoing,  all sums payable hereunder shall
be  reduced  in such  manner and to such  extent so that no such  payments  made
hereunder when  aggregated with all other payments to be made to the Employee by
the  Bank or the  Parent  shall be  deemed  an  "excess  parachute  payment"  in
accordance  with  Section  280G of the Code and be  subject  to the  excise  tax
provided at Section  4999(a) of the Code. The term "control"  shall refer to the
ownership,  holding  or power to vote  more than 25% of the  Parent's  or Bank's
voting  stock,  the control of the  election  of a majority  of the  Parent's or
Bank's directors, or the exercise of a controlling influence over the management
or policies of the Parent or Bank by any person or by persons  acting as a group
within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934. The
term "person" means an individual other than the Employee, or


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a corporation,  partnership, trust, association, joint venture, pool, syndicate,
sole proprietorship, unincorporated organization or any other form of entity not
specifically listed herein.

         (b)  Notwithstanding  any  other  provision  of this  Agreement  to the
contrary,  Employee may voluntary  terminate his employment under this Agreement
within  twelve (12) months  following a change in control of the Bank or Parent,
and Employee  shall  thereupon  be entitled to receive the payment  described in
Section  12(a)  of this  Agreement,  upon the  occurrence,  or  within  one year
thereafter,  of any of the following events, which have not been consented to in
advance by the  Employee in writing:  (i) if Employee  would be required to move
his personal  residence or perform his principal  executive  functions more than
thirty-five  (35) miles from the Employee's  primary office as of the signing of
this Agreement;  (ii) if in the organizational  structure of the Bank or Parent,
Employee  would be  required  to report to a person or  persons  other  than the
President  and Board of the Bank or Parent;  (iii) if the Bank or Parent  should
fail to maintain  existing employee  benefits plans,  including  material fringe
benefit,  stock option and retirement  plans; (iv) if Employee would be assigned
duties  and  responsibilities  other  than those  normally  associated  with his
position  as   referenced   at  Section  1,   herein;   or  (v)  if   Employee's
responsibilities  or authority  have in any way been  materially  diminished  or
reduced.

         (c) Arbitration. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to
this  Agreement,  or the breach  thereof,  shall be settled  by  arbitration  in
accordance  with the rules then in effect of the district office of the American
Arbitration  Association  ("AAA")  nearest to the home  office of the Bank,  and
judgment upon the award rendered may be entered in any court having jurisdiction
thereof,  except to the extend  that the parties  may  otherwise  reach a mutual
settlement of such issue. The Bank shall incur the cost of all fees and expenses
associated  with filing a request for  arbitration  with the AAA,  whether  such
filing  is  made on  behalf  of the  Bank or the  Employee,  and the  costs  and
administrative  fees  associated  with  employing  the  arbitrator  and  related
administrative expenses assessed by the AAA.

         13.      Successors and Assigns.

         (a) This  Agreement  shall inure to the benefit of and be binding  upon
any  corporate or other  successor  of the Bank or Parent  which shall  acquire,
directly or indirectly, by merger, consolidation,  purchase or otherwise, all or
substantially all of the assets or stock of the Bank or Parent.

         (b) Since the Bank is contracting for the unique and personal skills of
the Employee,  the Employee  shall be precluded from assigning or delegating his
rights or duties  hereunder  without first  obtaining the written consent of the
Bank.

         14.      Amendments. No amendments or additions to this Agreement shall
be binding upon the parties hereto unless made in


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writing  and signed by both  parties,  except as herein  otherwise  specifically
provided.

         15.  Applicable  Law. This agreement  shall be governed by all respects
whether as to validity, construction, capacity, performance or otherwise, by the
laws of the State of Kansas,  except to the  extent  that  Federal  law shall be
deemed to apply.

         16.  Severability.  The  provisions of this  Agreement  shall be deemed
severable and the  invalidity  or  unenforceability  of any provision  shall not
affect the validity or enforceability of the other provisions hereof.

         17. Entire Agreement. This Agreement together with any understanding or
modifications  thereof as agreed to in writing by the parties,  shall constitute
the entire agreement between the parties hereto.