Virgil Condon

Virgil Condon was born on November 28, 1929, in Liberty Township.  One of four boys, he grew up in western Ohio and eastern Indiana and graduated from College Corner High School in 1947.  The brothers were baseball players and lifelong Reds fans.  As a young man, Virgil had a chance to play baseball against a young Joe Nuxhall (no official at-bat, having walked and been hit by a pitch!).  After graduating from high school, Virgil and his twin brother Vernon were scheduled for a tryout with the Reds, but the tryout was rained out; they met Branch Rickey later that day and were invited to join the New York Giants minor league organization.  

Virgil and his brother returned to Ohio after the 1948 season, joined the Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Division in October 1948, and started a "Series 10 - Battery Officer's Training" course from Ft. Riley, KS in 1949.  After completing the training and receiving a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1951, Virgil received orders for Korea in October 1951. He was assigned to the 980th Field Artillery Battalion of the 40th Infantry Division.  Arriving at the battery position on the 38th parallel, he was designated the Battery Executive Officer.  Virgil was promoted to First Lieutenant during his deployment.  He received orders to go home on July 27th, 1953 - the day the peace treaty was signed at Panmunjom.  After returning home, Virgil remained in the National Guard.  He was promoted to Captain in June 1954 and became the Battery Commander of Battery B, 136th Field Artillery in Lebanon, OH in 1957 (the same place he started in the National Guard in 1948).  He later became the Battalion S2 (Intelligence Officer) and S3 (Battalion Fire Direction Officer) at the 136th Field Artillery Battalion in Dayton, OH.  Virgil served in the National Guard until 1962.

Virgil joined Armco Steel in Middletown, OH in the engineering department, and after multiple promotions, retired in 1992 as the Area Superintendent of Rolling.  After a short stint of retirement and golf, Virgil joined United Lubricants as a Rolling Mill Consultant, traveling the world to advise on steel rolling processing. 

Virgil married Gloria in 1955 and raised two daughters (Beverly and Kathy).  Virgil was always remodeling his home or working on projects around the house.  In addition to being a lifelong baseball fan, Virgil enjoyed bowling, golfing, and spending weekends with his family at Armco Park.  He also loved to fish, and he and his family frequently vacationed near Prince Edward Island in Canada to catch walleye.

Virgil is survived by his wife Gloria, daughters Beverly and Kathy, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.