Richard "Dick" Condon

Birth:  

Family Information: Sometime between the 1930 census date and July 1931 he married Emmaly Swenson.

Step-father of Clyde, Chester, James, Earl, Roy and Eugene Swenson. After the wedding, the couple, plus her sons Roy and Gene, visited Minnesota, returning after six weeks.  

Description:

"He had served a four-year term in the British Army and showed it. Straight, nimble, alert, as a rule, and when sober could understand what Llano needed."

Pre-Colony History:  

Home in Colony:  

Job in Colony: In late April 1928 the crew at the cut-off saw consisted of Condon, F. Jensen, John Dougherty, Dane and McGee while Extrom and Shipman helped the carpenter kiddies to pile the lumber.

In September 1928 the work in the Rice Ranch vegetable gardens and orchards proceeded with Harold Kemp operating the tractor and 28 disc harrow, Leonard and Ben Roe ploughing and planting Irish potatoes, and Shipman hauling and spreading fertilizer. Robert Roe and Roy Swenson helped out where they could. Condon took a trip to Newllano, leaving Mrs. Swenson to perform her household duties without an assistant.

In April 1929 Hope Shoemaker, Laura Synoground and Pauline Eggleston prepared and served the evening lunch and the Mesdames Carroll, Maki, Swenson, Oberlitner and Dick Condon provided a fine dinner at the hotel.

In June 1929 he, Taylor and Olsen were putting in some extra work on the south side of the warehouse where they were replacing some of the old pine shingles with cypress.

In July 1929 Comrade Olsen was finishing the job on the big warehouse while he and Nev Campbell were starting to shingle the eastern side of the new hotel.

In February 1931 he took a crew of high school boys and they re-vamped the colony, adding cypress shingles and doing various repairs where needed. In August 1931 he was the director of physical culture -- he pointed out at the Open Forum that that work addressed both mental and physical needs. He was also on the sanitary commission and they reported that progress was being made with septic tanks -- the plan was to install septic tanks at strategic points around the colony and eliminate the privies that had been in use.

In 1932 he went to the Rice Ranch to work on the new community building there and helped make crates for the milk goats at the Isle of Cuba (near Thibodeaux, LA).

At some point he had served as the colony's fire marshall and the drill-master for the schools, putting a sense of discipline and obedience to command into the youth.  

Other Info: Preparing for the May Day's entertainment in 1928 Anna Besse was presiding at the piano, accompanied by Peter Borg on the violin while Comrade Condon was practicing his song. Other performers were Kenneth Thurman and Comrade Tefteller. Also the orchestra under Bob Snyder, Mrs. Hewitt and Mrs. Busick.

In 1928 he was one of the founding members of the local Conscientious Objectors Union; Theodore Atworth served as the first Secretary-Treasurer with O.E. Enfield serving as the President. The organization was planned to be international, composed of people who refused to go to war as a matter of conscience. Charter members included: Theodore Atworth, Mary H. Atworth, Emily H. Dougherty, I.A. Dougherty, Carl H. Gleeser, S. Weislander, Charlie C. Black, John Hight, Lowell H. Coate, W.A. Shutt, F.O. Jernberg, Reka Jernberg, Anna Tabb, Peter Kemp, F. Rosenburg, B. Wade Hewitt, Hamilton H. McClurg, W.J. Hoag, Theodore F. Landrum, C.N. Butts, Mary Snyder, George Snyder, Anna Garrett, Emma Shutt, M.A. Brattland, Richard P. Condon, Jr., Emily Swenson, W.J. Newman, George T. Pickett, Raymond DeFausell, S.E. Baldwin, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Molenar, Earl L. Bosch, Guy F. Rogers, Ora E. Newman, James J. Miller, Bert Busick, Mabel D. Busick, Ole Synoground, C.C. Mickey, Fred A. Jensen, Katie Mickey, F. Rahn and Isaac H. Keyes.

In November 1931 he and Doc Williams sang a duett at a theater program accompanied by Miss Jaufroid on the piano.  

Post-Colony History: By June 1934 he had left the colony for New York, but was remembered fondly.  

Death:  

Sources: "Llano Colonist": April 21, 1928, May 26, 1928, December 22, 1928, March 2, 1929, March 30, 1929, April 20, 1929, April 27, 1929, June 29, 1929, July 13, 1929, January 18, 1930, February 21, 1931, July 4, 1931, August 1, 1931, October 24, 1931, November 28, 1931, March 26, 1932, May 7, 1932, June 30, 1934