The Honorable Louis Evans Condon

The Honorable Louis Evans Condon, adored husband of Marie Jeffords Vincent Condon passed away Sunday night peacefully at their home in her arms.

Judge Condon was born in Charleston on April 3, 1927, to Vernon Whitaker and Louise Mellard Condon.  He grew up on Mitchell Playground and delivered newspapers in his neighborhood.  He graduated Charleston High School and attended the College of Charleston, leaving to join the United States Navy during World War II. He served aboard an AM 107 Mine Sweeper in the Pacific Theatre.  He returned to the College of Charleston while serving in the United States Naval Reserve.  He completed a BS degree in history and economics in 1949 and graduated with the Class of 1950.  He was a graduate student of economics at the University of South Carolina 1949-51, and left school to work as an Economist for the US Department of Labor in the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Atlanta, GA 1951-1953.  He was appointed information Specialist for the Atlanta Regional Office, handling Public Relations and press releases analyzing changes in the CPI.  He married his College of Charleston sweetheart, Betty Jean Metze in June, 1952, and they returned to Charleston in March, 1953.  He was employed by West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company as the manager of the accounting office until 1959, at which time he entered the University of South Carolina Law School.  He worked in the South Carolina Senate and the University of South Carolina's Bureau of Business Research until his graduation in 1962.  He became a frequent lecturer in Property, Real Estate and Equity Courses.  His education would continue with the National Judicial College, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada and Oxford University, Oxford, England being the only Master-in-Equity selected from more than a hundred jurists of all kinds from across the United States to study Comparative Law.  He returned to Charleston to engage in a solo practice of law from 1962-1969 and then joined the firm of Hollings and Hawkins until 1975.  He served as a Municipal Judge in the late 60's and early 70's during a local uprising.  He held night court for his friend, The Honorable Richard Fields.  In 1975, he was nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Legislature as the Master-in-Equity for Charleston County where he served until 1995.

Upon retirement from the bench, Judge Condon returned to his private practice of law.  In 2004, he was asked to serve as the Judge-in-Residence at the newly founded Charleston School of Law.  He sat as counsel and taught until a paralyzing stroke in the fall of 2007.  He returned to the Law School to complete a term and then retired to spend time with his family and friends.  He continued to keep his legal mind sharp with arbitrations and mediations for the National Arbitration Forum and Charleston Trident Association of Realtors and some estate matters, while still being "on call" for many lawyers seeking sage advice.

Judge Condon was a member of the American Bar Association in the Divisions of Special Courts Conference of Judicial Administration, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Senior Lawyers.  He served as Chair of the Senior Lawyers Division 2005-2006.  He was a founding member of the South Carolina Bar Association and first President of the South Carolina Equity Court Council, Chairman of the Computerizations of the Courts as well as Founder and first Chairman of the South Carolina Bar Senior Lawyers Section.  He was a member of the Charleston County Bar Association, founding the Charleston County Judicial Council and Founder and Chairman of the Charleston Senior Lawyers.  He was a member of the National Judicial College as a State Judicial Leader and a founding member, NJC Board of Visitors, the American Judicature Society, American Judges Association, and National Association of St. Judicial Educators.

His community activities included the College of Charleston Alumni Association in which he served as President, member of the C of C Honorary Committee of Renaissance, elected member Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society, College of Charleston Distinguished Alumnus Award and Honorary Life Member.  He was University of South Carolina Law School Association President, Charleston Interfaith Crisis Ministry serving on Board of Directors, Council of Governments Regional Forum, Charleston Exchange Club for 49 years serving as Vice President as well as Secretary of the Exchange Club Fair Board and a member of the "Golden Guys", Piccolo Spoleto Planning Committee in planning community outreach of Spoleto Festival, USA, Neighborhood Legal Assistant Program as Board Member and Chairman, City of Charleston Election Commission, City of Charleston Planning and Zoning Commission, Trident Chamber of Commerce and Charleston Jaycees on Board of Directors, Town of Mt. Pleasant Planning and Zoning Commission, Chairman Bulls Bay Water District, President Lowcountry Muscular Dystrophy Association, Parade Chairman Charleston County Bi-Centennial Committee, Association Board of Directors and President of Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Grace Episcopal Youth Director, Sunday School teacher, Vestry, founder of Long Range Planning  Committee, Life Member of the Hibernian Society, Board Member and Merit Badge Counselor of Boy Scouts of America, Life Member of Carolina Art Association for Gibbs Art Museum, Charleston County Bar Association Judicial Center Committee, Pythagorean Lodge #1 AFM Life Member, Founding Contributor of South Carolina Aquarium, Life member of Hobcaw Yacht Club and member of Carolina Yacht Club.  Along with Dr. Fitzhugh Hamrick, he produced Charleston's first version of "Porgy and Bess" in 1970, Charleston's Tri-centennial year.  The play earned the Charleston Symphony Orchestra international praise with nine standing-room-only shows.  Local talent, 123 black and three white performers made up the cast.  The show's success came on the heels of the divisive hospital workers strike at the Medical College and was chronicled by CBS "60 Minutes". It seemed to serve to pull the community together.  He was instrumental in bringing Maestro David Stahl to Charleston as Conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

Judge Condon received numerous professional and personal awards of which the hanging of his portrait in the Charleston County Courthouse and people's friendships seemed to top the list.  He was "a man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make a poor man conscience of his poverty, the obscure of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself humbles if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions or achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word, who thinks of the rights and feelings of others rather than his own; and who appears well in any company, a man with who honor is sacred and virtue is safe."

The family wished to extend a special thanks to Drs. John Rowe, Jr., Gene Brown, Strait Fairey, William Blount Ellison, David Ellison, Ian Marshall, Thomas Dukes, John Mitchell, Sam Stafford and Charles Anderson and also, the staffs of Roper and East Cooper Hospitals Rehabilitation Departments, especially Kristi Spach and Rachel Blackwell, and to Hospice of Charleston, especially to Kristie Higdon and Charlene Brown.

He is survived by his wife of Mt. Pleasant, SC; sons, Louis David Condon and wife Hollis Mistle of Columbia, SC, Charles Pease Vincent V, and wife Kelly White of Mt. Pleasant, SC, and William Jeffords "Jeff" Vincent of LaGrange, GA; grandchildren, Erin Grace Condon and John Connor Condon of Columbia, SC; brother and sisters-in-law, Mary Johnson Condon of Charleston, SC Albert Edwin Jeffords, Sr. and wife Harriett Lancaster of Hickory, NC, Fran Jeffords Pait of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Oliver H. and Lois Metze Jenkins of Charleston, SC and Nancy Metze Smith of N. Ft. Meyers, FL; many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews and a great-great niece; friend and housekeeper of 43 years, Louise Mazyck of Mt. Pleasant, SC.  He is predeceased by his parents, his first wife, Betty Metze Condon and his  brothers, Bill, Ed, Bob and Dick Condon.

The relatives and friends of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Evans Condon are invited to attend the funeral service of the former, Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 2:00 pm in Grace Episcopal Church. A reception will be held in Hanahan Hall following the service.  Inurnment will be private in the Church Columbarium.

Memorials may be made to Saving Grace, Grace Episcopal Church, 98 Wentworth St., Charleston, SC 29401, or College of Charleston Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, 18 Bull Street, Charleston, SC 29401, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, 145 King Street, Suite 311, Charleston, SC 29401, or Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy, P.O. Box 21833, Charleston, SC 29413, Charleston School of Law Scholarship Fund, 81 Mary Street, Charleston, SC 29403, or Hospice of Charleston Foundation, 676 Wando Park Blvd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.

Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC., DOWNTOWN CHAPEL.