January 1, 2001

Saturday, October 7, 2000 was the first known-recorded international gathering of Condley family members. The event was held in the dining room on the Hector High School Campus. Over 250 family members attended many of who traveled thousands of miles to be apart of the gathering. For many it was home or a return home but for some it was their first ever visit to Hector.

The Thursday before ended a dry spell in the area with a spectacular thunder and lightening storm that brought over two inches of rain in just a few hours. The clouds all but vanished by Friday morning, giving way to clear, sunny skies and 70+ degree weather for the weekend ahead. The gentle rolling green hills, meadows and valleys may have been parched by Arkansas standards, but for those of us from areas west, they were picture postcard perfect and provided a wonderful setting for the reunion.

Hector is a town of about 449 friendly residents, located about 20 miles from Russellville where most of the out of town visitors stayed. Russellville is a very well kept, modern college town with a population of over 25, 000. Russellville offers a good selection of inns, restaurants and retail shopping. Little Rock, the capitol of Arkansas and the closest major city and airport is about 75 miles east of Russellville. The highways and byways are modern, accessible, safe and easy to use.

Family genealogist, (George) Douglas Condley and gracious wife Rowena, greeted the attendees at the door. The second stop was the registration desk, that was manned (or should I say womanned) by Normajean Condley Santee, (Lenora) Anne Condley Blakley, Cali Patricia Condley and others. Family members filled out a brief information form, while calligraphers Normajean and Cali creatively crafted the nametags. Many of the children in attendance (and some of the adults) managed to avoid registration and signage by cagily sneaking by the desk on the way to the vast array of food and beverages being assembled on dining room tables.

The reunion allowed many to see family members they had not seen in years, for others it was their first meeting of over two hundred cousins, they had never met before and until contacted by G. Douglas, didn't even know existed.

One thing for sure, the family wasted little time lining up to sample the seeming endless cuisine brought by local family members. Pastor Randall Williams provided the invocation. After lunch the G. Douglas addressed the gathering with welcomes, introductions, recognition, history and founding of the official Condley Family Reunion Association. The members of the first meeting of the association, being called to order, were asked to nominate, then elect a President, Treasurer, Family Historian and Editor of communiqués. After a hard fought (and unchallenged campaign), the winners were; William Condley for President, Rhonda Williams for Vice-President, Marjorie Utley and Betty Chronister for Treasurer, George Douglas Condley for Family Historian, Debbie Walker for Family Relations and Bill Condley as Editor of the newsletter. Fortunately, none of the family electorate from Texas or Tennessee contested the Floridian ballots and recounts were not necessary. Acceptance speeches were short and sweet.

There was time after the meeting for more nibbling, acquaintances and good byes. Members voted to hold the next family reunion in 2003 at a time that does not interfere with hunting season. There was also discussion of a reunion in California in a year or two.

Family Historian and Genealogist Report

What a fantastic reunion we had with over 100 family members attending. We are receiving complimentary letters and notes that many are eagerly looking forward to the next reunion in 2003. We met lots of new cousins and several families, some of which used this as an opportunity to have an immediate family reunion. Marjorie Utley had her family of nineteen, many from California and Betty & Odell Chronister had their family of twenty-five. Some cousins living across the country on the West Coast and East Coast were reunited after thirty-eight years. Overall it was a wondrous event with family members attending from CA, OR, AZ, KS, OK, TX, In, MO, GA, and AR. Special thanks should go to our Arkansas cousins for promoting the reunion, arrangement of the most beautiful and colorful buffet, and clean-up of the cafeteria: Marjorie & A.C. Utley, Betty & Odell Chronister, Veo & Faye Condley, Jesse & Maxine Condley and Tommy & Connie Condley.

Our new President, William Condley, assures us that he will have a loud speaker available at our next reunion. Other officers elected were Vice-President Rhonda Johnson, Treasurer Marjorie Utley and Betty Chronister, Editor of our Newsletter, Bill Condley and Condley Family Public Relations, Debbie Walker.

As your Condley Family Historian, I am requesting that you send me any old/new pictures documents, old letters, biographies, family ancestry and any other achievements or honors that have been awarded to a family member. This information will be entered in our Condley Family History Book.

We received a 45-minute telephone call from our cousins in England, Carol nee Condley and her husband David James, who were eager to obtain details about the reunion. Perhaps we can entice them to attend the next reunion. We invite anyone coming near Tulsa to call and visit.

January 1, 2001

About 18 months ago, I decided to do a little family research on the internet, posted my information in a couple of places, and within 24 hours I joined in with Condley research efforts. What started out as a mere curiosity, a hobby- has turned into a daily, ongoing project, but well worth it.

I was most interested in attending the family reunion in Hector, AR, because my grandfather, William Anderson Condley was born in Russellville, Arkansas, and my grandmother Zella Myrtle Richardson, was born in Tuckerman, AR. I was quite enthused about finding new information, and advertising the Family Reunion all over the U.S. via the internet message boards, classified ad sections, State/County Web Sites and mailing lists.
The reunion was great--- My 7 days there went by too fast.... Being from Los Angeles, California, it was difficult to get used to the facts that you can actually cash a Traveller's Cheque with no identification, pump your own gas before you pay, and take a drive without getting stuck in traffic. The scenery is second to none... absolutely beautiful, and the people are wonderful, friendly... I didn't know anyone there, at first.. This was my first visit to Arkansas. and I felt "at home" immediately.. Thanks to all Condley cousins who helped with the reunion, everyone did a great job, and the food was fantastic.. It was great to visit the many places where my ancestors once lived, and I do plan on going back.. Special thanks to Ednita Condley, who gave us information on Robert Wm Condley, and has sent me a few things I would not have found otherwise.
I currently manage the Condley Family Mailing List, and can add names, make corrections, etc....I can also print out Genealogy Reports, other information for those who do not have access to the internet. If you have any corrections, please send them to myself, Douglas, or Bill. Looking forward to the next Condley Reunion. Hope to see you all there!