Brown County Alumni News Archive

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Longtime De Pere resident Gerald “Cort” Condon has been named the 2009 “Badger of the Year” by the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Brown County Chapter. Condon received this award in recognition of his many contributions to the Brown County community. He was honored as part of the chapter’s annual Founders’ Day celebration, which was held May 14, 2009.

Originally from Brodhead, Wis., Condon is a 1969 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison who earned degrees in accounting and finance. (He later obtained his law degree from the University of Colorado.) He moved to Northeast Wisconsin in 1975 and became a strong financial partner and advocate for area businesses throughout his career as a corporate and tax attorney. Currently, he is a partner in the Condon & Herald firm, located in downtown Green Bay.

Condon has contributed his time, talents and vision to many local organizations over the years. The list includes but is not limited to: The Encompass Foundation (Board of Directors), the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation (co-founding member, Board of Directors), Bellin Hospital (Board of Directors, Member of Ethics Committee), University Village Housing Association (President), First United Methodist Church, Monday Noon Optimist (15-year member), Encompass Childcare (Board of Directors), Green Bay YMCA (Board of Directors, Treasurer), Ecumenical Partnership for Housing, Bellin Foundation, Heritage Hill Foundation (Treasurer) and the NEW Community Shelter.

Condon has a true passion for his alma mater and is committed to connecting area alumni back to the University. He has been instrumental in developing and growing the Brown County alumni chapter since its infancy. He has faithfully served on the Brown County Chapter’s Board of Directors since 1978, including a stint as Chapter President.

Condon is perhaps best known among local alumni for his role in creating and expanding the Chapter’s Scholarship program. He has served as the Chairperson of the local Scholarship Committee for more than 30 years and has grown the program from awarding a single $500 scholarship per year to one that last year awarded 11 $1,500 scholarships to UW-bound freshman. Under his careful guidance, the Chapter has awarded in excess of $115,000 in scholarships to Brown County students attending the UW.

Condon has also given back to the UW at the national level, serving as a representative on the UW Alumni National Board and the UW Alumni National Board’s Nominating Committee. In fact, Condon is a past recipient of the UW National Alumni Association’s Sparkplug Award for his continuous support of the UW.

In his free time, Condon enjoys kayaking, golfing, snow and water skiing, traveling and reading. Yet his family is the most important part of his life. His son Jacques Condon is an attorney in Milwaukee; daughter Rachel White is an audiologist living in Longmont, Colo. Condon also has a three-month-old granddaughter, Paige.

“Cort is a true embodiment of the Wisconsin idea, which is the notion that the boundaries of the University are the boundaries of the state,” says Erin Elliott, president of WAA: Brown County Chapter. “He has used the knowledge and education he gained during his years at the UW to make Wisconsin – and especially Brown County – a better place to live. We are thrilled to have him as our ‘Badger of the Year,’ and we are looking forward to officially honoring him and celebrating his achievements during our upcoming Founders’ Day event.”

The Badger of the Year award was established by the Wisconsin Alumni Association in 2004 in an effort to demonstrate the importance and impact of UW-Madison alumni around the state of Wisconsin. Each alumni chapter within the state has the opportunity to recognize a notable local alum who has used his/her UW-Madison degree to make their community a better place to live. Prior winners of the WAA: Brown County Chapter’s Badger of the Year award are John Gustavson (2004), Jim Kress (2005), Jim Temp (2006), Phil and Betsy Hendrickson (2007) and Harry Maier (2008).

The WAA: Brown County Chapter has been serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its alumni and students for more than 50 years. Since 2006, the Wisconsin Alumni Association has continued to recognize the Brown County Chapter as a Bascom-level chapter, the highest honor given to alumni chapters.

• 2008: Harry Maier
• 2007: Phil and Betty Hendrickson
• 2006: Jim Temp
• 2005: Jim Kress ’52
• 2004: John Gustavson
• 2004 Spark Plug Award: Curt Fuszard

Thanks to Badger Alumni in Brown County, your chapter has achieved WAA’s highest recognition for the second year in a row! Here's the official WAA news release:

WAA Recognizes Alumni Chapters for Outstanding Service
October 30, 2008

Contact: Kate Dixon, Wisconsin Alumni Association, (608) 265-8769, kdixon@waastaff.com

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) has recognized 18 official alumni chapters in Wisconsin and across the United States for their outstanding service to Badger graduates and commitment to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

WAA has honored these organizations as 2008 Bascom Chapters for providing a higher level of service to UW alumni in their communities. Chapters that earn Bascom status receive the highest level of chapter support and recognition available from WAA. The number of Bascom chapters has doubled from 2006, when nine chapters earned the designation.

“Thanks to outstanding volunteers in almost 100 cities around the world, Badger alumni can find a strong network of fellow UW grads and friends, no matter where they live,” said WAA President and CEO Paula Bonner. “This year’s Bascom Chapters consistently go above and beyond to serve alumni in their local areas and to keep grads connected to their alma mater.”

The 2008 WAA Bascom Chapters are:
WAA: Bay Area Badgers Chapter (San Francisco)
WAA: Big Apple Badgers Chapter (New York City)
WAA: Boston Area Chapter
(Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine)

WAA: Brown County Chapter
(Green Bay, Ashwaubenon, DePere, Wis.)

WAA: Chicago Chapter
WAA: Chippewa Valley Chapter
(Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Menomonie, Wis.)
WAA: Houston Chapter
(Houston, Huntsville, Columbus, Freeport, Orange, Tex.)
WAA: Los Angeles Chapter
(Los Angeles, Hollywood, Long Beach, Pasadena, Calif.)
WAA: Marshfield Area Chapter (Wisconsin)
WAA: Mile High Chapter (Denver)
WAA: Motor City Badgers Chapter (Detroit, Mich.)
WAA: Orange County Chapter
(Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, Santa Ana, Yorba Linda, Calif.)
WAA: Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley Chapter
(Philadelphia; Camden, N.J.)
WAA: Rochester Chapter
(Rochester, Pine Island, Zumbrota, Mazeppa, Byron, Kasson, Mantorville, Stewartville, Winona, Minn.)
WAA: St. Louis Chapter
WAA: Twin Cities Chapter
(Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Coon Rapids, Minn.)
WAA: Washington, D.C. Chapter
(Washington, D.C.; Arlington, Va.; and Bethesda and Silver Spring, Md.)
WAA: Waukesha County Chapter (Wisconsin)
Bascom Chapters not only host traditional events, such as Badger game-watching parties and annual Founders’ Day events to celebrate the university’s history, but also serve young alumni and diverse audiences, represent UW-Madison at college fairs, participate in local educational outreach efforts and partner with local organizations.

Chapters that earn Bascom-level designation receive special support from WAA, including a Matching Dollar Scholarship donation and alumni surveys. They are also eligibile for educational and programming grants that expand offerings to alumni on the local level.

Participation and membership in the Wisconsin Alumni Association and its chapters are open to all alumni, students and friends of UW-Madison. More information about WAA’s chapters and affiliate groups is available at uwalumni.com/chapters.

Founded in 1861, WAA offers UW alumni and friends a wide variety of services, including the award-winning On Wisconsin and Badger Insider Magazines, career services, international travel opportunities and lifelong learning events. Learn more at uwalumni.com.

Each year the Wisconsin Alumni Association presents one alumni chapter leader with the Sparkplug Award. Like the sparkplug on your car, the WAA Sparkplug Award recipient is someone who has consistently and over an extended period of time provided the spark that keeps alumni chapter programming strong and vibrant.

The recipient of the 2008 Sparkplug Award is Brown County’s own Steve Pipp.

Steve is the immediate past President of the Brown County Chapter. Under Steve’s leadership he helped organize the annual Founders’ Day dinner, the UW Marching Band Concert at the Weidner Center, the new student sendoff, the student scholarship program, and many other chapter events over the years. Steve represented the local chapter at WAA sponsored training events in Madison and has been a resource for other chapter presidents around the country.

Steve also set the stage for the continued growth of the Brown County Chapter by recruiting new board members, and positioning the board so that his successors can maintain and build on past momentum.

Steve demonstrated his leadership skills in a significant way two years ago when the UW Hockey team played a historic game at Lambeau Field. Typically, when a major athletic team plays a game at an away location the first question we get from alumni and chapter leaders is “how can you get me tickets?” When Steve learned of the Hockey game at Lambeau Field his first question was “how can we leverage this event to benefit the local scholarship program and build the local alumni chapter?” With Steve’s guidance the local chapter partnered with the Green Bay Packers and the UW Athletic Department to create events that raised scholarship funds, gave the local chapter media exposure, and helped recruit new alumni to get involved. Steve’s foresight utilized an outstanding event to directly benefit the local chapter.

Steve is a great leader who is not afraid to role up his sleeves and does the hard work that makes events a success.

Because of his vision, his selflessness, and his longstanding commitment to the health of the UW Madison and the Wisconsin Alumni Association, WAA is proud to present him the 2008 Sparkplug Award. Congratulations Steve!