The Charles C. Condes Memorial Scholarship

Mr. Charles Condes

The Charles C. Condes Memorial Scholarships will be offered annually from the trust of Charles (Eftychios) Constantine Condes.

Condes was born in Chicago, Illinois to Constantine S. and Harikleia (Yiannias) Condes who had emigrated from Niata, Lakonia and Alea, Arkadia, respectively.  He was the third of their four children. The Great Depression was affecting millions of Americans while Charles was growing up. This did not stop his ambition to be successful and at the age of 16, he opened his own dairy store. Later he worked various jobs while attending the Illinois Institute of Technology. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II as a meteorologist attached to the RAF. Charles was stationed across North Africa, the Middle East, and Cyprus.  After the war he launched his career as a consulting engineer, initially in the private sector, and later as a bridge design engineer for the city of Chicago. Charles enjoyed researching companies and made many successful investments in the stock market.

Charles was happily married for 25 years to the late Phyllis Holik and together they traveled the world. He was a highly principled man who was devoted to his family and his faith. A philanthropist who donated to many charities and churches – including Leadership 100, IOCC, the Pan Hellenic Scholarship Foundation, and Philoxenia Charities – Charles was a firm believer in the power of education, and an admirer of all things Hellenic. 

Through his endowment of scholarships, Charles chose to demonstrate his pride in the students who represent the future of Hellenism and Orthodoxy in the United States and Canada.