Gary Doyle Condra was born August 13, 1944, and grew up in Ballinger, Texas. He started at Texas Tech University in 1963 and graduated in 1969 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Animal Science. While at Tech, he was the president of the Block & Bridle Association, made the Dean's List and participated in ROTC. He was commissioned into the Army and went to Vietnam in 1970 as a 1st lieutenant. While in Vietnam he was the Chief of the Red Ball Unit Supply program in Long Binh. During hisservice he earned the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal and an Overseas Bar. He eventually retired from the military as a captain and continued his education at Texas Tech earning his Masters of Science in Agricultural Economics in 1972 and his JD in Law in 1988. He married Betty Ann Moore and has two children, Thomas Clayton Condra and Merinda Kathryn Condra.