Don Herron, a Cardington native and 1970 Cardington-Lincoln High School graduate, now residing with his wife, Kaye, in Port Charlotte, Florida, was featured in an automobile related article published recently in The Sun, an area newspaper. Don Royston is president and co-founder of the Veteran Motor Car Club of America SW and penned the story on Herron.
The focus was on the black 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider owned by Don who purchased it new because “of Alphas being the epitome of affordable Italian Sports cars.” He later purchased a similar version of the same car in red for Kaye. Both cars were featured in the Open Cruise In held at the Home Depot in Punta Gorda last spring .
The story covers Herron’s life in Marion and Morrow Counties. During high school he played basketball and baseball, excelling in both. He won a baseball scholarship to The Ohio State University where he was a pitcher from 1971 to 1974. He also pitched for the Worthington Steel “Redbirds” baseball team, a Columbus based team where his skills were a factor in their annual wins. He was recruited by a Scout to pitch for the farm team of the Montreal Expos in Alberta.
“Illness and fatigue” led to him returning to Ohio to learn the plumbing business owned by his father, the late Walter Herron. Completing ten years with his father, he struck out on his own and for 30 years he successfully operated his own company. Herron said “I worked on more than 600 newly constructed homes in Cardington and the surrounding area.”
His wife, Kaye, retired from Marion County Children’s Services where she had worked as an investigator for 20 years. The couple sold their Marion home, a rental property and 34-foot Sea Ray Yacht and moved to Port Charlotte.
Don’s first auto in high school was a 1962 Corvair Monza, and later he acquired a 1967 Mustang and a 1968 Firebird with a 400 engine. His first new car was a 1984 Buick and later a Mercury Marquee sedan.
He was honored last spring to throw out the honorary first pitch for the Ohio State University baseball team when they played in Florida, bringing back some nostalgia for Don.
He and his wife have three children, Don’s two girls and Kay’s son, Tim, employed with the Worthington Columbus Inn. Hayley Herron produces her own show “Out and About Southwest Florida,” shown on ABC Channel 7 in Florida. His daughter, Betsy, is married to Sean McConnell, an Air Force Officer, and they live in California.
Car enthusiasts will be interested to know that the 1991 Spider is a 2.0 liter, four cylinder, dual overhead cam, 121 H transmission- manual 5-speed weight 2657 pounds; 0 to 60 mph, 9.8 seconds, top speed, 119 mph.
Herron, who also owns a 1970 Cadillac and two Jaguars, said he spends his days swimming about a mile in his pool each day and “I enjoy having no responsibility.”
Evelyn Long is a correspondent with the Morrow County Sentinel and can be reached at [email protected].
