Chris Gardner

For the Canadian curler, see Chris Gardner (curler). For ence on him, entering Gardners world at a time when he
the former Major League Baseball pitcher, see Chris most needed a father gure. However, Henry drowned in
Gardner (baseball).
the Mississippi River when Chris was nine years old.[2]
The children learned that their mother had been imprisoned when she arrived at Henrys funeral escorted by a
Christopher Paul Chris Gardner (born Febru[6]
ary 9, 1954) is an American entrepreneur, investor, prison guard.
stockbroker, motivational speaker, author, and philanthropist who, during the early 1980s, struggled with
homelessness while raising his toddler son, Christopher,
Jr.[1] Gardners book of memoirs, The Pursuit of Happyness, was published in May 2006.[2] As of 2012, he is
CEO of his own stockbrokerage rm, Gardner Rich &
Co, based in Chicago, Illinois, where he resides when he
is not living in Toronto. Gardner credits his tenacity and
success to the spiritual genetics handed down to him
by his mother, Bettye Jean Triplett, ne Gardner,[2][3][4]
and to the high expectations placed on him by his children, son Chris Jr. (born 1981) and daughter Jacintha
(born 1985).[1] Gardners personal struggle of establishing himself as a stockbroker while managing fatherhood
and homelessness is portrayed in the 2006 motion picture
The Pursuit of Happyness, directed by Gabriele Muccino,
starring Will Smith.[4][5]

Despite her very unhappy marriage and her periods of

absence, Bettye Jean was a source of inspiration and
strength to her son Chris. She encouraged Gardner to
believe in himself and sowed the seeds of self-reliance in
him. Gardner quotes her as saying, You can only depend
on yourself. The cavalry ain't coming.[7] Gardner also
determined from his early experiences that alcoholism,
domestic abuse, child abuse, illiteracy, fear and powerlessness were all things he wanted to avoid in the future.[3]

2 Early adulthood
The late 1960s and early 1970s was a time of political
and musical awakening for Gardner. He developed a
deep sense of black pride, as he became familiar with
the works of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and
Eldridge Cleaver. His world view expanded beyond the
African American experience; he learned of historical
events such as the Sharpeville massacre, and as a result
became increasingly aware of apartheid in South Africa
and international racial issues.[2] Gardner learned to play
the trumpet and he enjoyed listening to music by Sly
Stone, Buddy Miles, James Brown and his all-time favorite, Miles Davis.

Early years

Gardner was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 9, 1954 to Thomas Turner and Bettye Jean Gardner. He was the second child born to Bettye Jean. His
older half-sister, Ophelia, is from a previous union. His
younger siblings, Sharon and Kimberly, are children from
his mothers marriage to Freddie Triplett.

Inspired by his Uncle Henrys worldwide adventures in

the U.S. Navy, Gardner decided to enlist when he nished
secondary schooling. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune
in North Carolina for four years, where he was assigned as
a corpsman. He became acquainted with a decorated San
Francisco cardiac surgeon, Dr. Robert Ellis, who oered
Gardner a position assisting him with innovative clinical
research at the University of California Medical Center
and Veterans Administration Hospital in San Francisco.
Gardner accepted the position, and moved to San Francisco upon his discharge from the Navy in 1974. Over
the course of two years, he learned how to manage a laboratory and to perform various surgical techniques. By
While in foster care, Gardner rst became acquainted 1976, he had been given full responsibility for a laborawith his three maternal uncles: Archibald, Willie, and tory and had co-authored several articles with Dr. Ellis
Henry. Of the three, Henry had the most profound inu- that were published in medical journals.[2]
Gardner did not have many positive male role models as a
child, as his father was living in Louisiana during his birth,
and his stepfather was physically abusive to his mother
and his siblings. Tripletts rages made Gardner and his
sisters constantly afraid.[3] In one incident, Bettye Jean
was falsely imprisoned when Triplett reported her to the
authorities for welfare fraud; the children were placed in
foster care. When Gardner was eight years old, he and his
sisters returned to foster care a second time when their
mother, unbeknownst to them, was convicted of trying
to kill Triplett by burning down the house while he was
inside.[3][6]

4 FATHERHOOD AND HOMELESSNESS

Marriage and troubles

met with managers.[2]

On June 18, 1977, Chris Gardner married Sherry Dyson,

a Virginia native and an educational expert in mathematics. With his knowledge, experience and contacts within
the medical eld, it appeared Gardner had his medical career plans laid out before him. However, with ten years
of medical training ahead of him and with changes in
health care just on the horizon, he realized that the medical profession would be vastly dierent by the time he
could practice medicine. Gardner was advised to consider more lucrative career options; a few days before his
26th birthday, he informed his wife, Sherry, of his plans
to abandon his dreams of becoming a doctor.[2]

It appeared that Gardner got his break when he was accepted into a training program at E.F. Hutton. He subsequently quit his sales job so that he could dedicate his
time exclusively to training as a stockbroker. Then he appeared at the oce ready to work, only to discover that
his hiring manager had been red the week before. To
make matters worse, Gardners relationship with Jackie
was falling apart. She accused him of beating heran
accusation that Gardner denies to this dayand left him,
taking their son with her to the East Coast. He was taken
to jail and a judge ordered that he stay there, for ten days,
as punishment for being unable to pay $1,200 in parking
tickets.[4]

His relationship with Sherry was detached, in part because of his decision to abandon a medical career and
also due to dierences in their behavior. While still living with Sherry, he began an aair with a dental student
named Jackie Medina, and she became pregnant with his
child only a few months into the aair. After three years
of marriage to Sherry, he left her to move in with Jackie
and to prepare for fatherhood. Nine years elapsed before
he and Sherry were legally divorced in 1986.[2]

Gardner returned home from jail to nd his apartment

empty. With no experience, no college education, virtually no connections, and with the same casual outt he
had been wearing on the day he was taken into custody,
Gardner gained a position in Dean Witter Reynolds stock
brokerage training program. However, this oered no
salary; apart from selling medical equipment that brought
in 300-400 dollars a month in the early 1980s, and with
no savings, he was unable to meet his living expenses.[2]

Their son, Christopher Jarrett Medina Gardner Jr., was

born on January 28, 1981. Gardner worked as a research
lab assistant at UCSF and at the Veterans Hospital after
leaving the service. His position as a research lab assistant
paid only about $8,000 a year, which was not enough for
him to support a live-in girlfriend and a child. After four
years, he quit these jobs and doubled his salary by taking
a job as a medical equipment salesman.[8]

4 Fatherhood and homelessness

Gardner worked to become a top trainee at Dean Witter Reynolds. He arrived at the oce early and stayed
late each day, persistently making calls to prospective
clients with his goal being 200 calls per day. His perseverance paid o when, in 1982, Gardner passed his Series
7 Exam on the rst try and became a full employee of the
rm. Eventually, Gardner was recruited by Bear Stearns
& Company in San Francisco.

Prompted by his sons inquiries about his own father,

Gardner had previously been able to track down his biological father via telephone. With a higher income from
his new job, Gardner was able to save enough money to
travel to Monroe, Louisiana, where he and his son met About four months after Jackie disappeared with their
Turner for the rst time.[2]
son, she returned and left him with Gardner. By then, he
was earning a small salary and was able to aord roomGardner returned to San Francisco determined to succeed
at business. A pivotal moment in his life occurred, after ing in a ophouse. He willingly accepted sole custody of
his child; however, the rooming house where he lived did
a sales call to a San Francisco General Hospital, when he
encountered an impeccably-dressed man in a red Ferrari. not allow children. Although he was gainfully employed,
Gardner and his son secretly struggled with homelessness
Curious, Gardner asked the man about his career. The
man told him he was a stockbroker and, from that mo- while he saved money for a rental house in Berkeley.
ment on, Gardners career path was decided.[7] Eventually, Gardner bought a Ferrari of his own from Michael
Jordan.[3] The Illinois license plate of Gardners black
Ferrari reads NOT MJ.
The stockbroker in the red Ferrari was a man named Bob
Bridges. He met with Gardner and gave him an introduction to the world of nance. Bridges organized meetings between Gardner and branch managers at the major
stock brokerage rms that oered training programs
such as Merrill Lynch, Paine Webber, E.F. Hutton, Dean
Witter Reynolds and Smith Barney. For the following
two months, Gardner cancelled or postponed his sales appointments and his car amassed parking tickets while he

Meanwhile, none of Gardners co-workers knew that he

and his son were homeless in the Tenderloin District of
San Francisco for nearly a year. Gardner often scrambled
to place his child in daycare, stood in soup kitchens and
slept wherever he and his son could nd safetyin his
oce after hours, at ophouses, motels, parks, airports,
on public transport and even in a locked bathroom at a
BART station.[1]
Concerned for Chris Jr.s well-being, Gardner asked
Reverend Cecil Williams to allow them to stay at the
Glide Memorial United Methodist Churchs shelter for
homeless women, now known as The Cecil Williams
Glide Community House. Williams agreed without

3
hesitation.[2] Today, when asked what he remembers
about being homeless, Christopher Gardner, Jr. recalls I
couldn't tell you that we were homeless, I just knew that
we were always having to go. So, if anything, I remember
us just moving, always moving.

National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI).[4] He is also a board

member of the National Education Foundation and sponsors two annual education awards: the National Education Associations National Educational Support Personnel
Award and the American Federation of Teachers Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel Award.[4]

In 2002, Gardner received the Father of the Year Award

from the NFI. Since then, Gardner also had the honor
of receiving the 25th Annual Humanitarian Award and
the 2006 Friends of Africa Award, presented by the Los
Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women (LAIn 1987, Gardner established the brokerage rm, Gardner CAAW) and by the Continental Africa Chamber of ComRich & Co, in Chicago, Illinois, an institutional broker- merce, respectively.[4]
age rm specializing in the execution of debt, equity and
derivative products transactions for some of the nations In 2008, he spoke at his daughters graduation from
largest institutions, public pension plans and unions.[4] Hampton University.
His new company was started in his small Presidential
Towers apartment, with start-up capital of $10,000 and
a single piece of furniture: a wooden desk that doubled 7 In popular culture
as the family dinner table.[9] Gardner reportedly owns 75
percent of his stock brokerage rm with the rest owned by
a hedge fund. He chose the name Gardner Rich for the 7.1 The Pursuit of Happyness
company because he considers Marc Rich, the commodities trader pardoned by former president Bill Clinton in Gardner realized his story had Hollywood potential afto an interview he
2001, one of the most successful futures traders in the ter an overwhelming national response
[11]
did
with
20/20
in
January
2002.
He
published his au[7]
world.
tobiography on May 23, 2006, before becoming an asAfter Gardner sold his small stake in Gardner Rich in a sociate producer of the major motion picture The Pursuit
multi-million dollar deal in 2006, he became CEO and of Happyness, directed by Gabriele Muccino and released
founder of Christopher Gardner International Holdings, by Columbia Pictures on December 15, 2006.[4] The unwith oces in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.[4] usual spelling of the lms title comes from a sign GardDuring a visit to South Africa to observe elections around ner saw when he was homeless. In the lm, happiness
the time of the 10th anniversary of the end of apartheid, is misspelled (as happyness) outside the daycare facility
Gardner met with Nelson Mandela to discuss possible in- Gardners son attends.
vestment in South African emerging markets as indicated
in his 2006 autobiography. Gardner is reportedly devel- The movie, starring Will Smith, Thandie Newton and
oping an investment venture with South Africa that will Smiths son Jaden Smith, focused on Gardners nearly
create hundreds of jobs and introduce millions in foreign one-year struggle with homelessness. The movie grossed
currency into the nation. Gardner has declined to disclose $163 million domestically at the box oce and over $300
million worldwide, making it one of Will Smiths condetails of the project citing securities laws.[10]
secutive $100 million blockbusters. As a result it earned
Will Smith an Academy Award-Nomination for Best Actor. The movie took some liberties with Gardners true
6 Philanthropic initiatives
life story. Certain details and events that actually took
place over the span of several years were compressed
Gardner is a philanthropist who sponsors many charita- into a relatively short time and although eight-year-old
ble organizations, primarily the Cara Program and the Jaden portrayed Chris Jr. as a ve year-old, Gardners
Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Fran- son was just a toddler at the time. Chris Gardner reportcisco, where he and his son received desperately needed edly thought Smithan actor best known for his perforshelter.[4] He has helped fund a $50 million project in San mances in action movieswas miscast to play him. HowFrancisco that creates low-income housing and opportu- ever, he said his daughter Jacintha set him straight by
nities for employment in the area of the city where he was saying, If Smith can play Muhammad Ali, he can play
once homeless.[1] As well as oering monetary support, you!"[12] Gardner makes a cameo appearance in the lm,
Gardner donates clothing and shoes. He makes himself walking past Will and Jaden in the nal scene. Gardner
available for permanent job placement assistance, career and Will acknowledge each other; Will then looks back
counselling and comprehensive job training for the home- at Gardner walking away as his son proceeds to tell him
knock knock jokes.
less population and at-risk communities in Chicago.[4]

Career as a stockbroker and entrepreneur

Dedicated to the well-being of children through positive In the hope Gardners story would inspire the downpaternal involvement, Gardner serves on the board of the trodden citizens of Chattanooga, Tennessee to achieve

11

nancial independence and to take greater responsibility for the welfare of their families, the mayor of Chattanooga organized a viewing of the lm for the citys
homeless.[13] Gardner himself felt that it was imperative
to share his story for the sake of its widespread social issues. When I talk about alcoholism in the household,
domestic violence, child abuse, illiteracy, and all of those
issuesthose are universal issues; those are not just conned to ZIP codes, he said.[1]

EXTERNAL LINKS

[6] Barber, Andrew (2006-12/2007-1). Christopher Gardner. aTrader. Retrieved 2007-10-20. Check date values
in: |date= (help)
[7] Yang, Jia Lynn (2006-09-15). "'Happiness for sale: Hes
gone from homeless single dad to successful stockbroker.. CNN Money. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
[8] Chris Gardner has pursued happiness, from the Glide soup
kitchen to the big screen

Gardner was noticeably absent from the movies premiere [9] Konkol, Mark J. (2006-12-15). "'Jesus loves me. He only
likes you'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
on December 15, 2006. He chose, instead, to be the guest
inspirational speaker at a Christmas party for JHT Hold- [10] Costantinou, Marianne (2005-10-10). Chris Gardner
ings, Inc., in Kenosha, Wisconsin.[14]
has pursued happiness, from the Glide soup kitchen to the

7.2

big screen. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 201007-14.

Other appearances

Gardner was featured in the Canadian documentary Come

on Down: Searching for the American Dream (2004),[15]
where he spoke about the American Dream at his oce in
downtown Chicago. The documentary also featured Bob
Barker and Hunter S. Thompson.
Gardner was a keynote speaker at a National Agents Alliance NAA Leadership Conference in 2011.[16][17]

[11] Zwecker, Bill (2003-07-17). Theres a Wayand

Maybe a Willfor Gardner Story. Chicago Sun-Times.
p. Pg. 36.
[12] Indo-Asian News Service (2006-12-14). Christopher
Gardner unimpressed with Will Smith. Newswire (HT
Media Ltd.). pp. 102 words.
[13] The Associated Press State & Local Wire (2006-12-15).
News briefs from around Tennessee. AP Newswire. pp.
788 words.

Gardner also made a cameo appearance in the 2008 comedy lm The Promotion, where he played a community [14] AP sta (December 24, 2006). Man Who Inspired B.O.
leader.[18]
Hit Skips Opening. Associated Press. Retrieved 201007-14.

[15] Manifestation Television Inc

Bibliography

[16] Andy and Chris Gardner Make Time for Success. http:
//www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2011-07-11.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in Getting from
Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (2009)

[18] Chris Gardner Media - Videos

See also

11 External links

Rags to riches

10

[17] Chris Gardner Wants to Pack NAA 2011 Leadership

Conference. http://www.youtube.com. Retrieved 201107-07.

Chris Gardner ocial website

References

Biographical article about Chris Gardner

[1] Gandossy, Taylor (December 17, 2006). From sleeping

on the streets to Wall Street. CNN. Retrieved 2010-0714.

Chris Gardner Interview

[2] Gardner, Chris (2006). The Pursuit of Happyness. Amistad. ISBN 978-0-06-074487-8.

Interview with Chris on The Businessmakers Radio

Show

[3] Oprah Winfrey (2006-12-14). The Oprah Winfrey Show

(TV Show). Chicago, Il.

Ocial Publisher Web Site

[4] Christopher Gardner: The Ocial Site.

2010-07-14.

The Pursuit of Happyness Motion Picture Ocial

Website

Retrieved

[5] The Pursuit of Happyness. Sony. December 2006. Retrieved 2010-07-14.

Gardner Rich Ocial Website

Lessons from the Chris Gardner story

12
12.1

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Chris Gardner Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris%20Gardner?oldid=636134850 Contributors: NathanBeach, Kwertii, Ixfd64,

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