Chris Gardner

Chris Gardner got married to a mathematics expert, Sherry Dyson, on June 18, 1977. However, the marriage proved to be tumultuous, especially after the young man decided he could not pursue a medical career.

While still married, he had an affair with a young girl named Jackie, who got pregnant within a few months. He soon moved in with Jackie after leaving his wife, and was blessed with a baby boy, Christopher Jarrett Medina Gardner Jr. in 1981. He also has a daughter, Jacintha, who was born four years later.

Soon, Chris' relationship with Jackie too fell apart, and she accused him of having physically tortured her. Though, the entrepreneur denies the allegations, he did have to face imprisonment, and separation from his son for a few months.

Chris was born to Bettye Jean Gardner and Thomas Turner on February 9, 1954, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has a stepsister, Ophelia, from his mother's earlier marriage, and two half-siblings, Kimberly and Sharon, from Bettye's third husband, Freddie Triplett.

The young children had a harsh childhood, with instances of separation from their mother, when Bettye was falsely accused of crimes by the violent Triplett. However, it was Chris' mother who was his inspiration behind his success, motivating him to be independent and confident, in spite of all troubles.

During the late 1960s, Gardner was influenced by political figures like Eldridge Cleaver, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X.

On finishing school, Gardner took his Uncle Henry's advice and joined the United States Navy, serving at North Carolina's 'Camp Lejeune', for a term of four years.

It was here that he met Robert Ellis, a renowned heart surgeon, who suggested that Chris join the research team at San Francisco's 'University of California Medical Center and Veterans Administration Hospital'. In 1974, the young man quit the Navy, and took up the position of a clinical research assistant in the hospital.

Within a span of two years, Gardner had proved that he was ready for taking up a bigger position, and in 1976, he became the in-charge for a laboratory, along with writing medical articles with Ellis. This job however did not pay well enough, and with a family to look after, he was forced to start working as a salesman for medical equipment.

On one occasion, he saw a well-dressed man driving a Ferrari, and was curious to know what career he pursued. When Gardner came to know that the man, Bob Bridges, was a stockbroker, he was inspired to do the same job. Bridges trained him and also opened up a world of opportunities for the young salesman.

He tried his luck at numerous stockbroker training firms 'Dean Witter Reynolds', 'Paine Webber', 'Smith Barney', 'Merrill Lynch', and 'E.F. Hutton'. He got into 'Hutton', and stopped working as a salesman in order to pursue his training as a stockbroker. However, by the time he joined, his recruiter had quit and Gardner was back to square one.

This renowned stockbroker-entrepreneur is known for his firm, 'Gardner Rich & Co', which started out small, but grew into a business worth millions of dollars. The name “Rich” was chosen because the proprietor of the company highly admired the famous businessman, Marc Rich.