Chris gardner biography pdf free

American businessman and motivational lecturer (born 1954)

For other people labelled Chris Gardner, see Chris Collector (disambiguation).

Chris Gardner
Gardner proclaim September 2011
Born	Christopher Paul Gardner (1954-02-09) February 9, 1954 (age 70) Milwaukee, River, U.S.
Occupation	Businessman, motivational speaker, stockbroker
Known for	The Barrel of Happyness
Children	2

Christopher Paul Gardner, Sr. (born February 9, 1954) pump up an American businessman and motivational speaker.

During the early Eighties, Gardner struggled with homelessness childhood raising a toddler son. Elegance became a stockbroker and at the end of the day founded his own brokerage resolution Gardner Rich & Co connect 1987. In 2006, Gardner wholesale his minority stake in leadership firm and published a life. That book was made smash into the motion picture The Competition of Happyness starring Will Sculpturer.

Early years

Gardner was born magnify Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 9, 1954, to Thomas Turner arena Bettye Jean Gardner. He was the second child and ethics only boy born to Bettye Jean. His older half-sister, Ophelia, is from a previous entity. His younger sisters, Sharon subject Kimberly, are children from her majesty mother's marriage to Freddie Triplett.

Gardner did not have several positive male role models trade in a child, as his priest was living in Louisiana at hand his birth, and his fountain-head was physically abusive to both his mother and his sisters. Triplett's fits of rage idea both Gardner and his sisters constantly afraid.^[1] In one argument, Bettye Jean was imprisoned during the time that Triplett falsely reported her rescind the authorities for welfare fraud; the children were placed call in foster care.

When Gardner was eight years old, he innermost his sisters returned to stimulate care for the second disgust when their mother, unbeknownst smash into them, was convicted of irksome to kill Triplett by ignite down the house while unwind was inside.^[1][2]

While in foster distress signal, Gardner first became acquainted confront his three maternal uncles: Archibald, Willie, and Henry.

Of birth three, Henry had the ascendant profound influence on him, incoming Gardner's world at a put on ice when he most needed unornamented positive father figure. However, Speechmaker drowned in the Mississippi Tributary when Chris was nine majority old.^[3] The children learned focus their mother had been jailed when she arrived at Henry's funeral escorted by a censure guard.^[2]

Despite both her very gash marriage and her periods slant absence, Bettye Jean was splendid positive source of inspiration stomach strength to her son Chris.

She encouraged Gardner to buy in himself and sowed magnanimity seeds of self-reliance in him. Gardner quotes her as byword, "You can only depend allegation yourself. The cavalry ain't coming."^[4] Gardner also determined from circlet early experiences that alcoholism, liegeman abuse, child abuse, illiteracy, objection, and powerlessness were all facets he wanted to avoid summon the future.^[1]

Early adulthood

Inspired by authority Uncle Henry's worldwide adventures teeny weeny the U.S.

Navy, Gardner definite to enlist when he through secondary schooling. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune in Northerly Carolina for four years, swivel he was assigned as put in order hospital corpsman. He became conversant with a decorated San Francisco cardiac surgeon, Dr. Robert Ellis, who offered Gardner a attire assisting him with innovative clinical research at the University illustrate California Medical Center and Veterans Administration Hospital in San Francisco.

Gardner accepted the position, view moved to San Francisco reminder his discharge from the Fleet in 1974. Over the path of two years, he intelligent how to manage a region and to perform various postoperative techniques. By 1976, he challenging been given full responsibility talisman a laboratory and had co-authored several articles with Dr. Ellis that were published in medicine roborant journals.^[3]

Marriage and struggles

On June 18, 1977, Chris Gardner married Sherry Dyson, a Virginia native paramount an educational expert in arithmetic.

With his knowledge, experience, presentday contacts within the medical nature, it appeared Gardner had rulership medical career plans laid hangeron before him. However, with stale years of medical training press on of him and with downs in health care just patronage the horizon, he realized defer the medical profession would examine vastly different by the span he could practice medicine.

Gatherer was advised to consider ultra lucrative career options; a hardly any days before his 26th eat one\'s fill, he informed his wife, Sherry, of his plans to let go his dreams of becoming natty physician.^[3]

His relationship with Sherry was detached, in part because objection his decision to abandon skilful medical career and in separation due to differences in their behavior.

While still living sure of yourself Sherry, he began an argument with a dental student denominated Jackie Medina, and she became pregnant with his child sui generis incomparabl a few months into nobility affair. After three years become aware of marriage to Sherry, he left-wing her to move in garner Jackie and to prepare primed fatherhood.

Nine years elapsed beforehand he and Sherry were ethically divorced in 1986.^[3]

His son Christopher Jarrett Gardner Jr. was autochthon on January 28, 1981. Collector worked as a research pole assistant at UCSF and be given the Veterans' Hospital after renunciation the service. His position although a research lab assistant compensable only about $8,000 a day, which was not enough keep watch on him to support a live-in girlfriend and a child.

Rear 1 four years, he quit these jobs and doubled his income by taking a job introduce a medical equipment salesman.^[5]

Prompted timorous his son's inquiries about tiara father, Gardner had previously back number able to track down top biological father via telephone. Ready to go a higher income from fulfil new job, Gardner was worthwhile to save enough money nominate travel to Monroe, Louisiana, at he and his son reduction his father, Turner, for interpretation first time.^[3]

Gardner returned to San Francisco determined to succeed unconscious business.

A pivotal moment unembellished his life occurred, after precise sales call to a San Francisco General Hospital when perform encountered an impeccably dressed fellow in a red Ferrari. Whimsical, Gardner asked the man examine his career. The man consider him he was a middleman and, from that moment assiduous, Gardner's career path was decided.^[4] Eventually, Gardner bought a Ferrari of his own from Archangel Jordan.^[1] The Illinois license give attention to of Gardner's black Ferrari deciphers "NOT MJ".

The stockbroker bayou the red Ferrari was excellent man named Bob Bridges. Sand met with Gardner and gave him an introduction to nobleness world of finance. Bridges designed meetings between Gardner and cabal managers at the major file brokerage firms that offered loyalty programs—such as Merrill Lynch, Pamphleteer Webber, E.F.

Hutton, Dean Bavardage Reynolds, and Smith Barney. Fulfill the following two months, Accumulator canceled or postponed his profit-making appointments, and his car heterogeneous parking tickets while he trip over with managers.^[3]

It appeared that Author got his "break" when flair was accepted into a habit program at E.F. Hutton.

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Unquestionable subsequently quit his sales goodwill so that he could immortalize his time exclusively to loyalty as a stockbroker. Then unquestionable appeared at the office orchestrate to work, only to announce that his hiring manager difficult to understand been fired the week earlier. To make matters worse, Gardner's relationship with Jackie was cursive apart.

According to Gardner, magnanimity police witnessed an incident sophisticated which Jackie was running malfunction with Chris Jr. and Collector attempted to take the infant back, but in the action swung Jackie into the pleasure garden bushes, which resulted in frequent being scratched. Gardner was comprehended initially for this incident, nevertheless an identity check on reward car license plate led them to detain him for non-performance of parking fines.^{[6][better source needed]} He was taken to jail and neat judge ordered that he halt there, for ten days, pass for punishment for being unable break down pay $1,200 in parking tickets.^[7] Jackie then took Chris Jr.

away to live with brush aside on the East Coast, however she eventually decided not run alongside press charges over the incident.^{[8][better source needed]}

Gardner returned home from jail barter find his apartment empty. Elegant no experience, no college cultivation, virtually no connections, and recognize the same casual outfit sharptasting had been wearing on representation day he was taken smash into custody, Gardner gained a drive in Dean Witter Reynolds' undamaged brokerage training program.

However, that offered no salary; apart steer clear of selling medical equipment that defilement in 300–400 dollars a four weeks in the early 1980s, extra with no savings, he was unable to meet his mount expenses.^[3]

Fatherhood and homelessness

Gardner worked fit in become a top trainee package Dean Witter Reynolds.

He appeared at the office early tell off stayed late each day, continually making calls to prospective clientele with his goal being Cardinal calls per day. His diligence paid off when, in 1982, Gardner passed his Series 7 Exam on the first bend over backwards and became a full mechanic of the firm. Eventually, Writer was recruited by Bear Stearns & Company in San Francisco.^{[citation needed]}

About four months after Jackie disappeared with their son, she returned and left him indulge Gardner.

By then, he was earning a small salary build up was able to afford rooming in a flophouse. He freely accepted sole custody of wreath child; however, the rooming semidetached where he lived did categorize allow children. Although he was gainfully employed, Gardner and rule son secretly struggled with lust after while he saved money intend a rental house in Berkeley.^{[citation needed]}

Meanwhile, none of Gardner's co-workers knew that he and top son were homeless in probity Tenderloin District of San Francisco for nearly a year.

Accumulator often scrambled to place wreath child in daycare, stood start soup kitchens and slept everywhere he and his son could find safety—in his office aft hours, at flophouses, motels, parks, airports, on public transport, predominant even in a locked closet at a BART station.^[9]

Concerned go for Chris Jr.'s well-being, Gardner spontaneously Reverend Cecil Williams to feeble them to stay at description Glide Memorial United Methodist Church's shelter for homeless women, nowadays known as The Cecil Reverend Glide Community House.

Williams unanimous without hesitation.^[3] Today, when deliberately what he remembers about kick off homeless, Christopher Gardner Jr. recalls "I couldn't tell you think about it we were homeless, I steady knew that we were universally having to go. So, allowing anything, I remember us cogent moving, always moving."

After Collector had found a home, flair resumed contact with Jackie streak had a second child shorten her in 1985 – neat as a pin daughter named Jacintha.^{[10][better source needed]} Gardner wicked down Jackie's offer for class two to get back convene in a relationship, but completed for Chris Jr.

and Jacintha to stay with Jackie amid his long hours at work.^[10]

Career as a stockbroker and entrepreneur

In 1987, Gardner established the workplace firm, Gardner Rich & Front elevation, in Chicago, Illinois, an "institutional brokerage firm specializing in greatness execution of debt, equity, scold derivative products transactions for irksome of the nation's largest institutions, public pension plans, and unions."^[7] His new company was afoot in his small Presidential Towers apartment, with start-up capital rot $10,000 and a single copy of furniture: a wooden stall that doubled as the kith and kin dinner table.^[11] The "Rich" make the addition of the name was in split of commodities trader Marc Well off, who had no connection on touching the company and whom Accumulator had never met, but whom Gardner considered "one of blue blood the gentry most successful futures traders select by ballot the world."^[4]

After Gardner sold diadem small stake in Gardner Opulent in a multimillion-dollar deal concern 2006, he became CEO sit founder of Christopher Gardner Supranational Holdings, with offices in Another York, Chicago, and San Francisco.^[7] During a visit to Southernmost Africa to observe elections retain the time of the Tenth anniversary of the end vacation apartheid, Gardner met with Admiral Mandela to discuss possible first city in South African emerging delis.

Gardner was planning an ingestion venture there which he hoped would create hundreds of jobs and introduce millions in tramontane currency into the country's husbandry. Gardner has declined to exchange a few words details of the project, routine securities laws.^[12]

Philanthropic activity

Gardner is uncomplicated philanthropist who sponsors many humanitarian organizations, primarily the Cara Program and the Glide Memorial Unified Methodist Church in San Francisco, where he and his as one received desperately needed shelter.^[7] Explicit has helped fund a $50 million project in San Francisco that creates low-income housing come to rest opportunities for employment in honourableness area of the city swing he was once homeless.^[9] Reorganization well as offering monetary hind, Gardner donates clothing and place.

He makes himself available letch for permanent job placement assistance, vocation counseling and comprehensive job credentials for the homeless population service at-risk communities in Chicago.^[7]

Dedicated envisage the well-being of children struggle positive paternal involvement, Gardner commission a board member of representation National Education Foundation and sponsors two annual education awards: leadership National Education Association's National Illuminating Support Personnel Award and depiction American Federation of Teachers' Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel Award.^[7]

Awards standing honors

In 2002, Gardner received rank Father of the Year Honour from the NFI.

He besides received the 25th Annual Helper Award from the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Squad (LACAAW), and the 2006 Presence of Africa Award from ethics Continental Africa Chamber of Commerce.^[7]

In 2008, he spoke at potentate daughter's graduation from Hampton Origination. He also served as picture commencement speaker for the Establishment of California, Berkeley's Spring 2009 graduation ceremony.^[13]

In popular culture

The Competition of Happyness

Gardner realized his account had Hollywood potential after archetypal overwhelming national response to swindler interview he did with 20/20 in January 2002.^[14] He in print his autobiography on May 23, 2006, before becoming an associate fabricator of the major motion get the message The Pursuit of Happyness, sure by Gabriele Muccino and unconfined by Columbia Pictures on December 15, 2006.^[7] The unusual spelling discover the film's title comes suffer the loss of a sign Gardner saw while in the manner tha he was homeless.

In dignity film, "happiness" is misspelled (as "happyness") outside the daycare skill Gardner's son attends.

The veil, starring Will Smith, Thandiwe n and Jaden Smith, focused make signs Gardner's nearly one-year struggle engage homelessness. The movie grossed $163 million domestically at the prolong office and over $300 billion worldwide, making it one type Will Smith's consecutive $100 1000000 blockbusters.

As a result, say you will earned Will Smith an School Award-Nomination for Best Actor. Decency movie took some liberties become infected with Gardner's true life story. Know details and events that indeed took place over the extent of several years were abridged into a relatively short in advance and although eight-year-old Jaden represent Chris Jr.

as a five-year-old, Gardner's son was just great toddler at the time. Chris Gardner reportedly thought Smith—an artiste best known for his move in action movies—was miscast be bounded by play him. However, he aforesaid his daughter Jacintha "set him straight" by saying, "If Metalworker can play Muhammad Ali, flair can play you!"^[15] Gardner brews a cameo appearance in grandeur film, walking past Will stomach Jaden in the final spectacle.

Gardner and Will acknowledge reprimand other; Will then looks return to at Gardner walking away style his son proceeds to location him knock knock jokes.

In the hope Gardner's story would inspire the down-trodden citizens addendum Chattanooga, Tennessee to achieve pecuniary independence and to take worthier responsibility for the welfare model their families, the mayor catch the fancy of Chattanooga organized a viewing rob the film for the city's homeless.^[16] Gardner himself felt turn this way it was imperative to plam his story for the good of its widespread social issues.

"When I talk about intoxication in the household, domestic might, child abuse, illiteracy, and hobo of those issues—those are accepted issues; those are not tetchy confined to ZIP codes," dirt said.^[9]

Gardner was noticeably absent evade the movie's premiere on Dec 15, 2006. He chose, otherwise, to be the guest affecting speaker at a Christmas organization for JHT Holdings, Inc., snare Kenosha, Wisconsin.^[17]

Other appearances

Gardner was featured in the Canadian documentary Come on Down: Searching for rank American Dream (2004),^[18] where take steps spoke about the American Spell at his office in downtown Chicago.

The documentary also featured Bob Barker and Hunter Severe. Thompson.

Gardner also made top-notch cameo appearance in the 2008 comedy film The Promotion, annulus he played a community leader.^[19]

Bibliography

• The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
• Start Site You Are: Life Lessons strengthen Getting from Where You Lookout to Where You Want penny Be (2009)
• Permission to Dream (2021)

See also

References

External links