Wilford Gardner

Posted on: Jul 02, 2025 at 11:40 AM

Greetings from Wilf Gardner in Texas (or Maine)! I had hoped to attend the East High, Class of 1965 60th reunion on August 23 in Salt Lake City this year. Unfortunately, that day is Mary Jo’s and my 45th Wedding Anniversary and it also falls in the period when our three daughters and their families can visit us in Maine, where Mary Jo’s parents (now deceased) have a camp on a large lake in southern Maine and the summers are much cooler than in Texas. In Maine, we love picking strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries when in season, water skiing, rowing daily in single shells, sailing, swimming, and playing in the sand with grandchildren. There is also an annual Renaissance Faire and a County Fair within walking distance of our camp.
Having just read all posts after the previous reunion I attended, I’m very sorry not to be able to attend this reunion to reconnect with great and noble friends. I hope to share my history with this post.

After a year at MIT, I served a mission in Finland for 2.5 years. After my mission I took the train to Lenningrad (St. Petersburg, Russia) for a week. I had forgotten most of the Russian I learned at East High, and Finnish didn’t help much in Russia. And the Finns worry a lot about their eastern neighbor, having fought them in previous wars to gain independence. I then got a Eurail pass and traveled through many European countries, which included working with my brother in Sweden for a couple of days where he was a missionary. I went to Denmark, then flew to West Berlin and passed through Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin on their “May Day” (like July 4th in USA, but they have a huge military parade). Decades after WWII ended, East Berlin was still in very bad shape with some people living in collapsed buildings. After taking the train and stopping in Vienna Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, and Netherlands, I then flew to Ireland, Scotland, the UK, and back to SLC.

I graduated from MIT (Boston-Cambridge, MA) in Earth and Planetary Sciences in 1972 and Mary Jo Richardson graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. I entered the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) joint program in 1972 and a couple of years later Mary Jo joined the same program. We had the same wonderful advisors both at MIT (Boston) and WHOI (Woods Hole, Cape Cod, MA). We shared offices at both campuses and went on a couple of oceanographic expeditions together in the next couple of years. I earned my PhD in 1978, and Mary Jo earned her PhD in 1980 and we soon got married.

Posted on: Mar 13, 2024 at 2:27 PM

Hi Steve, I’m interested in attending a 60th East High Reunion. Thanks for keeping the ball rolling.
Wilf

Happy Birthday Wilford hope you are having an awesome day.

Posted on: Jul 16, 2023 at 1:44 PM

Happy birthday!??
Glad to know you have made it for another year!
Regards,
Wilf

Posted on: Jul 01, 2023 at 5:26 PM

Happy birthday, Doug. It was great talking with you last year. Cheers, Wilf

Posted on: May 29, 2023 at 4:35 PM

Happy birthday, Mari Lin! Long time no see. Hope all is well with you and yours.
Wilf Gardner

Posted on: May 28, 2023 at 2:42 PM

Happy Birthday Cynthia! Hope all is well with you and yours. Long time no see.
Wilf Gardner

Posted on: Apr 04, 2023 at 11:53 AM

Happy birthday, Jeanne!

Posted on: Nov 02, 2022 at 8:40 PM

I was shocked and saddened when I read Kent Hale's obituary yesterday. Rick Sorensen and Steve Spencer have highlighted some of Kent’s virtues. For many of you, 1965 was the end of your interaction with Kent, other than at the 50 Year Class Reunion. His obituary fills out much of the “rest of his story” very nicely. My interaction continued as he and I went to “Boston” (actually Cambridge) for college; Kent at Harvard and me at MIT. We met together at church each Sunday and were taught by Jeanne Kimball’s amazing older brother, Tony Kimball. After our freshman year we both served missions; Kent in West Germany and me in Finland. We shared letters occasionally during that time. I was out for 2.5 years in Finland, so Kent got a year ahead of me in school. We still saw each other occasionally and I met Jan and saw how happy they were with each other. I stayed in Massachusetts for graduate school in the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program on Cape Cod. I stayed with Kent a time or two in the Boston area when he and Jan had children, and it was very amusing to hear Kent regale his kids with detailed descriptions of memorable plays on the high school gridiron. Starting a few years later when I moved to Columbia University, Kent and I exchanged Christmas letters annually up to 2021, so I got to read extended versions of many of the events mentioned in his obituary. His love of family and desire to help others was front and center in those letters. Rick emphasized Kent’s personal caring about everyone in our class. A great example of that was when the football team met together during the 50-year anniversary, Kent handed out 2-inch circular pins for all players and team support members. I still have mine. The pin has a football resting on the goal line and the individual’s first name and jersey number right below. He had these specially made. I don’t know how he knew the jersey numbers because they were not posted in the Yearbook. He must have saved some programs with names and numbers listed. Kent had a strong and unforgettable personality. He will be missed by his family, me, and by his many high school friends. I wish the best for his family.

Happy Birthday, Barbara!

Happy Birthday, Drew! Welcome to the 3/4 century club. Hope you are staying healthy.

Happy Birthday a few days early! I share your sorrow over the death of our good friend Jim Brinton. We were close in high school but then I went out of state for college. Hope you have a happy three quarter century birthday. ??

Happy Birthday, a few days early!
Wilf

Posted on: Oct 25, 2021 at 4:16 AM

Wilford, happy belated birthday: I’ve been out of the net the last few years taking care of my wife. I now have time to do things we were going to do together. I read about your life and family. I have always been interested in sports and especially track and field and of course triathletes. I noticed your daughters was a world class triathlon competitor, remember watching her complete in Hawaii but didn’t realize who she was because of her maiden name. Found this site about her and that she lived in Cincinnati for a while. I was there in 1967.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/byu-grad-nurse-and-mother-claims-ironman-title-in-hawaii?lang=eng