John Gardner (1905–1995) born in Calais, Maine, USA; was a historian of water craft, a writer, a labor organizer, and a designer and builder of wooden boats.
Education.
Gardner graduated from Calais Academy, Maine, in the class of 1923; he studied to be a teacher at Machias Normal School, Maine; and obtained a Master's Degree from The Teacher's College at Columbia University in 1932.
Career.
In the 1930s Gardner worked as a labor organizer for the Congress of Industrial Organizations. During World War II Gardner went to work building boats in a Marblehead boat shop and during World War II Gardner worked in a boat yard in Quincy, Massachusetts. From 1969 to 1995 Gardner was Associate Curator of Small Craft at Mystic Seaport Museum, Connecticut. He was technical editor of "National Fisherman" magazine. Gardner was called the "Dean of American Small Craft" and the father of the modern wooden boat revival. His work in marine history and in analyzing traditional boat designs preserved many classic small craft designs from being lost. Gardner also popularized many small boat designs that had been unique to a certain town or region by making plans available and offering commentary on their attributes. He worked tirelessly to show that traditional working small craft could be readily adapted to pleasure use, starting a trend among small boat aficionados which endures today. He is honored by the Traditional Small Craft Association through its John Gardner Fund.
Death.
Gardner died in Marblehead, Massachusetts, in 1995.
Obituaries.
NY Times: John Gardner 90 Boat Curator at Mystic Seaport Museum Dies
References.
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