My latest professional work has been with the Harwich Junior Theatre in Harwich, Wheelock Family Theatre in Boston, the Boston Playwrights' Theatre, Turtle Lane Playhouse in Newton,
Regis College in Weston, Lyric West Theatre in Wellesley, Peabody House Theatre in Somerville,
The Lyric Stage in Boston, and with Centastage and SpeakEasy Stage Company at the Boston
Center for the Arts.
Click here for my Theatre Resume
I was awarded the Independent Reviews of New England 2004 IRNE Award for Best Lighting Design for the production
of Evita at Turtle Lane Playhouse in Newton, Massachusetts. I have had numerous other awards and nominations,
but this award is especially treasured.
Here is a quote from the review in the Cape Cod Times of "The Secret Garden" at Harwich Junior Theatre: "The gorgeous set is first thing you notice about"The Secret Garden", now playing at Harwich Junior Theatre. Jeff
Gardiner's multilevel set design is lush, extensive and proves to be incredibly efficient in allowing the actors to move
from scene to scene, both indoors and outside. And this is before the musical even begins, and before you learn of the
magic to come when the "secret" garden is revealed."
Link to read the full Review: The Secret Garden Review
Here is a link to pictures of some of my designs: Designer Showcase
Theatre is a joy for me. I really love working collaboratively to bring a show to life and watching something that didn't exist yesterday become a reality. The collaborative development process of a theatre production really excites me when it works. You can feel the dynamic energy through the entire performance.
It is a wonderful feeling to be backstage
and see, hear and feel the audience be transported into the play. I know they appreciate the
creativity and hard work that goes into putting up a show.
Another passion of mine is Sailing. I have been sailing since I was about twelve years old. However, due to severe arthritis in my thumb joints I have found sailing to become very difficult. This past Spring I got an very good offer to sell my sailboat. After a lot of consideration I made the difficult decision to sell her. I am sure the couple who bought her are now enjoying sailing her.
I have been a member of the U.S. Power Squadrons since 1965.
I first joined Pequosette Power Squadron in Watertown and then joined Great Blue Hill Power Squadron in 1986 and recently was awarded my gold
wreath as a twenty-five year member of the Great Blue Hill Sail and Power Squadron. I have taught several public boating courses and enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience.
I am currently the publisher of the newsletter for my Power Squadron and publish a 16 page newsletter called, "The View from the Blue" every other month with information and articles for the members.
I also serve on the Executive Board for my Power Squadron and assist in directing the operation and activities of the group.
I have been a member of the Metropolitan Yacht Club in Braintree, Massachusetts, since 1982 and I am now a Life Member of the Club. I really enjoy sailing and the boating life-style.
I am a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Sea Captain with Auxillary Sail and Towing endorsements on my license. I have worked for Boston Harbor Cruises for the past three years. I served for one year aboard Salacia, one of the largest catamaran ferries in the U.S. Salacia carries up to 600 passengers from Long Wharf in Boston to MacMillan Wharf in Provincetown in about 90 minutes. I am currently working as a Captain in the Water Taxi Division operating a Water Taxi throughout Boston Harbor. It is great job and we get a chance to meet many diverse and interesting people from all over the world. I am enjoying my time on the water and learning a lot about how to operate the boats.
I currently own a 1986 Senator 35 Trawler. It is a 30 year old boat, but it has been well cared for over the years and has had many enhancements. I bought her in New Bern, North Carolina, from a couple who had to sell her due to a medical condition that prevented them from using her. In August of 2016, myself and two friends, Rich Terry and Jeff Jackel, brought her to Boston from North Carolina over a two week trip through the Intracoastal Waterway and Long Island Sound.
Here is the link to the Blog about the trip: New Bern to Boston
My most recent sailboat was a Catalina 30 sailboat named "Crackerjack" which I enjoyed sailing in Boston Harbor and throughout Massachusetts Bay. Crackerjack was a comfortable boat and I enjoyed cruising her up and down the New England coast.
Prior to "Crackerjack", my previous boat was a Columbia 29' sailboat named Tranquility which I bought in 1981 and sailed for 25 years. I sailed Tranquility to Nova Scotia, Canada, the coast of Maine, Bermuda, and to the Caribbean and back. From 1985 to 1991 I sailed her on five exciting off-shore passages from Boston to Bermuda. In 1989 I sailed her on a major off-shore passage from Boston to Bermuda and then to St. Croix in U.S. Virgin Islands. I sailed her back from St. Croix to Bermuda and then to Boston the following year.
While Tranquility was moored at the St. Croix Yacht Club after the passage from Boston to St. Croix, hurricane Hugo hit St. Croix and devastated the island
Tranquillity was holed by hitting a piling and ended up on the beach right between a large outcropping of rocks and the St. Croix Yacht Club clubhouse.
It was seven weeks after the hurricane before any planes were allowed to fly into St. Croix. My friend Al Rymsha, whose house on St. Croix had been destroyed by Hugo, and I patched the hole and then hired a barge crane to pick her off the beach and put her in the water. It was really
exciting when the men who ran the crane yelled, "She's a floater," meaning that there were no other holes in the hull.
In February of 1990 I spent 2 weeks sailing Tranquility throughout the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. What a treat!
The following summer I sailed her back to Boston from St. Croix and then sailed her in New England waters
until I sold her to another off-shore adventurer in 2006.
If you're looking for a great
acting coach, call Fran at 781-453-0927.
Fran and I were married on September 9, 2001
Here's a picture of our Wedding Ceremony.
Fran was awarded Best Director in Boston for her productions of Marvin's Room at The Peabody House Theatre and Orpheus Descendingat the Huntington Theatre's Studio 210.
Fran and I collaborated on the production of Marvin's Room at the Peabody House Theatre in Somerville, Massachusetts. This was a wonderful production and touched the hearts of those who saw it.
Here are a few quotes from the reviews:
We also collaborated on an Equity Member's Project production of
Orpheus Descending at the Huntington Theatre's Studio 210 in Boston produced by several members of Actor's Equity. This production was also given rave reviews from the critics.
Fran and I have collaborated on sixteen (16) productions as Director and Designer team and we really enjoy working together.
Two other major productions we created were REX v. WEMMS: The Trial of the Boston Massacre produced by Suffolk Law School and Seductions produced by Poet's Theatre.
REX v. WEMMS: The Trial of the Boston Massacre was a reenactment of the trial of the Boston Massacre. This original production was written by Professor Joe McEttrick of Suffolk Law School. It was first performed for the public in the Great Hall at Fanueil Hall in Boston and then for a select audience at the dedication of the new Suffolk Law School building on Tremont Street in Boston.
The other production was of of three one act plays called Seductions held at the Works Theater in Somerville. The one act plays were: The Lover by Harold Pinter, Twenty-Seven Wagons Full of Cotton by Tennessee Williams and The Marriage Proposal by Anton Chekhov (which was directed by Aiden Parkinson). These were all performed in repertory and needed a single set to support all three productions. Two Interiors and one exterior. Two contemporary era and one classic-style. It was a challenge.
They are a great bunch of kids. They do well in school and keep their parents very busy taking
them to sports and after-school activities. They also keep their grandparents busy trying to
figure out what to get them on their birthdays, Christmas, and other holidays...
Here is a picture of our small family group including Fran's mother and brother and his girlfriend, Lynn, at a recent Birthday Party. Unfortunately, my son's wife, Christine, and her four children were not able
to be there, so, there should be five more to make the picture complete!
This was a wonderful Birthday celebration for me. My wife, Fran, surprised me with a Birthday cruise on a chartered paddle wheel
boat in Plymouth Harbor with the family. It was a tremendous surprise and I had a great time with the kids and especially the Grandkids.
I know that without organizations and philanthropies, such as the Masons, the less
fortunate of the world would suffer even more. The Masons help our children who have
been afflicted by crippling diseases or by accidents.
We need to help our children. They are our future!
I am currently: (as of June 2015)
My Past Masonic Activity includes:
I am an active member of:
YORK RITE
SCOTTISH RITE
SHRINERS
I have always been interested in history and historical events. My interest in Genealogy of our family has resulted in a family tree that goes back to Charlemagne with over 5,000 ancestors and 300+ family branches.
I am a member of the Old Middlesex Chapter of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR) through two of my direct ancestors, David Gardner and his son, Isaac Gardner, who were revolutionary soldiers in the Connecticut militia during the Revolutionary War.
If you or your company is looking for a professional Project or Program Manager with a wealth of experience and the abiltiy to make
significant progress, check out my Business Resume. I have had a wonderful
career in High Tech and administration. I find the work and the people to be challenging and exciting. The most challenging
work is in finding the next great wave of technology.
Prior to taking the position of Grand Secretary for the Masons, I had founded a business as a Home Remodeling Contractor and
Theatre Designer. My home remodeling business was very successful, focussing on Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling,
Additions and Decks. It was keeping me very busy and I enjoyed the work and the creativity. The contracting work also
gave me the flexibility to spend time designing scenery and lighting for the theatre. Theater design has been one of the most
creative outlets that I have had in my life. I felt bad that I had to close my contracting business when I took
the position at the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts because I had built uo a large clientele and had a strong reputation for
quality workmanship. (Business Resume)
Prior to this position at OSF I was the Collaborative Development Program Manager responsible for the
Complex Text Layout (CTL) and the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
Pre-Structured Technology Projects. I managed the development of these two major software implementations that were collaboratively
developed with five major companies overseen by the Open Software Foundation, requiring diplomacy and
skill in managing multiple corporate cultures, diverse people and distributed
development projects across the world.
Because of my success with the projects I had managed, I was asked by the Board of
Directors and President of the Open Software Foundation to be the Project Manager
responsible for the merger of the Open Software Foundation in Cambridge, Mass.,
and X/Open in Reading, England, to form The Open Group. (Business Resume)
Active in the Masons
I am very active with the Masons. I support the
charitable work the Masons do and pitch in to help where ever I can. Both my Grandfathers, James Sargent
Jones and LeRoy Case Gardner, were Masons and active in both the York and Scottish Rite and the Shriners.
BLUE LODGE
History
I enjoyed my work with the Grand Lodge of Masons by researching and working with historical archives and artifacts at the Grand Lodge in Boston and the Scottish Rite Museum of our National Heritage in Lexington.
Sons of the American Revolution
My Business Career
My most recent position was that of the Grand Secretary and Chief Operating Officer
of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts. I consider this job to be the pinnacle of my career. It is very rare
that one can apply all the skills and experience that one has accumulated throughout their
lifetime in a single job. I enjoyed every minute of the work and was excited to get up every morning and know I had place to go where I could make a difference. I enjoyed working with the people at the Grand Lodge and with the Lodges
within the jurisdiction. I was able to work to implement many new and innovative procedures within the Grand Lodge and
between other Grand Lodges throughout the world. I was also able to apply my design and contracting skills to make
significant improvements at the Grand Lodge building turning it into a museum-like showplace. However, the Grand Master
and the Board of Directors had a different vision of the direction of the Grand Lodge, so I decided it was time for
me to focus my skills and expertise on other pursuits in life. (Business Resume)
My last 'High Tech' position was at Comverse Network Systems in Wakefield. I
was the Director of R&D Operations, managing the work flow of a 300 person development organization. As a Director of the Corporation was able to contribute my skills and experience to help the business move smoothly and the development organization operate effectively.
I really enjoyed working with the
people at Comverse. Unfortunately, the economy had not been kind to Comverse and they have had two major downsizings.
I survived the first downsizing, but got caught by the second cut. (Business Resume)
Before Comverse I worked at the Open Software Foundation (OSF) which merged with
X/Open to become The Open Group. My last position was as the Operations Manager for the North American Sales
division responsible for the TeleSales Group and the general operation of the sales organization.
Before coming to The Open Software Foundation I
worked for Kubota Graphics Corporation as a Program Manager. Kubota was a
Japanese owned company based in Santa Clara, California. Kubota was the successor
to Stardent Computer (Ardent+Stellar=Stardent). The flagship system from Stardent
was the Titan, which is still a great graphics engine, designed
specifically to drive pixels and spans. At Kubota I was responsible for the
intercompany relationship and legal agreements with Digital for OSF/1 and our
graphics hardware and software. I was also responsible for the development of an
Alpha based Graphics accelerator sub-system. We then began development of a PC
based Graphics accelerator PCI card. The Kubota Corporation in Japan ended the funding of Kubota
Graphics and we closed the company on August 2nd, 1995. (Business Resume)
Prior to working for Kubota I enjoyed 20
years with Digital Equipment Corporation in a variety of management and individual
contributor roles. I loved working at Digital in the 70's and early 80's.
However, it became very difficult to get anything accomplished in the late 80's because too many projects were being canceled and senior management could not seem to make decisions as to the overall
direction of the company. When they offered a special early retirement package in 1992,
I made the decision to leave Digital to see if there was "life after DEC." (Business Resume)
Contact Information
398 Central Avenue
Needham, MA 02494-1777