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 Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1932.

Career

In the 1930s Gardner worked as a labor organizer for the

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Gardner went to work building boats in a Marblehead boat shop and during

Gardner worked in a boat yard in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

. From 1969 to 1995 Gardner was Associate Curator of Small Craft at

Mystic Seaport Museum Mystic Seaport Museum or Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, Connecticut is the largest maritime museum in the United States. It is notable for its collection of sailing ships and boats and for the re-creation of the craf ...

, 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 Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends ...

, in 1995.

Publications

* 1970 ''Woodenboats to Build and Use'' Mystic Seaport Museum (January 1, 1970) * 1977 ''Building Classic Small Craft (vol.1)'' International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press * 1984 ''More Building Classic Small Craft, ''which is a re-issue of ''Building Classic Small Craft (vol.2)'' * 1987 ''Dory Book.'' Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic Connecticut. * 1993 ''Classic Small Craft You Can Build and Use'' Mystic Seaport Museum Inc (July 1993) * 1996 ''Building Classic Small Craft: Complete Plans and Instructions for Building 47 Boats.'' Includes ''Building Classic Small Craft (vol.1)'' & ''More Building Classic Small Craft''.

Obituaries

NY Times:''
John Gardner 90 Boat Curator at Mystic Seaport Museum Dies

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, John 1905 births 1995 deaths American boat builders Congress of Industrial Organizations people Trade unionists from Massachusetts People from Marblehead, Massachusetts People from Calais, Maine Teachers College, Columbia University alumni University of Maine at Machias alumni