Alumni Necrology
Gregory William Gardner ’96
Gregory William Gardner ’96, an aspiring actor who turned with success to a career in the field of information technology, was born on May 18, 1974. The son of William L., an attorney, and Melinda Miller Gardner, an orthopedic surgeon, Greg Gardner grew up in Washington, DC, where he was graduated in 1992 from Georgetown Day High School. He had appeared in numerous high school dramatic productions and hoped to find a future career in acting. After a semester at the University of Southern California, he transferred to Hamilton in the spring of 1993. He majored in mathematics and minored in Spanish, and left the College with his diploma in 1996.
Greg Gardner immediately gravitated to New York City, hoping to launch his acting career. While living in Manhattan’s SoHo and pursuing that elusive goal, he waited on tables to make ends meet. By 1998, he found more secure employment with Deltathree Inc., an Internet telecommunications company, also in Manhattan, as a sales engineer. He later moved to Brooklyn Heights, while continuing to work for Deltathree.
Greg Gardner, who reputedly never confronted a computer problem that he could not solve and habitually completed New York Times crossword puzzles in a matter of minutes (and in ink), possessed not only technical skill but wide-ranging knowledge as well. He enjoyed testing his skill in competition, whether in darts or pool, or in puzzle marathons. None of his skills was more highly developed, however, than his ability to make and keep lifelong friends, including many from his days on the Hill.
On September 25, 2010, Greg Gardner was married “in a wonderfully joyous ceremony” to Mary Aileen Zarb. Many of Greg’s Hamilton friends were in attendance. The newlyweds soon took up residence in Washington, DC. There, on May 10, 2011, shortly before his 37th birthday, Gregory W. Gardner died. In addition to his wife and his parents, he is survived by a sister, Laura E. Gardner, all of Washington. The family requested that donations be made to the Epilepsy Foundation in Greg’s memory.
