Richard G. Gardner, PhD

Thinking of you today, Rich, and miss you so much !

I knew Richard through an online community for more than 20 years. He was a big part of my cyberspace friendships. It was clear he was a special person. His passing is a great loss in so many ways and for so many people. Peace be with you Richard.

I will miss Richard terribly. He was my good friend. Gentle and funny, a beautiful spirit and an intense imagination. You may not know he was a gifted sci fi writer, in addition to being a brilliant scientist. Goodbye, my brother.

There will always be a space in my heart for this gentle giant!

Missing our wondering phone calls.

I was among the first graduate students in the Gardner lab, and Rich guided me to successfully earn my PhD in Pharmacology in 2013. When I began graduate school, I was not initially interested in basic research or studying protein quality control. However, I was drawn to Rich's openness and mentoring style, and he eventually had me sold on the awesome power of yeast genetics. Other than a love for science, Rich and I connected over our taste in questionable pop music from the '80s and '90s. My memories of graduate school consist of having intense discussions on ubiquitin and protein chaperones while listening to "Barbie Girl" and "Who let the dogs out?" on shuffle. Every year I looked forward to the Gardner lab holiday party that prominently featured Wham!'s "Last Christmas" and Rich's gold lamé Santa. Rich and I kept in touch for several years after I moved on from grad school, and he fully supported me when I decided to pursue a career in regulatory science. In one of his last emails to me he wrote, "I am happy that you got the FDA position and happy in life. Makes me feel like I did something good." I hope he carried with him the understanding that he did a lot of good for those he mentored, and his remarkable contributions to science will live on. May he rest in peace.

Richard was my dear friend, one of the great lives of my life. We met at Cornell, and we talked for hours about God, the universe, life, science and love. We comforted each other and we became dear friends. Richard was kind, curious, loving and generous. He was also sad for the planet and for our country, but he could also be so hopeful. He struggled so hard. My daughters remember him as a "gentle giant," and he adored them. He shared his world with me, loved my parents and my family, and his absence leaves the world a darker place. His voice brought a smile to my face every time. I miss him so much.

Richard was one of the greatest forces of kindness, love, generosity and curiosity in my life. He was open and real and so present with those he loved. The echoes of his spirit will reverberate within those he loved for the rest of our lives. I will miss you so much, my sweet always friend.

Richard was my first PhD student; he was truly a force of nature. I recall him marching into my office shortly after I was lucky enough for him to join the nascent group. He had an entire list of things he was going to do, and I mean a BIG list. And he did everything on that list and more! He published a crazy number of paper as a grad student, and helped many people accomplish their research goals in the group. A remarkable, focused, driven, brilliant young scientist who went on to do great things on his own path. A sad and cruel loss, way too early for all who knew, loved, and admired him. I am glad we interacted often the past few years, but sad he was taken so early. The picture his Rich (right) and Nathan Bays, another FON who was also part of the first cohort. Success comes from making sure people more talented than you work in your group. That applies here. Goodbye Rich. Godspeed.

My condolences to Rich's family. Rich and I worked in the same field and started our labs more or less at the same time. It was great to have such a friendly "competitor" at the early stage of my career. He was among the first to look at protein quality control beyond ERAD and produced beautiful papers. Rich inspired and pushed our work to make it better and I am very thankful for that. Chatting with him on the phone or at ubiquitin meetings was fun as Rich was always happy to share great suggestions and fun stories. RIP

Beautifully written. Collectively, I would like to send condolences from Rich´s neighbors. He was a kind man, and a presence in our lives for years.

I´m glad to have met you Rich

Rest in Peace Rich.

Glad to have called him a friend. Rest in peace ole friend!