What was Matthias Gardner like? I am very interested in learning more about him.
I met him when I lived in Las Cruces in the late 80’s. I was a Cubmaster and he did volunteer work for the Boy Scouts. I am guessing he was in his late 80’s at the time. He was very sharp and active in spite of his age.
I made arrangements for him to come talk to all of the kids and their families at our annual banquet as our guest speaker. Needless to say, he made a very lasting impression on everyone. He had a lot of pictures of the “Big E” in battle. You could definately tell he was a ships Captain! I believe he retired from the Navy right after WWII. He explained to the kids that when they left port with the Fleet they knew quite well that they may never come back. His talk was an experience none of us will ever forget!