18 Facts About Trevor Gardner

Trevor Gardner was US Assistant Secretary of the Air force for Research and Development during the early 1950s.

Together with Bernard Schriever, the Air Staff's Assistant for Development Planning, Gardner was one of the prime movers of the US ICBM program and was instrumental to the U-2 program.

Trevor Gardner was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 24 August 1915.

Trevor Gardner moved to the United States in 1928 and became a naturalized citizen in 1937.

Trevor Gardner received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Southern California in 1937.

Trevor Gardner returned to the University of Southern California to teach freshman mathematics while obtaining his master's degree in business administration which he was awarded in 1939.

Trevor Gardner was president of Hycon until February 1953 when he became the Secretary of the Air Force's Special Assistant for Research and Development.

Trevor Gardner was asked to lead a committee and implement an economy program to reduce missile development activities.

Trevor Gardner directed the committee to find ways to accelerate the development of the Atlas.

Trevor Gardner indicated that the US could have a rudimentary ICBM by mid-1958 if the program was conducted on a crash basis.

Trevor Gardner viewed this approach as dangerous since the IRBM could drain resources from the ICBM and threaten its early delivery.

Trevor Gardner's fears were realized when President Eisenhower assigned the ICBM and the IRBM "joint" highest national priority.

Trevor Gardner felt betrayed and resigned his position in protest on 10 February 1956.

Trevor Gardner served on the President's Space Task Force Commission to review the nation's space program and chaired the US Air Force Space Task Force.

Trevor Gardner became involved in preventing the use of weapons.

Trevor Gardner played a major role in establishing the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and was named to its General Advisory Commission on 1 March 1962.

At the time of his death on 28 September 1963 in his home in Washington, DC, Trevor Gardner was actively participating in Project Forecast, which was to chart the future course of the Air Force for the next decade.

Trevor Gardner was honored by the US Air Force as an Air Force Space and Missile Pioneer in 1997.