I remember as if it were yesterday the first time I heard about the amazing Jim Gardner. I was in the office of the Constitutional Law Quarterly at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco and Lynda had just finished talking with him on the telephone. I recall her telling me with such excitement, pride and definitely love of this wonderful person she had met. Since Lynda has always been a very serious person, I knew that only someone truly remarkable would be able to capture her heart. And I learned later that Jim Gardner was truly extraordinary in every respect -with his utter brilliance, mixed with such an immense curiosity about everything, his probing analysis of complex issues, his amazing facility for languages and his unmatched zest for life - all combined with such gentleness, warmth and laughter. Although he was always truly, the smartest person in the room, he never made others feel inadequate; he was always so gracious and kind. I remember one particular time together, when we were having dinner together at our house in Mirabel, when Jim told us about his thoughts on meeting Lynda. He told us that on meeting Lynda, he imprinted on her “like a duck” and that after meeting Lynda he knew there would never be anyone else for him. It was for both of them, as the French say, le coup de foudre.
Over the years, it was Dennis and my good fortune to be able to spend so many wonderful times with Lynda and Jim in Portland, Ashland, Italy and France. Our very last evening together was in Moderna at the world’s best restaurant! The Gardners always knew how to enjoy life by finding the best that life could offer! We came away from that dinner, as we did every time we were with them, knowing that this was no ordinary couple, but a truly extraordinary team. By their friendship, our lives have been enriched enormously and we will always owe them both a huge debt of gratitude.
We shall miss Jim always but what a gift of so many happy memories he has left those of us who had the good fortune to have him as a friend. Love to you always Lynda. What a terrific choice you both made so many years ago.  Donna and Dennis

From my first meeting with Jim, when he was a 21-year-old Wall Street Journal summer intern (with front page articles in the summer of 1967,) it was crystal clear that Jim was bound for glory. It was also apparent that his extraordinary care for his mother and his siblings marked him apart from many of his careless and carefree classmates at Yale. That was the year that, as Scholar of the House, Jim flew to Paris to interview Jean-Paul Satre.

While most of his college classmates avoided the military draft, the summer of 1968 found Jim in basic training in the United States Army, learning to eat a "meal" in 15 seconds. After his courageous service in Germany, while his law school classmates were free to concentrate on their studies at Yale Law School, Jim was caring for his four younger siblings after their mother's untimely death in 1971, while also racking up an academic record so stellar that it was rewarded by the highest honor accorded recent law graduates, a coveted clerkship at the United States Supreme Court.

His life was only enhanced by his brilliant and loving marriage to the extraordinary Lynda.  In his happy and rewarding later years, Jim continued to write books, represent world-renowned clients and spend his leisure weeks at his and Lynda's glorious villa in the South of France, enjoying the fruits of their labors in a style unimagined by those not fortunate enough to have sampled the wonders of time in timeless Provence.

Some might view Jim's life as epitomized by the title of the 1954 Kingsley Amis novel, "Lucky Jim," but to those who knew him from his youth, there were precious few indicia of luck back then -- except, of course, for his compassion; his love for his family of origin, later extending to the fine family he lovingly created with Lynda; his off-the-charts intelligence, always sheathed in immense modesty; and his exemplary character and moral compass. And...his wonderful sense of humor!

It has been a profound honor and a deep pleasure to have known James Nelson Gardner, and I will be forever grateful that our paths crossed not only in our youth, but continued to do so for the next 54 years. What a blessing his life was to all who knew him. He will live forever in our hearts and minds as an admirable example of all that a great human being can be. No greater man has ever lived than Jim Gardner.

May God bless and grant comfort to Jim's beloved Lynda, as well as to their adored children, Rachel and Joe, and grandchildren, Anza and Elio, and to the sisters and brother he so loved, Dolly, Ruth Louise, Esther, and John -- knowing how much love, joy, tenderness, and beauty they added to Jim's life.

And God bless you, dear Jim, forever and ever.

 Voici ce que Jim est pour nous :

            Un homme passionné et passionnant
Il cultivait l‘amour de la vie et du bien .
A travers ses conférences et ses livres il communiquait les résultats de ses lectures et de ses recherches sur sa vision de l’homme et de
l ‘ univers , sa joie de vivre , pour s ‘ émerveiller toujours plus sur les mystères de notre monde.
N ‘ ayant pas reçu une formation scientifique poussée il n' en était pas moins très averti de l’état actuel de la science en mathématique
comme en astronomie , de l’ infiniment petit à l’ infiniment grand , recherchant les preuves de l ‘ amélioration de la condition humaine.

          Grand voyageur pour des motifs sociaux , politiques ou commerciaux il nous contait merveilleusement ses voyages grâce
à sa prodigieuse mémoire .

         Soucieux de concilier sa vie professionnelle et sa vie familiale
il courait après le temps. Quand il paraissait endormi , car fatigué , il disait « intéressant cela » et « que pensez vous de... » ; il savait
relancer et animer la conversation sur tous les sujets avec humour.

         Un homme passionnant et étonnant : par ses questions il nous poussait à réfléchir sur des problèmes philosophiques ou
métaphysiques.

        Un homme bon et généreux , fidèle en amitié acceptant de nous consacrer du temps malgré nos défauts et notre ignorance.

                    Une nuit de 1987 nous avons été réveillés à deux heures du matin par un appel téléphonique nous sollicitant pour un
échange de maisons à Portland Oregon. Nous avons répondu : « mais où est l Oregon ? »
      Depuis cette fameuse nuit nous nous sommes rencontrés presque chaque année soit aux U S. A soit en France.
            Au nom de cette longue et solide amitié nous te présentons à toi Lynda et à tes enfants toutes nos condoléances.

                                             Très affectueusement.

                                                        Maurice et Michèle.

What can I say about my Uncle that hasn't already been said. Reading all of the tributes to his life is awe inspiring. Now that I think about it, that's what I loved the most about Jimmy, his ability to inspire awe. He warmed the room with his booming laugh, he gave smiles freely, he thought about the things you said and didn't just brush them off, and he loved his family. I have memories reaching as far back as I can remember of Jimmy even though we didn't visit nearly as often as we should. I'm sorry that I won't be able to change that fact now - but I can still live with his memory strong in my mind and live my life in a way that he might respect. Full of passion, full of life, and full of laughter. I respect you highly Uncle Jimmy!

Jim was a kind, caring,loving, happy person.He had the ability to put people at ease from the first moment you met him. Jim was always open, humorous and welcoming. We would always look forward to Jim & Lynda arriving here in Cairanne, France knowing that we would have many lively dinners, stimulating conversations and fun times together. Jim will be sorely missed by all of us. Our thoughts and prayers are with Lynda and the family at this very difficult time. Margaret & Peter Pigeon.

Jim was an excellent lawyer and a great Democrat. I went door-to-door for him during his campaign for the senate. A great loss.

I remember Jim as a brilliant and kind lawyer, a legislator who realized that one didn't have to surrender principles in order to compromise, leading to inevitable progress on social and governmental issues. Many lawyers and lawmakers could learn from Jim's legacy.

 A fine legal mind and an ebullient personality!!

 He was a cheerful, brilliant man with a quick laugh.
 A great pleasure to practice law with him and to exchange
 analytical ideas on complex issues but always see the humor.
 He was courteous professional and much fun to work with and also
  socialize.. He will be greatly missed

(The crib photo is a genius selection in which he'd have been delighted.)

 

Andrew and I are absolutely devastated to learn of Jim's passing. He was absolutely always the smartest guy in the room and generally pretty humble about it. We treasured our dinners and wine tasting with him and Lynda, and our trips to France, even getting to stay with them at their house in Provence, where we've been many times since. Their firm and mine shared clients so getting to work with him and Lynda on advocacy issues was where I learned so much. We can't imagine a world without Jim. Our prayers are with you Lynda, Rachel and Joe and the rest of the family. Godspeed to you. We hope there will be an in-person memorial. XXOOO

Leslie and I are profoundly saddened to learn of Jim’s death. He was a remarkable and wonderful human being who contributed much to the lives of the people who knew him and to the greater community. He is greatly missed. Our love to Lynda and family.

I am so sorry to learn of Jim’s passing. I always looked forward to his sweet smile and easy laugh. I count myself among the lucky that go to know him. All my love to you, Lynda, and to the rest of your family. 

Jim was truly the only renaissance man I ever had the privilege to know, work with, and learn from. His tolerance for us “mere mortals” was remarkable, and he was also fun to be around. 

As Salem lobbyists, we worked together on landmark health care legislation, including Oregon’s Death With Dignity, Genetic Privacy, and Clinical Research laws. We even collaborated to convince the Oregon State Bar that lawyer-lobbyists were engaged in the practice of law, not just in legislative puffery.

When he published his Cosmology book, I had to look up the word to know what he was writing about. I attended his lecture at Powell’s to try to understand it, and I remember the large and eclectic audience it drew. Even after reading the whole work, I grasped only a fragment of what it was all about. That's the kind of stuff Jim did in his “free time”. 

We exchanged New Year’s greetings in 2019, when Jim reminded me of a conversation we’d had in the Capitol years before. He’d told me that “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” And he noted that the observation “ . . . derived from a credo within the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) community that just because we have not yet discovered ETI, that doesn’t mean that ETI does not exist.” 

And that’s just one small way Jim Gardner will be remembered by so many of us in his wide circle of family, friends, and colleagues in Oregon and elsewhere.

Jim will be so missed. His brilliance, institutional memory, his respect for all points of view, his talent for bringing people together. He was a mentor for so many of us. Jody