To those who regularly read legal opinions, Judge Robert Gardner's
writings were a breath of fresh air.
That's because a Gardner decision was light on legalese and often
garnished with a heavy helping of descriptive language.
"He had a unique writing style and was clever with metaphors,"
said William Rylaarsdam, an appellate court justice familiar with
Gardner's work. "He was very to-the-point. His appellate opinions I
consider a model to emulate."
Gardner, whose judicial career spanned seven decades, displayed
the same stylish writing and historical perspective in Daily Pilot
columns and in his two books, "The Art of Body Surfing" and "Bawdy
Balboa."
An avid surfer and history buff known to some as the "mayor of the
beach," Gardner died Saturday in Corona del Mar at the age of 93.
Gardner spent most of his judicial career in the Orange County
Superior Court and the Fourth District Court of Appeal. He also
served a three-year stint as a Samoan chief justice.
If not for an uncle's benevolence, though, Gardner might never
have found himself in the legal profession.
Gardner was born in Washington state and later lived in Wyoming,
where his father worked on the railroad. After opposing a union
strike and receiving subsequent death threats, Gardner's father sent
his 8-year-old son on a train to Balboa, where the boy's aunt lived.
The family had little money, and Gardner worked multiple jobs
while living most of the year in Los Angeles. He attended USC as an
undergraduate and continued his education there when his uncle
offered to pay his way through law school.
"He was quite ambitious," said Nancy Gardner, Robert Gardner's
daughter who founded the Newport Beach chapter of the Surfrider
Foundation. "My dad had come from nothing and was determined to reach
a certain level."
Upon graduation, Robert Gardner moved to Newport Beach, where he
had spent summers working at the Rendezvous Ballroom. In 1942, he
married Kathryn Harris.
Robert Gardner worked as a deputy district attorney and was
appointed as the city of Newport Beach's town judge from 1938 to '41
and from 1945 to '47.
In between those tenures, he served in World War II as a
lieutenant commander for the U.S. Naval Reserve. He traveled aboard
ships throughout the Pacific, monitoring press clippings to ensure no
secret government information was leaked.
Robert Gardner was named to the Orange County Superior Court in
1947.
"He was always very candid," Rylaarsdam said. "He wasn't afraid to
