During this time, Jackie returned and left their son with him. He was also earning a small salary and living in a small apartment. After getting out of prison, he gained an unpaid position in Dean Witter Reynold’s stock brokerage training program, where he would be selling medical equipment.Ĭhris worked to become the top trainee at his unpaid position, eventually passing a series of exams, becoming a full-fledged employee at the firm, and ultimately getting hired at the Bear Stearns & Company in San Francisco.

Jackie took their son to the other side of the country during this time. Chris was apprehended, but after an identity check on his car, it was revealed that he owed the state $1,200 worth of parking tickets. To keep his son with him, Chris tried to pull him out, but his motion ended up swinging Jackie into a couple of bushes. He quit a sales job to focus on training as a stockbroker however, the hiring manager had been fired the week before he started the career, rendering him completely unemployed.Ĭhris struggled with Jackie after witnessing her attempt to run away with their son. After a series of trial-and-error with some of the jobs he held, it appeared that things were finally looking up for Chris as he got accepted into a training program at E.F.

He met Jackie Medina, with whom he had a son named Christopher Jarrett Gardner Jr. Because of this experience, Chris determined that alcohol abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, and illiteracy were all the things he wanted to avoid in the future.Ĭhris married Sherry Dyson but divorced her nine years later due to irreconcilable differences. Bettye Jean also ended up getting imprisoned because his stepdad falsely reported her for welfare fraud, which led to Chris and his sisters being placed into foster care. On the other hand, his stepfather was physically abusive to the whole family. After separating from his mom, Chris’ dad moved to Louisiana. Growing up, Chris did not have many positive role models.

Chris Gardner was born February 9, 1954, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to parents Thomas Turner and Bettye Jean Gardner.

Chris gardner the pursuit of happyness