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Chris Gardner was born in 1954 to Thomas Turner and Bettye Jean Gardner in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Chris didn't have the best upbringing and never had and truly good male role models as a young boy. When he was born his father had moved to New Orleans and his step dad would beat his mother and other siblings. These experiences did however shape his outlook on life into one of not relying on others.

Chris Gardner decided he wanted to see the world and joined the Navy when he was done in high school. He ended up being stationed in North Carolina. He then married Sherry Dyson and began planning on becoming a doctor because of his contacts in the medical field made through the navy. Because of how long the schooling would take he decided against it. His career path turned out to be the wrong one as he was quickly sliding into poverty. He was barely able to keep his apartment. One day he saw a man in a Ferrari and asked what he did. The man told him he was a stock broker and from then on that's what Chris wanted to do. He got himself into an internship at E.F. Hutton. However he wasn't making any money during the training and got arrested for 1200$ in parking tickets and spent a night in jail. When he came home he found his apartment empty and his wife and son gone along with all of his business apparel. He ended up getting the job as a broker and soon branched off and began making his own firm. He now is a motivational speaker and has had a book and movie made about his life experiences. The fact that someone over came so many obstacle in situations where many would and have just given up such as being homeless is its self the American Dream. Being able to move from one class to another and build your own future and career is what makes America special. He is the embodiment of the American dream.