According to the San Francisco Chronicle:
A memorial service was held Saturday for Ben Gardiner, a gay rights activist, actor, computer enthusiast and longtime fixture in San Francisco's Castro district.
Mr. Gardiner, who died last month of heart failure at the age of 88, was a key player in gay rights and HIV/AIDS issues, friends and family members said. He founded the first computerized AIDS bulletin board system in the nation, served as president of the now-defunct Stonewall Democratic Club, and worked on political campaigns, including those for former Supervisor Harvey Milk.
A recovering addict who was sober for 58 years, Mr. Gardiner was also deeply involved in helping many others struggling with addiction.
Mr. Gardiner was best known around the Castro for his trademark J.C. Penney coveralls and long, white hair and beard. He lived on Noe Street in the Duboce Triangle for nearly four decades and was a fixture on the tree-lined street, where he collapsed and died Jan. 23.
"Harvey (Milk) may have been the mayor of the Castro, but Ben was the unofficial mayor of Noe Street," said his longtime friend Edd Dundas. "Everybody knew him and liked him."
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Mr. Gardiner graduated from Harvard University before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. He went on to cover theater and classical music for the Boston Globe.
Mr. Gardiner had four children with his wife of 10 years. After they were divorced in the early 1950s, he moved to New York, where he was a model and waiter. Over five decades - and as recently as in 2006 - he appeared onstage, on television and in films, often as an extra.
Mr. Gardiner moved to San Francisco in the 1970s and immediately became involved in politics. He served on the board of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association for many years.
Mr. Gardiner moved to San Francisco in the 1970s and immediately became involved in politics. He served on the board of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association for many years.
His work collecting AIDS information on a computerized bulletin board system in the 1980s sparked a deep interest in technology, said his grandson, Joseph Bui. His interest continued as the Internet became popular, and he created a number of Web sites, including one for his neighborhood association and an online bookstore called Sibylline Books.
Mr. Gardiner is survived by three children, Diana Gardiner Bui of Washington, D.C., Francis Gardiner of Waitsfield, Vt., and Peter Gardiner of Moretown, Vt. His daughter Marie Gardiner West was killed in 1977 by a drunken driver. He is also survived by five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
The family suggests contributions to the Alano Club of San Francisco, 1748 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94102, or the GLBT Historical Society, 499 Castro St., San Francisco, CA 94114.
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