National Clothesline

A memorial fund to carry on the legacy of Carl Gardner has been established by the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association. Gardner, who worked as a field representative and sales consultant for the Laidlaw Corporation, died in June at the age of 52 after contracting a particularly aggressive form of cancer.

A long-time member of PDCA, he was passionate about upgrading cleaning skills and setting an example of selflessness in good works to benefit others. Cleaners, allied trades and friends have been contributing to the PDCA fund to create a living memorial to carry out his goals. The fund will provide an annual gift to be used for education to increase technical skills or civic projects that promote a positive image of drycleaners.

Among his favorite on-going projects was helping to run the Central Pennsylvania Drycleaners Association’s annual golf outing to benefit the York County Special Olympics. This year’s outing in late September — the 15th annual — was held in his honor. He was a founder of that project, as well as many other charitable events and activities that were operated through drycleaning organizations.

He organized the PDCA Katrina/Salvation Army Relief Fund and led a group of people to Biloxi to personally help reconstruct houses. Through his church, he was active in youth activities and participated in building a school and recreation center in a poor area of Guatemala.

To donate to the fund, make a check to PDCA Carl Gardner Fund and mail to Box 340, Willow Grove, PA 19090.

The Laidlaw Corp. for whom he worked the past 10 years has established The Carl Gardner Laidlaw Scholarship that will send a drycleaning student to the IFI School of Dry Cleaning Technology each year.