Chris Gardner Skips The Pursuit of Happyness Opening to Keep Speaking Obligation

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Maybe it was home-state spirit. The man whose rags-to-riches story is told in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness spent its opening night speaking at a company party in Wisconsin.

Michael Riggs, the CEO of JHT Holdings Inc., in Kenosha, said he arranged through a talent agency for Chris Gardner to be the inspirational speaker at the company’s Christmas party on Dec. 15.

But with all the recent attention on Gardner and the new film starring Will Smith, Riggs doubted Gardner would make it, especially because the movie was premiering the same night.

He was wrong.

"He said, ’I could have been in Rome or with the world’s biggest star, Will Smith. But I heard there was a company in Kenosha that had been doing great things, and I’d rather be here with fellow Wisconsinites’," Riggs said.

Gardner, a Milwaukee native, was a homeless, single father in California before becoming a millionaire business executive, the story told in the film based on his autobiography.

He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel his recent fame hasn’t changed him much, and that he still keeps his "day job" heading a Chicago-based brokerage firm.

"I got up this morning and put my pants on the same way and it felt comfortable," Gardner said.

"This all isn’t about me, the movie or the book. This is for us, for everyone who had an opportunity to become negative and decided to go the other way.

"For every father who had to be a mother and every mother who had to be a father, and everyone who had a dream who was told it couldn’t happen."

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Posted on December 24, 2006 at 1:33 pm (PST)

Tags: Will Smith

4 Responses to “Chris Gardner Skips The Pursuit of Happyness Opening to Keep Speaking Obligation”

Ms. Gail Matthews says:
December 31, 2006 at 11:17 pm
I’m so thankful for men like Mr. Gardner. A man who stuck to it when most men would have given up, and walked away from his son. I’m reading his book and it is absolutely wonderful. It took me back to when I was raising my son, after my abusive marrage ended, and I had to raise our son alone, many days not knowing what we would eat, and some days not knowing where we would sleep. There were days when I would feed him, and not eat anything myself just so he wouldn’t go to sleep hungry. the book just takes me back so much and I thank God that he didn’t count it robbery to share his story. No, I’m not rich but I do work with disabled children, and my son works for the Government and helps take care of me. Thank you Mr. Gardner for sharing your story. May you be blessed always.
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me says:
December 26, 2006 at 7:55 am
“This all isn’t about me, the movie or the book. This is for us, for everyone who had an opportunity to become negative and decided to go the other way.
“For every father who had to be a mother and every mother who had to be a father, and everyone who had a dream who was told it couldn’t happen.”
The above quotes are my favorites. All of us could decide to go “the other way” at any time. May God bless Mr. Gardner!
Reply
Brad says:
December 24, 2006 at 7:39 pm
This just shows more of what a great and deserving guy he is. Imagine how great this world would be if everyone, or even most, people were that responsible and upstanding. Cheers to Mr. Gardner
Reply
patty c says:
December 24, 2006 at 5:32 pm
God bless him. Now that’s a story to be proud of
Reply