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Robert E. Gard (July 3, 1910 – December 7, 1992) was an American ??? Describe the subject's nationality and profession(s) in which the subject is most notable. Provide a description of the subject's major contributions in the immediately relevant field(s) of notable expertise. Robert Gard published dozens of books and essays. Some of the most notable include The Arts in the Small Community (1969), Grassroots Theater : a search for regional arts in America (1955), and The Romance of Wisconsin Place Names (1968).

Several additional titles were released under the author name Gwen Kimball, which was the pen name for collaborations between Robert Gard, Maryo Gard Ewell, and Rebecca Herb.

Biography
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Early life
Robert E. Gard was born at Iola, Kansas on July 3, 1910.

Education
He was educated at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, and at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Academic Work
While at Cornell, he helped to found, with Professor Alexander M. Drummond, the New York State Playwriting Project which encouraged anyone from Upstate New York to create plays, believing that such plays could be more compelling than many of the scripts on the current market; Gard assisted countless hopeful playwrights to envision, write, and produce their plays.

In 1945 he received an offer to join the faculty of the University of Wisconsin. Gard often cited Wisconsin Progressive Governor Robert M. LaFollette and University of Wisconsin President Charles Van Hise who together, in the very early 2th century, conceived the “Wisconsin Idea”– which encouraged the University faculty and extension outreach personnel to help fulfill the talents of everyone in the state – whether they could get to the campus or not. Gard named his program the Wisconsin Idea Theatre – a cultural program for the whole state which included providing access to the finest of arts to all of the people, and encouraging all of the people to write about things that mattered to them.

In 1948 he established the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association. He remained as director of Arts Development until, at age 70, he retired from all administrative duties. He helped to found the first Wisconsin Arts Foundation and Council and was the first president of the Council, which is said to have been one of the first official state arts councils in America. He founded the National Community theatre Center in 1958 and conducted a national survey of the American Community Theatre in 1957-1958 for the Rockefeller Foundation. Gard was elected as a Fulbright Research Scholar to Finland in 1959, where he conducted the first study ever made of the role of the Finnish Playwright in the Finnish Theatre. He was a United States State Department specialist in theatre arts, attended World Theatre gatherings, and was an international adviser to different countries on the arts. He established the nationally known Rhinelander School of Arts in 1964, the Wisconsin Institute of Nationalities in 1966. In 1967 he established the functional area of Arts Development in the College of Agriculture under University Extension.

In the same year, he received the first large grant made by the National Endowment for the Arts for work with smaller communities, which resulted in the national publication of the “The Arts in the Small Community: A National Plan”, also known as “the Windmill Book.”

In October, 1992, Gard was invited by Cornell University to address a conference on grassroots theater; he thus returned to the place where his ideas were first formulated to make his final address.



Expanded description
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Death and afterward
Robert E. Gard passed away on December 7, 1992. [If applicable] Legacy If any, describe. See Charles Darwin for example.

Philosophical and/or political views
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Published works
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Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

 * Honored Author of Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Library Association
 * Kansas Theatre Hall of Honor
 * Pabst award for service to nationality groups
 * award from University Extension for Distinguished Service
 * Governor’s citation for creativity
 * many citations of merit from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin
 * Governor’s Award for Creativity in the Arts, 1967
 * major citation from the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters
 * President of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, 1977
 * Member and Honoree of the Finnish National Academy of Sciences and Letters
 * Honor Award from the University of Kansas
 * National Chairman of Fulbright Theatre Committee
 * Distinguished Service Award, Wisconsin Theatre Association
 * Honorary Member, Wisconsin Regional Writers
 * Honorary Member, Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets