Eldon J. Gardner was Utah State University's first cancer geneticist. Gardner was born and raised in Logan and he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from USU. Gardner then moved to California, where he studied under distinguished German geneticist Richard Goldschmidt and received his doctorate in zoology from the University of California in 1939. After spending seven years working as a teacher and geneticist in California, Gardner returned to Utah where he began cooperative research into various genetic traits in Utah families. He developed expertise in the study of cancer in Mormon families. In 1949, Gardner Started working at USU, where he dedicated his life to developing programs in genetics and biology. He served many roles at USU including teaching, mentoring graduate students, and serving as the first dean of the College of Science. Gardner was one of the first geneticists to apply his research to the field of medicine. Gardner’s innovative research and its application to the field of medicine helped to begin a movement to understand the genetic basis of disease and to move the healthcare field toward individualized patient care. He was an authority on the study of the genetics of cancer in humans and produced over 300 publications.