Dr. Alfred Gardner, a renowned wildlife biologist, had a remarkable career as the Curator of North American Mammals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for nearly five decades. A Ph.D. graduate from LSU's Zoology program, Gardner's strong ties to LSU are evident through his generous contributions to the LSU Museum of Natural Science (MNS). Mentored by Dr. George Lowery, MNS's founder, Gardner's doctoral research significantly enhanced MNS's global reputation in biodiversity science. His extensive fieldwork in the Neotropics added nearly 4000 specimens to MNS collections, establishing him as a foundational figure in mammal research and solidifying MNS as a premier resource for biodiversity researchers worldwide.