Katie Gardner has been an Old Hollywood enthusiast her entire life, and saw her first MacDonald/Eddy movie (Maytime!) around 2002. She made the transition from major fan (lollll she’s still a major fan, who are we kidding?) to serious researcher on Jeanette, which, any way you slice it, includes Nelson, and their story together, in 2014. She often works in conjunction/cahoots with research partner and friend Angela Messino.

In 2016, she put together the small but mighty coalition known as The JAM Project, and executed the coup of securing the remainder (after many items were sold on eBay) of Jeanette’s estate as well as the holdings of the defunct Jeanette MacDonald International Fan Club. With much gratitude to Lynda Tucker, Mary Lynn Grana, and trusty Angela, all of this material is happily housed in Katie’s home, where the occasional perfectly-timed flicker of lights makes her wonder if old stuff is all that’s there…

The JAM Project has ensured the preservation of rare and priceless MacDonald material via various digitization means, and has provided (and continues to provide!) audiovisual material free of charge to the public. The eventual goal is the marriage of The JAM Project material with the ongoing research, to result in a fresh, modern, human and comprehensive MacDonald biography.

Katie has a lengthy association with Sharon Rich and the Mac/Eddy Club, from her early days as a high-school-aged fan to some current research collaborations, many fun adventures on both coasts of the United States, and being a speaker at Club functions in the 2010s, but she does not currently represent the Club in any official capacity.

Viewpoints expressed on her blog are her own, unless specifically noted.

In Katie’s other life, she’s a horse trainer and riding instructor. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre Performance with a double minor in Writing and History. She lives on a farm in Southwest Virginia.