Education
Gartner earned his B.S. in Range Science from the University of Wyoming, Laramie, in 1950. He went on to receive his M.S. in Range Science from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1956, and later completed his Ph.D. in Range Science at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, in 1967.

Work History
He began his career as a Veterans Instructor in Agriculture in Newcastle, Wyoming, from 1950 to 1952. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, he worked as a Junior Specialist (research) at the Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of California, Berkeley, from 1954 to 1955. He then became an Assistant Professor in Range Management at South Dakota State University, Brookings, where he worked from 1956 to 1964. Following this, he served as a Research Assistant in the Plant Science Division at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, from June to September 1967. He then joined Colorado State University, Fort Collins, as an Associate Professor of Range Science for the 1967-1968 academic year. In 1968, he moved to the National College of Business in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he was the Chairman of the Division of General Education until 1969. He then joined the Department of Animal Science at South Dakota State University's Agricultural Research & Extension Center in Rapid City as an Associate Professor of Range Science, a position he held from 1969 to 1975. Since 1975, he has served as the Regional Coordinator for the Society for Range Management and the Old West Regional Commission range resource program.

Organizations
He has been a life member of the Society for Range Management and served as its Director from 1972 to 1975. He was the Vice-President of the South Dakota Section of the Society for Range Management in 1962 and its President in 1963. Since 1970, he has been the Newsletter Editor for the South Dakota Section of the Society for Range Management. Additionally, he is a member of Alpha Zeta (since 1949), Chi Gamma Iota (since 1966), Gamma Sigma Delta (since 1965), and Sigma Xi (since 1965).

Fields of Research
His fields of research competence include plant ecology, fire ecology, range plant physiology, range soils, and range improvement and management.