Born and raised in Augusta, Maine, and later moving to Brooklyn, New York,[3] Gesner was born to H. Mortimer Gesner Jr., and Eleanor Clark Gesner.
He was the composer and lyricist of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," the "good-natured and oft-produced musical based on the "Peanuts" comic strip" created by Charles M. Schulz. "A series of vignettes featuring six of Charles M. Schulz's big-headed characters and a 14-song score, ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' was the breakout hit of 1967, opening at the 179-seat Theater 80 in the East Village and going on to run for nearly 1,600 performances. It spawned six national tours and countless productions at high schools, colleges and community theaters across the country and around the world..." "...Writing in The New York Times, Walter Kerr said Mr. Schulz and the show's creators had accomplished a small miracle by ''opening up one end of his comic strip frame and letting his people out.''
“Gesner - Clark Gesner (1938-2002),” Southwest Harbor Public Library, accessed April 19, 2024, https://swhpl.digitalarchive.us/items/show/11445.Item 15381
