Gareth Fitzpatrick

Gareth Fitzpatrick (born 1981) was a student who worked as a security guard, volunteering to work at the Institute for Technological Advancement and Research in San Francisco on 31 December 1999. (PROSE: The Novel of the Film)

Biography
Gareth was born in 1981, and was a mathematics major in college. Alongside his friend David Bailey, he volunteered to guard Professor Wagg's atomic clock on New Years' Eve 1999, both young men hoping to gain a free invitation to the unveiling party in the process. While on duty, he went to cover lobby duty for Sophie Wagg, (PROSE: The Novel of the Film) and allowed Dr. Grace Holloway and the Eighth Doctor entry into the party. (TV: Doctor Who; PROSE: The Novel of the Film) When Sophie returned from the restroom, she promised to thank Gareth with a midnight dance. (PROSE: The Novel of the Film)

He later encountered the Doctor and Grace after the Doctor had stolen a piece from the beryllium atomic clock that was to be unveiled at midnight. The Doctor immediately recognised Gareth and urged him to answer the second question on his midterm exam, because, if he attempted to answer the third question, he would get it wrong. When Gareth demanded to see what was in the Doctor's hand, the Doctor showed him a jelly baby, which Gareth ate as the Doctor and Grace left. (TV: Doctor Who) Though bemused by the encounter, he decided not to pursue the matter and instead went off to dance with Sophie. (PROSE: The Novel of the Film)

In 2009, Gareth headed the seismology unit of the UCMA taskforce and invented a system for accurately predicting earthquakes. As the Doctor would tell Grace, Gareth's system would be credited for saving the human race several times. (TV: Doctor Who)