As the last original Disneylander to retire in 1997 after 42 years, I have many memories to share. From the day I hired in, to my first day of work and walking down Main Street and seeing Walt Disney in front of the Penny Arcade, to my last day at work and the big fanfare that the Park gave me with the Main Street window dedication.

But probably the most memorable event that I experienced was one in which I almost got fired. Or at least I thought I would be. It all occurred in 1960 at the Tomorrowland Autopia. Back in those days the track did not have the center railing to guide them, so the curbs on each side of the track were constraints. Also, the attraction had two sides, "A" & "B". At the rear of the ride were switch gates for taking the cards on and off of the track to the service garage located in the north service area. When you exited through the switch gates you went down a short hill, past the Submarines ride dry dock, across the steam train railroad tracks and then over to the garage. Now the stage is set for my memorable event.

During the winter the Park was closed on Monday and Tuesday, so Wednesday was a pretty big day. Since I was the foreman on the Tomorrowland Autopia at the time, I came in early to get the attraction ready for opening. Part of that time was to take some of the cars to the garage, fuel the cars, wipe them down, and start up the initial 12 cars on the main track just prior to park opening. We always opened "A" track first since it was easier to operate. When the park opened and the first guests arrived at the attraction, we quickly loaded them into the cars and sent them on their way which was down the initial long roadway that runs on the east side of the ride. Since the crowd was starting to build, I signaled the crew to start up another 12 cars, which were in the storage area known as "the pit".

It was about this time that I realized that I had forgotten to close the switch gates at the rear of the ride leading off the track. Well, after a mad dash of four employees and myself, we arrived at the switches just in time to see the last of the original 12 cars going down the little roadway to the Sub dry dock, out onto the railroad track and beyond. The steam train that was coming up the track had come to a stop, and a few of the cars that were near the dry dock where one of the subs was being repainted. During the next few minutes I worked about as hard as I ever have rounding up the cars and getting them back on the track. Some of the cars had adults in them and they and the kids thought it was great fun. They were the first and only guests to ever take a ride on the Autopia in the service area. Well everything turned out all right, but the word quickly spread once I made my report to my Supervisor, Pete Crimmings, who said "well those things happen." He was probably the best boss I ever had at the Park. Later on in the day, my Manager, Bob Reilly, called me in and gave ma hard time in a joking manner. Needless to say, I took a lot of ribbing at the local watering hole after work.

"Disneyland is dedicated to the hope...that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to the world"
Walt Disney - July, 17,1955

As a child I was physically and socially awkward. I tended to a kid who was teased, and I spent a lot of time by myself. Disneyland represented a place where I could be happy, where I could fit in with other kids. Celebrated there were things I was good at: history, science, music. I could see Abraham Lincoln, take a trip to the moon, or see someone playing the clarinet. I could run around on Tom Sawyer’s island, without worrying about being slower than the other kids. Our annual visits were a time of joy for me.

As I grew up I decided Disneyland was a place for children, and it wasn’t cool to go there anymore. So my parents took us to thrill parks, which I remember as one generic rollercoaster that turned upside down. I didn’t return to Disneyland for almost twenty years.

As I traveled down on the Grad Nite bus I wondered why high schoolers wanted to go to Disneyland. It might be a great place for kids, but I thought they, and I, would be bored. I was surprised at what a good time they had, and amazed by how much the Park had changed. However, I was not that impressed and encouraged the next senior class to go to Magic Mountain .

Fortunately the kids were smarter than I was, and I found myself on another Grad Nite bus. This time there was a show called Fantasmic, and I remember being thrilled and even moved by this spectacle. Later that night I remember sitting in The Plaza Inn, with the castle lit up and people flowing by, and suddenly I felt just "right", like I was home.

Now I couldn’t get enough of Disney. I began to buy Walt Disney biographies, books on animation, books on Imagineering, anything I could to try to understand "Disney Magic". The Grad Nite Trips became special events to me, and I loved every moment in the Park.

Things came full circle the first time I took my children to the Park. Seeing their joy at just being there bought back my childhood emotions about the Park. Disneyland had become "a source of joy and inspiration" just as Walt Disney intended it to be.

May it always be so.