As you walk down Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland you are passing through the credits for the fantasy movie brought to life that is Walt Disney’s greatest innovation – the Theme Park. These are the names of many of the men and a few of the women who helped make Disneyland what it is today.
It’s hard to think of a more central role to the success of Disneyland than its location in Anaheim. Set adjacent to the I-5 Freeway, then just a dirt road, the land that was to become Disneyland was a series of citrus groves near a small town populated by those with a German heritage. That Buzz Price was able to identify those groves as the eventual population center of Southern California is a testament to his skill and his research capabilities. Price is one of the few to earn a window without ever having worked for the Walt Disney Company as an employee.
About a decade later, Walt called on Price again to identify the right spot for an east coast Magic Kingdom. Price once again hit the nail on the head with his selection of Central Florida for the eventual home to the Magic Kingdom. Overall Price contributed over 150 valuable reports for the Walt Disney Company, including also picking the location for Tokyo Disneyland.
Here’s a quick video of yesterday’s posthumous dedication:
Buzz Price was definitely an overlooked contributor, it’s too bad he died before the company choose to honor him with a window. There are a few more people who I think have been overlooked, chiefly Lillian Disney and Dorothy Redmond. Who would you like to see get the ‘credit’ they deserve?
Dorothea Redmond is already listed on a window at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. It’s above and to the left of Uptown Jewelers on Center Street. The window says Center Street Academy of Fine Art Painting & Sculpture. It also lists Collin Campbell, Herbert Ryman, Blaine Gibson, and Mary Blair.
Did not have that on my list. Would still be nice to have her represented at Walt’s park
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