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109 years ago today, Walt Disney was born. In the 65 years that he was alive, he created some pretty magical things and none greater than the Walt Disney World Resort. But Walt Disney World was just being started when Walt passed away in 1966. The Magic Kingdom and the first two resorts in Walt Disney World didn’t open until 1971. Almost a full five years after Walt’s death. When it did open, the biggest part of Walt’s Florida project, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, wasn’t part of the Walt Disney World Resort yet. EPCOT as it was called wouldn’t open for another 11 years, and when it did it wasn’t what Walt had presented in a video made before he died. Walt’s plan for the Florida project didn’t include A Movie Theme park, or an Animal Kingdom. So, how did these things come about? These other Parks and Resort Hotels, as well as most of the rest of the Walt Disney World complex, were created by wonderful people that understood Walt’s original plan and tweaked it to make it more Magical for many more people. Today, on the 109th anniversary of a visionary’s birth, I give you the Unknown Magic of the people that made Walt Disney World what it is today.

The first of these great people would be Joe Fowler. Joe Fowler was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy who held a naval architect degree from MIT. The Admiral was responsible for “all U.S. Navy work conducted in the West Coast shipyards during WWII.” After retiring in 1948, Walt asked him in 1954 to lead the building of Disneyland. After Walt’s Death, when Disney World was being built, Joe was senior vice president of engineering and construction for the Walt Disney Company he was also the chairman of the board of Walt Disney Imagineering and director of construction for Disney’s Buena Vista Construction Company, which was the company responsible for building the Resorts. The Admiral is honored for his part in the creation of Disney World by having one of the Ferry Boats that carry people from the Ticket and Transportation Center, named after him.

Marty Sklar is another name that many people may have heard of, but may not realize that without him, Epcot wouldn’t be what it is today. Marty Sklar worked as Walt’s Personal writer, when Walt was alive. He would later become President and principal creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering. While in this role, he would oversee the opening of Epcot, Disney/MGM Studios (which is now Disney Hollywood Studios), Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s California Adventure, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, the Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. He was able to make Disney World and the others what they are today, because he learned from Walt himself and has kept Walt’s vision alive.

Another man that usually doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the growth in Florida is Michael Eisner. Many Disney fans see Eisner as someone in Disney’s recent past that almost ruined the company. Before his falling out with the company, though, Michael Eisner was the savior that brought Disney World back to life with a lot of growth. In the early 1990’s while Michael Eisner was the CEO of the Disney Company, Disney announced the Disney Decade. This wasn’t just for new Films and purchases of television rights and companies, it would also include Theme parks being built and expansions to the Walt Disney World Resort. Disney/MGM Studios was opened during Eisner’s time as Disney’s CEO and he was the one who green-lighted the plans for the Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Also during his period in office, Disney opened both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach Water parks. Pleasure Island and eleven Resort Hotels were also opened during this time.

I have written in the past about how Walt’s brother, Roy dedicated the “Florida Project” to Walt by naming it Walt Disney World and if it weren’t for Roy, the Dreams and plans of Walt Disney may not have been realized in Florida, but if it wasn’t for the three men listed above and many other wonderful people, the Walt Disney World Resort wouldn’t be what it is today, The Happiest Place on Earth.

So, now you know, on the anniversary of Walt Disney’s 109th birthday, we can’t just celebrate this great man, but we also have to celebrate the others that carried on his dreams and added their own ideas, that made Walt Disney World what it is today, a place where Magical Experiences happen.

Some of the finer points for this article were found at:
 http://legends.disney.go.com/
and
from Windows on Main Street by Chuck Snyder,