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Dave MacPherson is
shown in Monticello, Utah, on July
12, 2005, in this photo provided by his wife, Wanda Mcpherson.
(AP Photo/Wanda
McPherson) | |
Dave MacPherson may have been the first paying
guest at Disneyland when the theme park opened its gates 50 years ago, but
he didn't even have time for one ride. In a hurry to get back to campus
for a college class, he instead visited a restroom after spending hours in
line and left without as much as a souvenir.
Still, the honor of being the first paid admission came with a
special perk: a lifetime pass
for four to Disneyland and other Disney parks as they opened.
"I was the most popular guy at the college," said MacPherson, now 72, a
retired journalist living in Monticello, Utah, about 240 miles southeast
of Salt Lake City.
He's taken full advantage of it scores of times, especially when he
lived in California. Usage dwindled after he moved to Kansas City, Mo., to
work for newspapers and radio.
But being closer to California has made it more useful, and he last
made the trip a year ago with his wife, Wanda. He receives a VIP renewal
every January.
In 1955, MacPherson was watching televised coverage of the opening of
Disneyland for the media and invited guests on July 17, 1955, a day before
the park opened to the public.
"I said, 'Boy, I sure would like to go out there,'" said MacPherson,
who figured he might draw a prize for standing first in line.
He drove his Simplex motorbike to Anaheim, arriving shortly before 1
a.m. to take his place in line an hour before anyone else showed up.
The crowd steadily grew overnight to about 6,000 people, and MacPherson
made sure no one got in front of him. When the admission booth opened, a
photographer for the Long Beach Press-Telegram captured him buying the
first ticket.
Looking at the photo years later, he realized he had his own camera but
didn't use it.
"Why didn't I shoot some pictures?" he wonders. "I even forgot to ask
Walt (Disney) for his autograph. I must have been balmy or something
after staying up all night."
(Agencies) |
50年前，当迪斯尼主题公园首次对外开放时，戴夫·麦克弗森可能是第一位买票入园的游客。但是，当时他连在公园转一圈的时间都没有。在排队苦苦等候了几个小时之后，他才进入公园，去了一趟公共厕所，就急急忙忙的赶回大学校园去上课。他走时甚至连一件像样的纪念品都没买。
尽管如此，这位第一位自己买票进入迪斯尼乐园的游客还是享有一些特殊的优惠：在他的一生中，他随时都可以免费游览迪斯尼乐园和其他迪斯尼公园，而且每次都可以免费获得四张门票。
“在大学里，我可是最受欢迎的人，”麦克弗森说。现年72岁的他是一位退休记者，住在犹它州的蒙蒂塞洛。这个小城位于盐湖城的东南方，相距约240英里。
他充分利用了自己的这一“特权”，曾多次光顾迪斯尼乐园，特别是他住在加利福尼亚时。后来，他搬到密苏里州的堪萨斯市为报纸和电台工作后，使用“特权”的次数才慢慢减少了。
不过，因为他住得离加利福尼亚州很近，这个特权就变得相当有用。他最近一次游览迪斯尼乐园是去年和妻子旺达一起去的。每年一月，他都会收到一张续签过的贵宾卡。
1955年7月17日，就在迪斯尼乐园对公众开放的前一天，迪斯尼邀请媒体和贵宾参加了乐园的开幕仪式。麦克弗森正好看到了相关的电视报道。
“我说，‘好家伙，我肯定得去逛逛，’”麦克弗森说。他想如果排在最前面的话，可能会得到点奖品。
他骑上自己的那辆新普利斯摩托车驶往阿纳海姆，不到凌晨一点就已到了那里，开始排队。直到一个小时之后，其他人才陆续出现。
一晚上，人数逐渐增多，最后约有6000人排队等候。麦克弗森始终排在第一位，没有人排在他的前面。当售票亭打开门卖票的时候，一名《长滩电讯日报》的摄影记者捕捉到了他购买第一张公园门票的镜头。
多年以后，当他看到这张照片的时候，他意识到自己当时也带着相机，却没用上。
“我怎么就没拍些照片呢？”他百思不得其解。“我甚至忘了向沃尔特·迪斯尼索要签名。肯定是因为站了一晚上累坏了，我当时变得稀里糊涂的，也许就是这样。”
（中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2005-07-20 10:14
