While visiting the Magic Kingdom, few guests spend considerable time on Main Street, U.S.A. Some may stop at the Main Street Bakery for a quick breakfast on their way to their favorite ride, sit on the curb waiting for the afternoon parade to begin, or peruse the wonderful stores at the end of a long day for the perfect souvenir. However, when taking into account the length of the average visit to the Magic Kingdom, only a very small percentage of it is spent touring Main Street, U.S.A.
Some of the most often missed aspects of Main Street, U.S.A. are the windows above shops and restaurants that are dedicated to great Cast Members throughout the history of Walt Disney World. One such set of windows is above Uptown Jewelers, a collectibles shop featuring jewelry, figurines, watches, a wonderful selection of pins and much more.
The windows on the left read:
The Main Street Diary
“True Tales of Inspiration”
Lee A. Cockerell
Editor-in-Chief
This window honors Lee Cockerell, former senior Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World Resort. Before joining The Walt Disney Company to open the Euro Disney Resort project (currently Disneyland Resort Paris), Mr. Cockerell spent eight years with Hilton Hotels and seventeen years with the Marriott Corporation. After three years in Paris, he was transferred to Walt Disney World where he was responsible for the operations of twenty resort hotels, four theme parks, two water parks, a shopping and entertainment village and a sports and recreation complex (not to mention a team of 40,000 Cast Members!).
In 1995, drawing upon his life in the hospitality industry, Mr. Cockerell wrote the Disney Great Leader Strategies. It is these common sense strategies that became the foundation for the curriculum at the Disney Institute, a primary resource for developing leaders at Walt Disney World and corporations from around the world alike.
The writing on the window also makes mention of The Main Street Diary, a weekly newsletter created by Mr. Cockerell distributed to Cast Members. The Main Street Diary includes letters from guests about Magical Moments they experienced, reminders to Cast Members, safety messages, and much more. Since Mr. Cockerell’s retirement, the newsletter has been published by current senior Vice President of Operations, Ms. Erin Wallace.
The windows on the right read:
Partners in Planning
B. Laval & Associates
“What We Build Together Can Last Forever”
This window is dedicated to Bruce Laval, a long time Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts Cast Member. Throughout his lengthy career with WDWP&R, Mr. Laval has held a number of positions, including: Manager of Industrial Engineering, Director for Administration/Planning in the Florida branch of Walt Disney Imagineering, Vice President of Disney-MGM Studios and Executive Vice President of Operations Planning and Development for WDWP&R.
Of all of Mr. Laval’s wonderful accomplishments, he is perhaps best known for his development of Disney’s FASTPASS® service. For those unfamiliar with Disney’s FASTPASS®, it is a no-cost, virtual queuing system that allows guests to avoid standby long lines at attractions on which the system is installed, freeing them to enjoy other areas of the park during their wait. Thanks to Mr. Laval’s design and execution of this system, instead of spending several hours in attraction queues, guests are now able to enjoy many, if not all, of a park’s attractions during their visit.
By decorating Main Street, U.S.A.’s windows with dedications to former and current Cast Members, Walt Disney World once again shares a fantastic story with its guests: the history The Walt Disney Company.
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