Meet Roger Broggie Sr
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ss ss sss ss s s s s s s s s s s s s SPRING 2013 s s s s s s s s s 20 s s YEARS s s s s CAROLWOOD PACIFIC s s of s s HISTORICAL SOCIETY s s s s s s 1993 - 2013 s s s s s s s s s s s s s s No. 52 DESIGN: Those Were The Times No.1 - Meet Roger Broggie Sr. WRITTEN BY BOB GURR. POSTED IN BOB GURR, DESIGN: THOSE WERE THE TIMES Today’s Wheel of Years stopped at 1954, so here we go. hortly after I began making design sketches at home for Disneyland’s Autopia Car,S I received an early Saturday morning call; “Gurr, do you draft?” - sleepily “yes” - “come over now,” click. Roger Broggie Sr., manager of the Walt Disney Productions machine shop in Burbank, California had seen my sketches and inside this issue wanted to hire a draftsman. platform 1 Design: those were the Thus began a 20 year association times, no.1 - meet roger with Roger, Walt’s trusted broggie sr. mechanical production guru. platform 2 His first words were certainly welcome aboard short, and remained so those 20 years with few exceptions. He had very little in the way of platform 3 personality, a very brief manner LISTEN TO THE LAND of speaking, and a somewhat cold formal manner, typically dressed in business attire. Almost platform 4 like a Vermonter, Roger would DISNEY DELIVERS LOVE leave folks a bit puzzled since CONT. most Studio people were very Design: those were the friendly. times, no.1 - meet roger broggie sr. I learned later that he was known as the Prince of Darkness platform 5 at Disneyland. But everyone THE MAIL CAR seemed to be quite used to his style, except for Studio visitors. story, usually about Studio He taught me so much about Once time, a very outgoing characters and the goofy stuff Disney history, the special insights platform 6 automotive parts salesman they got away with. Back on the about Walt, and more railroad A WALT’S greeted Roger with a cheery lot, clammed up tight. I told the tales than I could ever understand. WEEKEND GETAWAY hello - Roger stared back shop guys what a wonderful I learned to fully appreciate Walt’s expressionless. “Something I non-stop talker Roger was. unquestioning trust in anything platform 7 said?” Nope, that’s just Roger. “No way kid, no way, Roger Roger would do. Board of governors A few months into building never talks.” The man had a knowledge and view from the cupola equipment for the new Disneyland, Roger asked me Maybe not to them anyway, integrity of the highest to accompany him on some but all the rest of those 20 years, standard - but oh that platform 8 outside business calls. The I loved every minute with him. Vermonter manner! WALT’S BARN moment we drove off the Studio We traveled to San Francisco, SOUVENIR STAND lot, chatterbox! All day as we New York, Chicago, Germany, event calendar made the rounds, story after and many times to Florida. (Continues on Platform 4) platform 1 POPULATION 001955 Tom Urquidez, Glendale, CA Welcome aboard Fred Lack III, Culver City,CA John Fennell, Los Angeles, CA Nathan Eick, Fullerton, CA he Carolwood Pacific Historical Society is Bob and Rita Cisneros, Thousand Oaks, CA t enriched by its many wonderful members. Julie Thomas, Reseda, CA Jennie Hendrickson, Burbank, CA Wayne Crabb, San Gabriel, CA New and Renewing Members since January, 2013 are: David Bogdanchik, Pasadena, CA Debra Turner, Burbank, CA Craig Nies, Nashville, TN Nelson Meacham, Studio City, CA Michael Rashis, Maitland, FL Christie Edinger, Burbank, CA George Davis, Jr. and Trina Hollingshead, Fresno, CA Tim LeGaly, Sherman Oaks, CA John Uzzalino, West Paterson, NJ Greg Pschaida, Fallbrook, CA Ross Irvine, League City, TX Rachelle Allen, Victorville, CA 92394 Blake and Sherolyn Thomas, Kansas City, MO Michelle Mock, Corona, CA Gary and Susanne Cameron, North Stonington, CT The Doug Marsh Family, Irvine, CA Brandon Hess, Bakersfield, CA Larry Walton, Hesperia, CA George Reiser, Windermere, FL Carol Calip, Carlsbad, CA James Garner, Glendale Heights, IL Paul Liu, Glendale, CA Leonard Pihlak, Glendora, CA Jeff Ino, San Jose, CA Mark Cowan, Sacramento, CA Robert Camacho, Santa Cruz, CA Paul Porto, Orlando, FL Stephen and Sharon Hinkel, Oakland, CA Randolph Riscol, New York, NY Lawrence Agin, Los Angeles, CA Christopher and Roseann DelGandio, Somerset, NJ Suzy Mendez, Morgan Hill, CA Alan and Sandy Sadwin, Wantagh, NY G. Miller and Chrissy Smyth, Brielle, NJ Paul Wilcox, Elizabethtown, PA Alan and Donna Wright, Valencia, CA Glenn Lane, Sierra Madre, CA Dean and Lila Severns, San Jose, CA Frank De Losa, Sterling, VA Ashley R. Leaphart, Leewville, SC Randall Boyce, Westland, MI 48185 Michael Scupin, Gainesville, GA Bill Colley, Ignacio, CO Lowell and Carol Regehr, Manhattan, KS Peter Olson, Jenks, OK Stephen and Sharon Hinkel, Oakland, CA Gene and Charlene Roske, Lake View Terrace, CA Linda Deane, Santa Cruz, CA Jerry Opsahl, Shingle Springs, CA Paul and Kathy Thoren, Fairfield, CA Ron Fauset, San Diego, CA Oscar Urrutia, Chatsworth, CA 91311 Richard Todd, Norge, VA Patrick and Helen Lewis, Silverton, OR D J and Amy Sandler, Montebello, CA George Narancic, San Jose, CA Jeffrey and Susan Smith, Castro Valley, CA William Hadley, Denham Springs, LA Van Riley, West Hollywood, CA Robert Filter, La Mirada, CA Lawrence Laden, Minneapolis, MN Rick Boyce, Byron, MI George Crabb, Santa Clara, CA Christopher Murray, Alameda, CA Steven France, Martinez, CA Gary and Mercedes Naumann, Bellville, IL Jeremy Szydlowski, Painesville, OH Bill and Jeannie Allen, Bonsall, CA Richard Hines, Houston, TX Michael Allen, Oceanside, CA Mark Wesley, Placentia, CA Clifford Herbst, New York, NY Catherine Zugar, San Francisco, CA Randall Mitchell, Miami, FL Jack Lester, Montville, OH Robinson Thrower, Reno, NV Anthony and Linda Friscia, Reno, NV Shawna Rosen and David Keith, San Jose, CA Jeffrey Moskowitz, Pasadena, CA Mark Opyd, Oldsmar, FL Dean Paul, San Francisco, CA Michael Bollenbach, Sacramento, CA David Simms, Red Lion, PA Peggy Hamilton, Stockton, CA Arthur Ramos, Celebration, FL Larry Hull, San Jose, CA Susan Smith, Castro Valley, CA Benjamin Shell, Citrus Heights, CA Paul Hicks, Brewster, MA Michael and Jane Welch, Vacaville, CA Larry and Lauren Scott, Menlo Park, CA John Moe II, La Cañada, CA Bill Ralph, Fremont, CA Tom Shafer, Los Gatos, CA Jon Ament, Renton, WA James and Marjorie Hudec, Celebration, FL Lowell and Carol Regehr, Manhattan, KS Janet Joyce, San Jose, CA Robert Barnes, Fresno, CA Anthony and Patricia Mancuso, Trappe, PA Bill and Susan Barbe, Burbank, CA Dan, Sandi and Cameron Butcher, Cleveland, TN Larry and Jenny Boone, Los Angeles, CA James Rohrbach, San Mateo, CA Bill Reyes, Irvine, CA Larry Varblow, Thousand Oaks, CA Welcome New and Renewing Members! platform 2 Listen to by DaviD bogDanchik Continued from Edition 51 riginally, the Harvest Theater housed an 18.5 minute film entitled Symbiosis. Narrated by Jeremy Irons, O this educational presentation viewed man’s relationship with the earth, and the reasons why humans alter their environment. The dikes of Holland were shown, and the terraced agricultural fields of the Philippines. The audience was also pavilion. A new sponsor was cautioned to conserve our brought on the scene, Nestle, planet’s resources, as striking as Food Rocks and Circle shots were shown of sewage of Life were added. Inside being released into waterways, the main atrium colors smoke into the atmosphere, became more vibrant, and and trees being chopped down the Farmers Market was through excessive logging. reimagined as Sunshine A well-presented film with Seasons. Listen to the Land spectacular vistas and was renamed Living with the majestic tone-setting music, Land. The Symphony of the guests were really made Seed and its accompanying to stop and think. song were removed for a more ecological focus featuring a Circle of Life: An Environmental thunderstorm scene, and the Fable came in to replace narration became a recorded Symbiosis. Still impressing a track for portions of the ride. powerful conservation The ride now concluded with message on viewers, this close a collage of people living to 12.5 minute show aims to with the land. interest even the youngest of guests with the antics of It wasn’t long before Timon, Pumba and Simba. another overhaul came to educational, excellent music, The beginning is a live action the pavilion, with a grand a ride for guests of all ages, version of the opening song reopening in 2005. Unlike most and a grand scale! Soarin’ from the acclaimed animated original Epcot attractions, is also indebted to Epcot’s movie The Lion King. Several Living with the Land survived former attraction Horizons for of the scenes were repurposed and continues to please pioneering the breathtaking Attractions disappear and new from Symbiosis, one of guests even today. There are OmniMax screen. It is also ones sprout up in the pavilion’s which has a quirky twist to it. no more live skippers, for the interesting to note that Soarin’ circle of life. Between a richly In the original film, a burning entire narration has been is one of the few attractions detailed and educational boat mountain is shown to automated. Nestle eventually at Epcot to actually exist in ride, one of the most majestic demonstrate how man helps ended pavilion sponsorship, another Park, being essentially flights ever experienced, and nature’s renewal along by but recently Chiquita became the same as Soarin’ Over an impressively powerful film starting controlled burns, the sponsor for the boat ride. California which opened in on the conservation of our whereas in Circle of Life the Both eateries and Circle of Life 2001 with Disney California resources, guests today can same scene is presented also remain.