Dave MacPherson won’t be at Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. He wasn’t invited, even though he holds lifetime privileges to Disney parks and a special honor: “First Paying Guest.”
MacPherson, 72, will mark Sunday’s celebration in Anaheim, Calif., from 750 miles away at his southern Utah home, but he holds no grudge and proclaims himself Disneyland’s biggest fan.
“The first of 515 million visitors,” the retired journalist said with pride by phone from Monticello, Utah.
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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. Workers still were putting finishing touches on the park and testing jungle noises on speakers.
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.
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Turning around to campus for a class, MacPherson didn’t have time for even one ride. Instead, he visited the restroom and left without as much as a souvenir. A few weeks later his mail produced a lifetime pass for four to Disneyland and other Disney parks as they opened.