![]() ![]() My grandparents were one of 10 families that actually lived on Disney property, because Disney needed a handful of residents in order to incorporate Lake Buena Vista as an actual city back in the early 1970s. They belonged to the “Golden Ears Club,” a group of active Disney retirees. My grandparents worked there until their retirement in the mid-1980s. ![]() My grandmother, Betty Wise, also worked at the Magic Kingdom as one of the executive administrative assistants who helped set up the executive offices. Disney kept a small handful of these master craftsmen and made them full-time Disney employees, and my grandfather was one of the chosen few. Thousands of construction workers were there during the Magic Kingdom construction. Walt Disney had been very particular in the details of everything in the original Disneyland Park in California, and although Disney had already passed away prior to the Magic Kingdom’s opening, the legacy continued. He was a patient perfectionist and meticulous in his craftsmanship. My grandfather, Chet Wise, was a master craftsman and woodworker who handcrafted many of the architectural details of the Magic Kingdom in Orlando during its construction. Valdes told CNN the story of these magical pictures. What she found was a treasure trove: her grandfather had taken dozens of pictures of the Magic Kingdom under construction, often from high above. They lived right by it until Chet Wise died in 2002, so Valdes visited often.Īfter her grandmother died in 2012, Valdes was given a box of pictures that she didn’t examine until she was packing to move last March. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Wise, also worked at the park. Her grandfather, Chester “Chet” Wise, helped build the Disney park starting in 1969 and continued to work there until he retired in the late 1980s. Kelly Wise Valdes didn’t think twice about visiting the Magic Kingdom when she was a child. ![]()
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