From the Orlando Sentinel:
Cinderella Castle is fine and all, but when can we enter a contest to sleep up there? Sign me up!Walter's Excellent Adventure
Frank Langley
Special to the Sentinel August 9, 2009
I am sure the story I'm about to tell concerning Walter Cronkite hasn't ever been heard of or read before. It is not earth-shattering; in fact, its essence is its simplicity.
But, isn't that the essence of Walter Cronkite?
I first met Walter in the late 1960s when I did a story about him for my newspaper syndicate in New York.
Shortly after, I was hired by the Disney organization and moved to Florida to represent the still-in-construction, Walt Disney World.
At that time, Walter had a deep interest in space-exploration and often came to Florida to cover launches.
Walter was a Walt Disney fan and often called to see if he could come over and view the construction site. And he did come, several times.
At that time, Walter was as recognizable as any celebrity in America, and we kept our visits quiet.
Walter was enthralled with what he saw of the Disney World possibilities and came back several times to see more. Usually, I booked him in our Contemporary Hotel and one night at dinner, he said: "I have a favor to ask that I am not sure you can do. I don't want to sleep in that plush room you have for me here. I want to sleep in, are you ready, the Swiss Family Treehouse."
The attraction had just been completed, but such a request would be met with an automatic NO, even if the president had asked.
But, to me, the answer was: Don't ask. Just do it.
Walter and I finished our coffee, left the hotel and drove over to the employee entrance, which was also the entrance to Disney World's unbelievable underground employee, transit and operations network.
I was quite familiar with most of the security guards and personnel we encountered, and we had no trouble strolling through the tunnels to Fantasyland. We exited, climbed the stairs and found ourselves facing the tree-limbed stairway that would lead us to our forested beds, a bamboo bed for Walter and the hammock for me.
Whenever I recall Walter, I don't think of his many historic on-air moments. I think of Walter stretching, yawning, waking and smiling as he rises from his bamboo bed and surely his favorite Disney memory.
Frank Langley lives in Winter Park. He worked as a publicist for Walt Disney World from 1970 to 1975.