For anyone who bashes, seriously and honestly consider if you could have done better. The Florida project sat idle after Walt died. For nearly 50 years, Walt--and Walt alone--headed up every major project in the company. He was the only true big time decision-maker at Disney. Suddenly he's gone, and the company is paralyzed, with many thinking that the Florida land should just be sold off. It was people like Marty who justified the Board of Directors' decision to go forward with the biggest project yet that the company had undertaken. In Florida. In swampland. With people constantly second-guessing, "Would Walt do it this way?" In-fighting was reportedly tremendous, and would not have been possible to overcome if Roy wouldn't have been the legitimate heir to Walt in every facet of the project. Marty Sklar was right there, planning, solving problems, and (perhaps most importantly) making sure that Magic Kingdom was unique and something more than a replica of Disneyland. Success was anything but assured, but he worked ridiculously long hours under constant pressures and second-guessers, getting it done.
Then there's Epcot, a park like no other before that time, and an unfortunate compromise to the ultimate city of tomorrow that Walt had wanted (and which was not possible). Roy was gone, and Marty and the gang had to blaze that frontier trail without a "Disney" in indisputable control. He succeeded tremendously, even with naysayers and gripers finding fault every step along that way too.
When we're young, we think we can conquer the world. Then we mature, and see our limitations, or just plain wimp out or get lazy. Marty didn't go that route. He was a true adult who held on to his dreams and did great things for the boss that he assuredly mourned every day of his life after he died. I dare say that few of us will do anything nearly as great, and we certainly will not do so while staying a little bit of a child in the process.
No statue has ever been put up for a critic, but Marty may get one some day. I met him, I have a picture of him with my son and me sitting on my desk right now, and I can truly say that I have had a brush with greatness at the Sunshine Seasons Food Fair.
