There’s something unforgettable in regards to the friendships you make early in your Disney journey, when every part feels new and thrilling. For Steven “Steve” Valkenburg and James “JP” Pryor, that feeling by no means pale. From their very first days working at Disneyland Resort almost 5 many years in the past, the 2 shaped a bond that has solely grown stronger with time and can endure lengthy after their retirement on July 18.
To proceed their custom of celebrating resort milestones collectively, they agreed to stay by means of July 17 to mark the seventieth anniversary of Disneyland Resort earlier than turning of their aprons. For them, it’s greater than a farewell. It’s a full circle second, closing out their chapters on the place the place their friendship all began.
Bonds Constructed from Mentorship
JP’s journey at Disneyland Resort started in 1977 at Plaza Inn in Disneyland park, with Steve becoming a member of a short while later in 1980 at French Market (now often known as Tiana’s Palace) earlier than transferring to Plaza Inn in 1983. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than their friendship blossomed, united by their shared mission for creating happiness for company of all ages.
“We simply loved working with one another, and we each share the identical ardour for why we work right here,” JP recalled. That mutual function has pushed them for the reason that day they stepped by means of the restaurant doorways.
Steve provides, “After I got here to Plaza Inn, I used to be welcomed and felt like I belonged. JP skilled me as a lead, and I acquired a number of the finest coaching [I’ve seen] wherever.” JP spent six months mentoring Steve earlier than he formally grew to become a working lead on the restaurant, educating him every part from sensible expertise to management. This mentorship laid the inspiration for each Steve’s success and their long-lasting friendship.
JP additionally shares the depth of their bond and says, “I take into account you extra of a brother than my actual brothers.” Their friendship has been a relentless all through their time on the resort, and it’ll proceed even into retirement. “I do know we’ll at all times be in one another’s lives,” JP smiled. “Perhaps an excessive amount of,” he added with a chuckle.
Pleasure in Walt’s Imaginative and prescient
Steve and JP take immense pleasure in honoring the reminiscence and unique imaginative and prescient of Walt Disney in every part they do, a lot in order that they’re acknowledged by their fellow forged because the unofficial historians of Plaza Inn.
The restaurant holds a deep sense of historical past, which is one thing Steve and JP typically replicate on whereas working. It first opened because the Purple Wagon Inn on July 17, 1955 – the identical day Disneyland welcomed its very first company – earlier than transitioning into the Plaza Inn in 1965 with a buffeteria-style service. The unique idea, envisioned by Walt Disney, was to create an opulent but reasonably priced eating expertise for households.
Early in Steve’s time on the Plaza Inn, a routine job grew to become certainly one of his fondest recollections – changing refreshments in Walt Disney’s condo above the fireplace station on Primary Avenue, U.S.A.
“After I began, I used to go as much as Walt’s condo about as soon as a month,” he mentioned. Steve described the house as feeling like a hallowed museum, the place the presence of Walt Disney and the legacy he constructed might be felt. “Working within the Plaza advanced meant we had entry to [Walt’s apartment], and that was actually neat.”
Recollections like this join Steve and JP to the roots of the unimaginable historical past of Disneyland and to Walt Disney himself. They remind us that preserving heritage isn’t nearly trying to the previous, however in regards to the care we carry to each element, every single day as a result of Disneyland really is a labor of affection and a supply of happiness for all.
A Legacy of Friendship
Whereas they might not see one another at work every single day anymore, Steve and JP each plan to remain in one another’s lives by persevering with their annual street journeys. They’ve shared numerous unforgettable moments collectively! When requested about their favourite friendship reminiscence, one factor involves thoughts – their street journey in Could 2024 to Marceline, Missouri., the childhood hometown of Walt Disney. Exploring Marceline, they walked the identical streets that after impressed Walt himself. It was a visit that completely captured the spirit of their friendship, affirming their roles as historians in their very own proper.
JP and Steve “recreating” a sketch that Walt Disney as soon as drew on a wall in Marceline, Mo., the city the place he spent a part of his childhood.
Entrance facade of the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Marceline, Mo., from Steve and JP’s journey.
Associates and family members from throughout the resort — and even from Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Paris — gathered for a gaggle picture with Steve and JP throughout their retirement celebration.
JP and Steve pose with their celebratory truffles and posters earlier than handing out slices to their fellow forged members.
Within the morning of their retirement on July 18, the Plaza Inn staff and longtime associates of Steve and JP gathered in The Golden Horseshoe at Disneyland park to have a good time the completion of their Disney Forged Life journey. The forged members who had been lucky to fulfill or work alongside the pair showered them with appreciation and adoration.
As Disneyland Resort celebrates 70 years of making happiness, tales like Steve and JP’s friendship remind us that magic isn’t simply within the experiences – it’s within the individuals who create them with all of their coronary heart. Their friendship, constructed on shared values and a love for making others smile, will dwell on by means of Plaza Inn and forged members throughout the resort for years to return
Congratulations in your retirement, Steve and JP! Thanks for BEING the magic.
