Sad news from the Disney Gallery:

Our beloved Gallery storyteller, Beverly, has decided to retire from her post. Her last day will be March 3, 2003 (3-3-03, she engineered it that way). She was fighting off an illness of some kind. She will be missed, not just by the cast, but by the many annual passholders and day-trippers who make it a point in their trips to come up to see Bev. Some have known her for many years, and introduced their children to Bev. Like Rod Miller, she is a Disneyland legend in every sense of the word.

There is an effort going on, as far as I’ve heard, to give Bev a window in the Gallery, or on Main Street. Also, the cast members are hoping to give her a huge send-off. They want everybody to come, former cast members, APs, friends, etc. I’ll let you know when I have a definitive date.

Beverly will be working the first few days of the Pirates of the Caribbean exhibit in March. So, if people can’t make the celebration, they can still say “good-bye” when they say “hello” to the new exhibit.

Beverly is a really wonderful old lady and was extremely nice to Tammy and I in the only interaction we’d ever had with her. She took us backstage at the Gallery and showed us the room that was to one day be Walt’s grandchildren’s bedroom.

It wasn’t much to look at, but she noticed us peeking at the door and then went out of her way to show us a room that we always wondered about. She loved her job and did it a lot better than some of the other cast members who’ve worked at the park in recent years.

Tammy and I will probably be stopping by to drop off a card before she leaves.

It’s tough when one of the good ones leaves!