'First of 515 million visitors'

[Blackie Pueblo]

Anniversary:On July 18, 1955, a CSULB student bought the first Disneyland ticket.

By David Rogers
Staff writer

LONG BEACH — A sudden decision David MacPherson made shortly after midnight on July 18, 1955, left an indelible footnote in Disneyland history.
The Cal State Long Beach English major had just watched Disneyland's pre-opening festivities for media and invited guests on TV the night before when he decided to hop on his Simplex motorbike and ride to a "sleepy little farm town."

When he got to Anaheim, the then 22-year-old student found himself first in line for opening day at Disneyland.

"The first of 515 million visitors," he recalled from his current home in Monticello, Utah.

He didn't stay long.

"I was dead tired and up all night. And, oh my goodness, it was very, very hot, and I had to get home to get some rest … because I knew the next day I had to be at a class," he said. "I didn't even go on any rides. I had my camera with me, and I didn't even take any pictures! I didn't realize these pictures would be valuable someday."

A Press-Telegram photographer, however, documented him at the ticket booth buying the first ticket. He's now in the Disneyland archives.

MacPherson had made the trip figuring there was a prize for the first person in line. He figured right.

Several weeks later, he received the first of many complimentary annual passes that also got him on rides without having to buy tickets.

The semi-retired journalist, who worked for the old San Gabriel Valley Daily Tribune and Downey Herald American in the mid-1950s before moving onto newspaper and radio jobs in Kansas City, Mo., won't be at the park when Disneyland celebrates its 50th anniversary today.

He wasn't invited, but said he isn't bitter at all. His memories of that day are enough.

MacPherson recalled arriving at the park at about 1 a.m., listening to technicians testing Jungle Cruise sound effects and chatting with security guards until he started the line at about 2 a.m. when others began arriving.

Some of the thousands that day fainted in the heat, but MacPherson was able to stay cool in the shade of the ticket booth overhang.

MacPherson said he couldn't stay much longer than it took to hear Walt Disney speak near the park's entrance, and to go to the bathroom.

He didn't keep his ticket, and he eventually threw away most of his VIP cards.

"I wish I had kept those cards," he said. "I couldn't believe what people pay for these things."

The CSULB newspaper, the Daily 49er, also ran a story about MacPherson, which "really cemented my reputation as a weirdo," he said.

But his popularity increased after he received his VIP pass, which allowed him and three guests to get into Disneyland. Double dates followed.

"I was the most popular guy at the college," he said of what was then Long Beach State College.

MacPherson, who finished summer school and got his degree later that year, has been living in Utah for about 20 years. He still works as a freelance journalist. His wife, Wanda, is an assistant manager at a motel.

His favorite Disneyland attractions, past and present, include the Submarine Voyage, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Soarin' Over California, which is at Disney's California Adventure Park.

"That Walt Disney, he was a genius," MacPherson said.

By the way, MacPherson paid $1 for that first ticket. Getting in today costs $56.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Blackie Pueblo

[Fantasrick]

That is a great story.