11/14: Three Stories

[Al Lutz]

Jason Schultz, Kevin Livingston and Kevin Yee remember Bruce Gordon, discuss their thoughts here.

[kcnole]

Re: 11/14: Three Stories

What wonderfully moving stories. Imagineering needs more Bruce Gordon's, imagineers who are just fans of the park more so than they are fans of themselves. I didn't know much about Bruce Gordon before this article, but I certainly feel as if I know a part of him now. Thanks for the tribute.

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

Re: 11/14: Three Stories

Thanks for the article, guys. I've always had my own perspective of these events, so it's interesting to get these different takes from the three of you. And I'm glad to see that at least one frame grab of Kevin and Jason chatting with Bruce in the Gallery didn't go missing. (I still can't find my videotape, unfortunately.)

Even though it's been over ten years since I first met all of you through a.d.d. and the Sunday meets at the hub, it seems like only yesterday, looking at these photos and reading your tales about Bruce. We've all been briefly reunited because of Bruce's untimely passing, reliving fond memories of earlier times before the various web sites and discussion boards divided up the larger group. I'm sorry it took something so tragic for that to happen.

Sitting next to my computer monitor is a myJones soda bottle, with Bruce's overzealous mug on the label. For years it's served as a bittersweet reminder of those wonderful times of Diznoid fandom, when common ground between Imagineers like Bruce and David and fans like us weren't galaxies apart, like they are now. Most Imagineers today hold but a modicum of tolerance for the fans, preferring to keep their distance from those individuals they look down upon, believing their socioeconomic position and status to be far above those of the "customers" for whom they supposedly create their latest theme park offerings. I guess I'm supposed to be awe-struck and inspired by their talent, as they most certainly are of themselves. Yeah... good luck on that one.


Anyway... before submitting my post, I'd like to make one final comment, regarding this observation from Jason:

I first met Bruce on March 12, 1998. Like so many other days, I scouted around Tomorrowland with a still and video camera, looking for the minutest of details which may have changed since my last visit. I ventured to the second level of the Starcade (which always offered a good vantage to see behind the construction walls), and then returned to its entrance to photograph the Observatron.

On the Rocket Rods loading platform, I spied somebody I knew, with Bruce Gordon sitting in a Rocket Rod. The next few minutes are a bit of a blur--they spotted me, waved, and then Bruce came down and offered to take me up to the platform to look at the construction. In addition to taking my picture in a Rocket Rod ("It's from Cast Blast, if anyone asks," he told me to say), he took me up to the Observatron platform, where I had a great view of the construction!

So... someone on the platform with Bruce who already knew you, told Bruce who you were? And got him to hike down to where you were, to take you up onto the platform to see the construction progress? That was the individual through whom you met Bruce? And you're not going to tell us who this person was? Kill joy.



Take care, Bruce. We will forever miss your Bruce-ness.

And please watch over our Macs and all things Apple.
:angel:

[WDW1974]

Re: 11/14: Three Stories

As someone who knew Bruce only in passing, I can still see why people would love the guy as he had such a zest ... an enthusiasm for all things Disney and he was a technoid like no other.

I feel kind of sad there are so few posts about him, while the typical mindless drivel threads fill up pages ... but I guess that's an indictment of the fan community as much as anything. Too many 'fans' care and are passionate only about the inconsequential and not the consequential, and don't have the ability to tell the difference.

Kind of like life. No one cares when young athletes are murdered like Sean Taylor was this week. No one cares when peole get turned away from hospitals and dumped in parking lots because they don't have medical insurance, even if they're dying. No one cares that we live in a country where our President has basically torn up our Constitution. No one cares when people in authority positions cross that sexual line with underage children. ... No ... what's important is who won Dancing With the Stars ... or if Lindsay was arrested again ... or who will wind up with Brit's brats.

So I guess we should all go back to talking about whatever inane crap we were, sorry for the interruption.

Just like I'm sorry Bruce isn't here anymore ... or that he won't be able to read these tales from his life.