Over the years, I have spent a lot of time talking about Lori and demonstrating how much Lilly takes after her Mom. There are so many things to still talk about to connect those dots, however today, I thought I would tell a little different story. In order to understand the person we know, we need to understand a little about how they became that person. Here is part of that story.
Working in Florida was never something I thought I would do. Then, in the spring of 1991, my college guidance counselor Dr. Watt, suggested that I interview for an internship at Disney World. Dr. Watt was an incredible person and a great advisor. Prior to meeting with her during my sophomore year, I was still unsure of what direction to take in school or for a career. She spent the time to learn who I was as a person and sought out opportunities for me that fit my personality.
Little did Dr. Watt know that when she met with me, that she was going to be one of the most influential people in my life: personally and professionally. I would not have known it either. It started with an internship at WKSE or more likely known to many of you as Kiss 98.5. It was a time when Sam Malone and Maria Todd were owning mornings and Kim Wilde was spinning the All Request Lunch Express. Jim Lynch was the promotions director to whom I was assigned. My start in radio promotions was all because of Dr. Watt. And I loved it. So when Dr. Watt suggested that I interview for the Walt Disney World College Program, I trusted her implicitly.
I qualified for the program in March of my junior year, set to go there the following January. In order to take the internship and still graduate on time, I loaded up with some summer classes and completed my necessary courses by the end of my first semester senior year. The only thing left to graduate, was writing a paper and turning in reports on my experience at Walt Disney World.
Second Semester Senior Year. We loaded up the Chevy Spectrum with everything I would need, which amounted to a bag of clothes, my sound system, some pots and pans and a bag of food and snacks. The housing was provided, furnished apartments and roommates were assigned. The start of the program was training. And not long after that, I was “cast” into the Back Stage Studio Tour.
In some ways it was similar to college. There were tons of students all living in the same complex, all working in some area of the parks, all with nothing to do except work and play. And the play almost always included spending our money back with the company that provided it. There was an incredible energy that came with the youth and creativity that these people all shared. Some dreaming big of life on the other side of college while others were just passing time for a semester before returning to their schools. Friendships were made and clicks were formed. And then I met Lori.
The job was divided into 4 parts. First you were the tour guide. Then you were the driver. Then you worked the cue line. Then you took a break. An endless cycle where nameless, faceless tourists were told if they were sitting to my right, they might get a little wet on this ride. Hold on though, don’t laugh, because all of you on the left, you all might get soaked. Everyone in the rotation had their preference. Some preferred to give the spiel. Others preferred to drive. Some chose to stand in the cue line handing out wait cards. It was important to get on a good rotation with people you liked because if you did, you could sometimes figure out how to skip the parts you didn’t like and get to do more of the parts you did.
For Lori, she preferred to drive. I’m sure I would have preferred to drive too, but when Lori was on my rotation, I was told, by her, that I would be giving the spiel. That meant back to back tours. Spieling first for her and the then my own turn. I didn’t care. I enjoyed giving the tour. But I also learned that I enjoyed giving the tour because she was driving. I later learned that Lori preferred to drive, because she enjoyed listening to me. As I have discussed in other journal entries, Lori often asked me to read to her, both prior to her getting sick and maybe even more so after. I’ve joked about how she didn’t care what I was reading, and maybe wasn’t always even listening, but it didn’t matter to her.
Being friends with Lori was an interesting experience. She always had so much going on that it was amazing that she was able to keep the friendships at all. On any given day or night, you never really knew if Lori would show up or not. Remember, we did not have cell phones back then and the last in-person communication was all you had to go on. Early on, I was trying to get her out. Or at least get her to join me out somewhere. But since getting her to commit to doing something wasn’t in the cards, I turned to inviting her to group outings. At least this way, when she didn’t show up, there were plenty of other friends hanging around. I had very little expectation when a group of friends were going to Hooters one night, and I had asked Lori if she wanted to go. The response, as was most often the case, was a very enthusiastic, a super friendly, over the top excited.... maybe. And we all know what that means.
Later that night, when someone asked if Lori was coming, another friend mentioned that she was not feeling great and likely was not. No surprise to me. I had been getting used to that. The thing is, right when you think you figured Lori out, she finds another way to turn things upside down and keeps you on your toes. She did show up. She happily approached our table well after we had already eaten and came right up to me. “My roommate dropped me off. Can you give me a ride home?”. Hmmmm. Let me think about it. At some point after we were officially dating, it became a joke that our first date was at Hooters, with our friends and she showed up after the meal.
The adventure continued during our time at Disney. We didn’t see each other much, our shifts were often opposite each other, sometimes extra shifts were available late at night or on a scheduled day off. Lori would pick up some, I would pick up others. She also worked a second job at the TV station part time in the news department. With all of the friends we had made, there was always something going on and that something was almost always late at night. So when we did see each other, it was often meeting up to see a friend in a band or going to someones house party or meeting at a bar that had a low or no cover charge. I’m not sure I can recall ever getting together during the day, unless it was to go to the parks with friends or family who would come to visit and we would try to meet up with Lori at some point. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
Although we didn’t see each other much, when we did, we built a great respect for each other, knowing that whenever the next time was, it was always in our future together. There are hundreds of stories about my time, our time, working at Disney and I certainly can’t even think to tell them all, although I’m sure I will stick one in here and there. But what would be most noticeable is the people that we met that instantly became life long friends. There were always lots of people around. There were friends. There were friends of friends. There were roommates and friends. There were tiers of friendships. And our core of friends included Rebecca, Sue, Craig, Lori and Me.
Hanging out at one of our places, or meeting up together at a bar. Sometimes it was all of us. Sometimes just a couple of us. There were others that were around a lot too. I’m thinking of my roommate John, or Rebecca’s roommates, or Allison (who later would marry John). On St Patricks Day, we all gathered at my apartment. We cooked some form of corned beef and cabbage, added our own green coloring to our beer and enjoyed each others company. But it doesn’t become a party until Lori shows up. Probably late. But in hand with all of the necessary party supplies. She brings the themed paper plates, napkins and cups. Green streamers, cut out leprechauns and some crafty pot of gold game that she made up. In her bag I’m sure she brought all of the other necessities that she knew I would likely not have. Like tape or pins, glue gun, string, markers and poster board and a CD with Irish Music. If she would have had a little more money, I’m certain an actual Irish Band might have shown up. The point is that when Lori did show up, you absolutely knew she was there. But don’t blink, because you might miss her as she heads off to her next task.
It seemed like every week, someone we knew was having a farewell party as they were leaving the world of Disney. And every week, someone new was coming in. None of us stuck around Disney for too long. A couple years here and there. Most of us went our separate ways once our bank accounts finally dried up and the idea of a successful career at Disney seemed too far off in the distance. Eventually, Craig moved back to Texas. Rebecca to Illinois. Sue to California. Lori back to New Jersey. And Me back to Buffalo. We stayed in touch as much as we could. Some letters. (you know, actual paper and pen). Some phone calls (long distance calls were very expensive).
One of the programs that Disney offered their employees at the time, was when you left, you had the opportunity to come back and work as a temporary employee, in order to maintain your status. If you worked for 3 days during the year, your status continued for another year. The biggest reason to do this was of course, the free access you had to go to any of the parks. Consider it a free season pass. So when our close group of friends began to leave, we could count on seeing each other a couple of times a year. For the cost of a plane ticket, we had somewhere to stay, free admission to the park, and a chance to reunite with our friends. However, after a short period of time, there were no friends left at Disney and no place to stay. So eventually, we stopped seeing each other. And then somehow, we found ourselves back together again for one long weekend.
I’m not sure how many years later this happened. Interestingly enough, I do know that it was about a year and a half after Rebecca’s wedding.
Seven or eight years ago, I wrote here about Lori’s radio show, “Living for Today”. Hosted by Lori with Teresa as the cohost. I discussed the show a lot in that journal entry and years later, I am still learning more. Back when we were living there, I remember wondering how Lori was always so busy when her show was just one hour long. She of course had other work responsibilities, but what could possibly be filling up all of her time? Now, listening to the shows so many years later, you begin to see what was filling Lori’s time.
For a small AM Station, there weren’t a ton of listeners, but Lori knew most of them. When people would call in, Lori recognized the voice and genuinely cared for her fans. She knew who they were, knew who was a part of their family, knew what their hobbies were and knew what they liked and disliked. Her listeners were an extension of her. You would hear Lori say things on the air like “oh, Ruby, thanks for calling, you know what, I need to make some chocolate chip cookies for you”. And later that night, that’s what she would do.
Most of the shows had guests and with every guest, Lori would talk about having been to their business. Usually many times. “I was at your shop last week and I noticed you have .....” Everything Lori did and everywhere Lori would go, somehow became a part of the show. Every dinner she made became a recipe for the show. Every restaurant she went to became a review. Every crafty project she took on became a segment to talk about. All of her family members were incorporated into her show. And so were her friends.
Just like when we were living in Orlando, Lori’s life was busy. Busy with the things that were important to her. While she worked one end of the spectrum, I was off on the other. While I was doing play by play for little league baseball games, Lori was off to somewhere, doing something or making something for someone. When I was spinning music for Tidal Wave Music at party’s, events and weddings, Lori was putting together a baking contest. And round and round it went.
You would think that we would have been spending a lot of time together but that was always impossible with Lori. She had too much life to live. Too many places to go. Too many people to see. Too many crafts to make. And when she finally had time, she would pop in where ever I was, usually late and always with a smile and a story. So when you listen to the shows, you are getting a timeline of what Lori did, where she went, who she saw and what she bought. You realize that Lori was, not intentionally, documenting her life, through the stories she told while Living for Today.
For as busy as she was, she always found time for her family and friends. I know this, because when you listen to her shows, you will hear about trips to see her sisters, or her parents or grandparents, or to see high school or college friends.
Many of you reading this have had your own experiences with Lori. If you listen to enough of the shows, I’m sure she talked about it. It was a year and a half after Rebecca’s wedding when our Disney friends were all reunited for a long weekend. I know pretty much everything we did that weekend, because like many other things, it was the topic of one of Lori’s shows. Not just the topic, but Rebecca, Sue and Craig were her guests. You can listen to the entire show here.
And for other shows, you can listen here.