Cast Member Kathy Carter Returns To Complete 50 Years
As Walt Disney World Resort inches its way back toward normal operations, more and more cast members are being called back to work. That’s great news for all, of course, but it is especially sweet for 49-year cast member Kathy Carter, whose goal is to celebrate her own 50 years of magic.
In the Beginning
Ms. Carter’s magical Walt Disney World calling started before she even knew it had. She recalled, to WFTV9 news in Orlando, watching a motorcade of black limousines pass by her Orlando school playground in 1965. One of those limousines was carrying Walt Disney, en route to a governor’s press event announcing “Project Florida”, later named Walt Disney World, and changing the lives of Floridians forever.
Six years later, the Walt Disney World gates opened and high school senior Kathy Carter walked down Main Street.
“When we walked underneath the train station and I saw the castle, I was in tears…I had never seen anything like this before.”
Soon after, a Disney recruiter showed up to host job interviews at Carter’s high school and she knew she couldn’t miss the opportunity.
Career
She made the Disney cut.
Kathy’s first Disney cast member ID card is dated December 15, 1971, the day she started as a server at the Town Square Café, now Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. Thirty years later, she began working in the castle that brought her to tears, as a server at Cinderella’s Royal Table. She told WFTV9,
“That’s just the ultimate dream. I mean, it can’t get any better. I love it.”
Just before the pandemic closure, Carter suffered an injury that moved her to part-time employment, which put her lower on the call-back list of furloughed cast members. She kept her costume pressed and ready, hoping to return in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration later this year.
Return to Work
In case you haven’t heard, Disney likes to make dreams come true…
Kathy Carter will soon return to WDW as a cast member. She posted on social media,
“I am now employed at Walt Disney World once again. New assignment though, I am working at the Caribbean (Beach) resort in quick service. But I am working so I can get my 50 years!”
We couldn’t be more excited for all the cast members returning to work soon, but we definitely have a sweet spot for Kathy for five decades of making magic!
Feature Image: Screen Capture, WFTV9 News
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