2001-02-24 Warner LeRoy Passes.jpg

The man who "created and designed" Great Adventure, Warner LeRoy, passed away in late February of 2001.  Warner LeRoy, in addition to creating Great Adventure, was the son of Mervyn LeRoy, who produced the Wizard of Oz.  LeRoy's most famous and popular creations were two New York restaurants, first opening Maxwell's Plum in the 1960's and Tavern on the Green in the 1970's.  Tavern on the Green went on to become the country's highest grossing restaurant and Great Adventure would become the nation's largest seasonal theme park (in terms of property size and, at one point, attendance).