mayor al

FIRST EMPLOYEE FATALITY ON THE JOB ! Reading the reports of the Cable Cars operations over all these years, I am surprised that no mention is made of the FIRST Fatality I ever saw during Park Operating hours. It happened at the Dream Street Cable Station and the young man who was killed was a Ride Mechanic.. I hope some of you Cable Ride people from the mid-70's will recall the details better than I can at this point, but here is what happened as best as I can recall from the interviews I took down from workers and guests present immediately after the accident. Cable A side was in operation. with a long line waiting to board. A Ride Mechanic was working on the big horizontal wheel of Cable B, Prepping it to go back into service. Someone-Person unknown at the time- ordered the waiting line split to form shorter lines at both Cable A and Cable B - Before the Ride Crew Lead could protest that neither the Crew nor the Ride Mechanic were ready to start Cable B-- the Unknown Person threw the switch that started the big wheel spinning; pulling the CABLE B around and crushing the Ride Mechanic. To make matters worse, his remains came thru the wheel down onto the waiting line of guests and ride operators. It was a horrifing scene that I am sure many who experienced it first hand will never forget. I arrived on the scene within 5 minutes of the first emergency call along with most of the Security Management and ALL of the Safety and EMT Personnel. It happened at about 9PM if memory serves me, and we worked all night interviewing 'victims' of the incident. NO other people were physically injured, but the emotional trama that night was like my worst experiences in RVN 15 years before. I use the term Unknown Person not as a cover-up after 40 years, but because I never knew who it was that made that terrible error in judgement that caused the man his life. Every report I filed after reviewing them and putting together the final Draft for the Director to finish, referred to him as the unknown person. NOW Hopefully some of you "Ride Ops" people can give us the rest of the story. 1977 OR 1978 ??

I worked that nite and recall that Security had the Jackson PD called in several times to haul off rival H S "groups" ( we weren't allowed to call them gangs). Plenty of drunk kids and pot smoking all over the park kept us running all night long. Chuck Cone had recently taken over as the Security Director and he came down hard on the offenders that night. A number of students suffered bruises and 'cuff-marks' as a result of their resisting detention We used one of the Maint. trucks normally used to haul trash and manure from Safari on the night shift, as a detention box for the really rowdy people. It smelled of very old Safari refuse and seemed to distract the "evil-doers" from their original disruptive behavior. By about 4am or so the place was pretty calm as the kids wore out, and headed out to the buses to fall asleep there. I don't recall any more overnighters after that one. Later in my career,1989-2000, I was involved with H S Seniors in SoCal and was a School Chaparone each year at one of the several Disney Grad Nite Activities.. They ran them week nights for the last two weeks in June bringing in a fixed number of high schools each night at 11 PM til 6 AM, Alway some big name entertainment, a very strict dress-code (jacket and ties required) almost Prom-like in atmosphere, No smoking of anything in the Park, very controlled situation, but the kids loved it and the crowds lways seemed to "get along" No team or gang related jackets or colors anywhere. I often wondered about the difference between the two activities,, like two different worlds to be sure. Yet the ethnic mix was very close to the same, so the old sterotypes weren't the causes.

I ordered a copy of the "Images..." book last night from Amazon $16.31 with free shipping (new copy). They had used copies available for as low as $11.00. al Over ten days later my book finally arrived, thanks to the "Two Day Speedy Delivery" Amazon promises to it's "PRIME" subscribers. I won't use FedEx for anything if I don't have to... they wind up dumping it in the US Postal service anyway. Amazon could have saved time and money by using USPS from the start. But I now have a copy of Harry's work. I have two long appointments tomorrow that entail waiting at the doctors office, then later waiting for a neighbors flight to arrive , I will have a couple of uninterrupted hours to review this little gem. Check back in a day or so for my "Book Report" !!

You limited us to 6 Flags choices, so I punched the Magic Mountain Button... However, I stopped going to 6FMM after my first three or four years in SoCal (@1991) and switched to Disney for family entertainment. The reason was the constant incidents of confrontation with gangbanger-wannabes who looked for reasons to play intimidation games with other guests. My real first two choices would be KING's ISLAND and CEDAR POINT the two major theme parks in OHIO. We have visited them several times over the past 20 years and feel they represent the "Best" of what the traditional theme parks are trying to bring to the public. I would rank them above Great Adventure based on the "quality" of the typical daily guest crowd. They are Pleasant places to visit and are also packed with first class coasters and thrill rides. al Currently living near Kentucky Kingdom & Holiday World in Southern Indiana

SINCE IT IS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD Let me respond again to the query about H M F I C as a job title. It is a joke, friends. 40 years ago it was twisted out of street-ethnic slang.. but now, in 2014, I see it on "Morale Patches" velcro'd on soldier's BDU's in plain sight . It does stand for-- HEAD MOTHER FXXXXXR IN CHARGE I wore this with pride , as I found myself often in a position of leadership and responsibility while still working at the same hourly rate as the ordinary officer made. BTW- when I left GA in 1978 after 4 years of fulltime employment I was making $5.45 per hour...not exactly a survival wage. I hope that resolves the HMFIC issue. al

I happened to see a photo in the Employee Manual for 1975 of the Security Director LES MOORE. Even some of my associates from those early years don't remember him. He had the shortest tenure of any of the Security leadership in the history of the Park, to my knowledge. While perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, the inside joke was that he never got out of his car...He drove in Gate 1 spoke to the Officer there about what Gate 1 was in relation to the rest of the Park... then drove to Admin and Gate 2. This is when Secuity was in the long single-wide trailer next to Gate 2 across the driveway from Admin. He looked at the trailer, went into Admin, and left the Park. Most of us did not see him again..although on paper he was the Director for more than a day or two. Some folks don't adapt well to the Life of a Jersey Pine Barren Resident !!! While I have your attention, let's talk about manpower use during the season...since it varied greatly day-to-day based on events and activities scheduled. Let me give sort of a generic day then add any special needs crews to that-- Places that had a full time person assigned 24 hours a day 1. Shift Leader (LT) 2. Asst Shft Ldr (SGT) 3. Radio Dispatcher 4. Motor 1- day shft patrol car 5. Gate 1- Employee entrance and Service entrance road 6. Gate 2- Employee walk-in and Admin entrance 7. Gate 3- Safari Exit and Maint,/Fire Dept/Western Section Access Rd (not on Mid Shift) 8. Gate 4- Access road to Loops and rides on west end. 9-10 Main Gate- 1 or 2 people working the entrance area- 11-12 Western area two officers on foot patrol durin peak hours. 13-14 Fountain-Dolphin-Loops one or two foot patrol during peak hours Motor 2 & 3- additional motor units added during increased work load including ambulance driving One day shift foot patrolman working the Safari Entrance, keeping traffic moving, warning soft-tops of animal damage, and keeping the NJ wildlife from wandering into the area(deer) Day shift we had an officer writing up animal damage claims at the Safari Exit FULL TIME on the weekends Add to that half a dozen plain-clothes "shoplifter catchers" (The record for these folks was 61 arrests in one day in 1977- an arrest was made if the person stole over $100 in merch. Less than $100 and they were were ejected from the Park.) and a special group working with Cash Control dealing with counterfeit currency Add to that an Arena Concert Crew of 8 to 15 Officers depending on the anticipated crowd size. Seldom a dull moment during the operating season at G A in the Security Department.

Yeah it is amazing how the communications and media have changed the whole "incident" reporting situation. In this case- No one who could have prevented his "Leap of Faith" was in a position to either see or do anything to stop him. The guests (and some employees) walking around the Fort, thought that a guy doing a Trick Dive out of the Mine Train into the Pond was part of a staged stunt to entertain the crowds waiting for food or for the LOG FLUME ride. They clapped and cheered his every move. and those of the rescue squad. I suppose we could have been written up for accepting a gratuity from Charlie, in the form of a free lunch, but frankly nobody seemed to care about what we did with him so long as we kept him off the rides with any 'high altitude.loops or curves. Jackson PD finally showed up to take Charlie to a public transportation center where he could get a bus back to NYC. I never did learn how he got TO Great Adventure, in his condition, that Saturday morning. *** Note- There were times when employees were allowed to eat in the restaurants with the guests, usually during off-peak hours. We got a decent discount sot the food was reasonable. I used to love the BBQ Beef Short Ribs from the BEST OF THE WEST

I posted this way over in a generic guest forum, but the old timers will remember the incident for sure.... Posted Today, 09:32 PM Gotta go back a few years for this one (1977)... A guest who had a bit too much to drink had boarded the "RUNAWAY MINE TRAIN". As the train proceeded around it's circuit, it swings thru a series of humps over the pond before tuning back to re-enter the station area. During the ride the drunk slipped out of the safety bar and attempted to stand a couple of times, failing twice. On this third try, as the train made a sharp "over the top and turn" on it's final appoach, The G-Forces took over and Mr Guest (Charles was his first name) did a fairly good 'one and a half ' looping dive into the mud and crud filled pond surrounding the Fort, and about 25 feet under the suspended rails of the now departed train. He received applause from guests surrounding the Fort while everyone waited for Security and Medical help to get him out of the pond. Other than some bruises and minor cuts his only injury was a broken right forearm.--God does protect fools and drunks ! But wait, there's more... Part Two- I had the duty-driver job that day so I drove Charlie up to Freehold Hospital in the G A Ambulance (No Lights or Siren for this trip !!) and an hour later brought him back to the park with his arm wrapped in a double-ace bandage. Management had decided, that since he had sobered up as a result of his experience and had been "sorry" for causing a problem, he would be allowed back in the Park. I headed for the Best of the West to get some lunch, with Charlie tagging along as he said he was hungry also. As I got to the cashier at the B.O.W., she laughed and said to me, "Hey Al, Did you hear about the crazy S.O.B. who took a dive off the MINE TRAIN this morning?? I swear they're getting weirder everyday"" !! To which I immediately replied, " Hear about it?? Hell, I plucked him out of the Mud, fixed his arm, and now I'm gonna let him buy my lunch !! Say hello to our new High Diver- CHARLIE." " Charlie, This is Sue, She thinks you're a crazy S.O.B, and she is never wrong !! Now pay for lunch and let's eat !!" TRUE STORY

Gotta go back a few years for this one (1977)... A guest who had a bit too much to drink had boarded the "RUNAWAY MINE TRAIN". As the train proceeded around it's circuit, it swings thru a series of humps over the pond before tuning back to re-enter the station area. During the ride the drunk slipped out of the safety bar and attempted to stand a couple of times, failing twice. On this third try, as the train made a sharp "over the top and turn" on it's final appoach, The G-Forces took over and Mr Guest (Charles was his first name) did a fairly good 'one and a half ' looping dive into the mud and crud filled pond surrounding the Fort, and about 25 feet under the suspended rails of the now departed train. He received applause from guests surrounding the Fort while everyone waited for Security and Medical help to get him out of the pond. Other than some bruises and minor cuts his only injury was a broken right forearm.--God does protect fools and drunks ! But wait, there's more... Part Two- I had the duty-driver job that day so I drove Charlie up to Freehold Hospital in the G A Ambulance (No Lights or Siren for this trip !!) and an hour later brought him back to the park with his arm wrapped in a double-ace bandage. Management had decided, that since he had sobered up as a result of his experience and had been "sorry" for causing a problem, he would be allowed back in the Park. I headed for the Best of the West to get some lunch, with Charlie tagging along as he said he was hungry also. As I got to the cashier at the B.O.W., she laughed and said to me, "Hey Al, Did you hear about the crazy S.O.B. who took a dive off the MINE TRAIN this morning?? I swear they're getting weirder everyday"" !! To which I immediately replied, " Hear about it?? Hell, I plucked him out of the Mud, fixed his arm, and now I'm gonna let him buy my lunch !! Say hello to our new High Diver- CHARLIE." " Charlie, This is Sue, She thinks you're a crazy S.O.B, and she is never wrong !! Now pay for lunch and let's eat !!" TRUE STORY

A couple of things have happened since I have made contact with the GA History Site... and I offer my thanks in advance for both. I had several good friends at Great Adventure, and over the years we had lost contact. My making the connection with this website at the some time that a bunch of my former associates were getting ready for a 40th reunion celebration (last week) made it easy for me to be able to renew the communications with two of my friends. Hopefully we can spread the word about the GA History site and get more active participation in the forums to preserve the folklore and legends that should not be lost. Another Security Adventure- The Hospitality Food Stand (Safari Entrance Area) had been suffering late night food losses, after closing hours, and before the morning crew began prep work for the day's operation. The stand closed with Safari at 6 PM and the crew was usually gone by 7:30 PM or so. We checked the locks on the bldg a couple of times a night, but otherwise the Safari Entrance area was pretty empty. After several break-ins Officer Mark Almendinger (RIP) volunteered to spend the night in the Foodstand to see if the thieves would return. Later that evening Mark heard someone working the locked door and called for assistance. the officers who joined him found him holding two employees from the late night cleanup crew who had been 'raiding the ice-box' for a late night snack for their friends'. " Another Serious Crime Solved" !!

I'll ask Hank Gibbs to take a look at that clip to identify the officer, I recognize him but can't recall the name. That's the Great Adventure Gibbs, not the NCIS Gibbs !!!!

During the first season the Security Department had a few desks at the northeast end of the big Admin tent across the aisle from the Food Services people. To say it was chaotic is a vast understatment, especially at change of shift in the afternoons. The Radio Dispatcher had a very difficult job hearing all the units- plus monitoring the Operations Radio Net and making all the "Beeper" calls as needed to various ride mechanics etc. We had NO place to detain anyone- guest or employee for any reason. At the end of the season they put a trailer out by the employee walk-in gate (Gate 2) on the west side of the Admin Tent and moved Security in there for a year. Early in 1976 they put together the modular building that was used for Security and First Aid next to the old front gate and butting up to the games buildings.

Top Photo- That's Joe Demorato who was the Asst. Mgr of Security under Bob Richards and John Remakis, and sitting is Dominick Busscarleo (sp?) who was the Fire Dept Chief for the early years, before moving up in the organization after I left. I don't know the ladies. Lower Photo- That is Security Officer Mike Cheung at the Radio Dispatcher desk in the Security Office. I have one of the original "8-Code" Cards for radio transmission, if any of the old guys who had to deal with radio useage remember the '10-Code' problems, and how we solved them. ** NOTE- Both Joe D. and Mike Cheung Have passed away since those days in the 1970's. Both were good friends and excellent employees.