CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE MORE PICTURES
As soon as Gary Keeler spotted Donald Duck waddling down Disneyland’s Main Street this morning, he headed straight for Donald and a hearty handshake quickly turned into a big hug.
Keeler, 75, stood among a group of kids clearly eager to meet Donald. But none was more excited than Keeler.
He brought his wife, Jean, all the way from their home just south of Guadalajara, Mexico to celebrate his 75th birthday at Disneyland. That’s more than 2,000 miles.
He wanted to celebrate with Donald Duck – who also turned 75 today.
The irascible duck made his first appearance in the Disney animated short “Little Wise Hen” on June 9, 1934. Disney considers that his birth date.
“Because we share a birthday, I feel a connection,” said Keeler, wearing a bright red Donald shirt. “Seventy-five is a big one, so like winning the Super Bowl I said, ‘I’m going to Disneyland – to celebrate with Donald.’”
Keeler and his wife spent many years in San Diego, where Keeler worked as an industrial engineer, before they moved to Arkansas in the late 1970s.
It was there in around 1985, while waiting in the lobby on business, that Keeler picked up a Disney magazine and spotted a bookmark with the image of Donald Duck and the date: June 9, 1934.
“I said, ‘Hey, that’s my day. I share a birthday with Donald Duck?’” he remembered. “And from there, I was hooked.”
He told relatives. He bought a Donald T-shirt. A mug. His daughter bought him a stuffed animal. His wife gave him a Donald holding a heart for Valentine’s Day.
And before he knew it, every Christmas, every Father’s Day and, of course, every birthday, his collection grew.
When the couple retired to a community of expatriates in Mexico about six years ago, the collection came with them. It now takes up much of one room.
The bookshelves include statuettes, pictures and his most prized possession, an original drawing from the “Little Wise Hen,” signed by one of the artists who worked with Walt Disney.
That was back when Donald Duck was more “gangly,” had a larger bill and only three fingers, Keeler said. The duck’s evolved over the years.
His wife thinks his obsession with Donald is cute – especially that he didn’t discover the coincidence until he was in his 50s and it rekindled a childlike joy.
Jean Keeler said she sees a few similarities between her husband and the duck. Gary speaks clearer and he’s not the consummate loser that Donald tends to be in the movies but, she said, “He can be pretty incorrigible.”
She’s been willing to go to great lengths with him to feed the obsession with Donald.
In 2000, just after Gary Keeler had a hip surgery, the Keelers drove from Arkansas to Disney World in Orlando to meet his favorite duck and get a photo.
“I asked the person at the front desk where I could go to meet Donald Duck and they told me, ‘He’s not working today,’ ” Keeler remembered. “I said, ‘Oh no, we just drove thousands of miles to meet him.’ So they tracked him down at Epcot Center and made arrangements for us to get over and meet him.”
Tuesday’s trip to Disneyland was the first time the couple has been since Keeler discovered the shared birth date.
He planned for months to make sure he could get to Disneyland on his big day. And with the park’s birthday promotion, he got in for free.
“That was great,” his wife said, with a sigh. “The admission price has gone up since we were here last.”
It was worth the trip, Gary Keeler said. It made him feel like a kid again.
“There are a lot of new (Disney) characters these days, like Buzz (Lightyear) and a bunch I don’t even know,” he said.
“It’s inevitable, I guess, that Donald Duck won’t be as popular as the years go by,” he added. “But he’ll always be my favorite.”
- Gay Days at Disney prompts values group to post warning
- BLOG ROUNDUP: Starbucks at Disneyland?
- Sally’s Snapshots: June 8
- Sneak peek: Disneyland shows off new fireworks show
Happy 75th birthday to both!
in my book the classic disney characters will always be #1 in my book!!!
Happy Belated Birthday Gary Keeler
Happy birthday