13 Tombstones: Francis Xavier

REQUIESCAT
Francis Xavier
NO TIME OFF
FOR GOOD
BEHAVIOR
RIP

Our 13th and final tombstone is dead-icated to X. Atencio. (The "X" standing for Xavier.) He joined the Disney Studio in 1938 and worked on numerous animated features through the 1950s. He was the person behind the clever animated title sequences from The Parent Trap and Babes in Toyland. In 1964, Walt Disney asked Atencio to transfer to WED Enterprises to assist in the creation of the Primeval World diorama for Disneyland. He went on to develop dialog and music for attractions such as Adventure Thru Inner Space, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion for which he co-wrote the song Grim Grinning Ghosts. But most importantly, he is the one who penned nearly all the clever verses featured on the now infamous 13 tombstones that make up the family plot at Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion.

13 Tombstones: Dear Sweet Leota

DEAR SWEET LEOTA
BELOVED BY ALL
IN REGIONS BEYOND NOW,
HAVING A BALL

As most Haunted Mansion enthusiasts know, Madam Leota is the Mansion's resident medium. Leota Tombs was an artist at WED Enterprises. During the Mansion's development, Tombs served as a model stand-in during concept testing for the crystal ball character in the attraction's seance room. She did such an excellent job that the test performance was used in the final version, and the character was named in her honor.

13 Tombstones: Brother Dave

DEAR DEPARTED
BROTHER
DAVE
HE CHASED A
BEAR INTO
A CAVE

Dave Burkhart began his career with Disney in 1967 serving as an artist model maker, building architecture and show models, including some full scale sets and props. He subsequently became a show designer and field art producer, working on attractions such as the Haunted Mansion, Swiss Family Treehouse and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

13 Tombstones: Good Friend Gordon

RIP
GOOD FRIEND
GORDON
NOW YOU'VE
CROSSED THE
RIVER JORDON

Good friend Gordon refers to Gordon Williams, who was an audio designer and also an authority on audio-animatronics. He was the Imagineer largely responsible for all of the sound effects in the Haunted Mansion.

13 Tombstones: Uncle Myall

IN MEMORIUM
UNCLE MYALL
HERE YOU'LL LIE
FOR QUITE A WHILE

Chuck Myall was an art director for WED Enterprises and contributed his skills to attractions such as It's a Small World and the Haunted Mansion. He was also one of the master planners of Walt Disney World.

13 Tombstones: Cousin Huet

REST IN PEACE

COUSIN HUET
WE ALL KNOW
YOU DIDN'T DO IT

Cliff Huet was an architect for WED Enterprises and one of the lead interior designers of the Haunted Mansion.

13 Tombstones: Master Gracey

MASTER GRACEY
LAID
TO REST
NO MOURNING
PLEASE
AT HIS
REQUEST
Farewell

Yale Gracey joined the Walt Disney Studios in 1939 as a layout artist on Pinocchio. He also worked on Fantasia as well as numerous cartoon shorts throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In 1961 he came to WED Enterprises as a special effects and lighting artist. His expertise in the field of special effects was gained via his own personal research and hands-on experimentation. He was responsible for nearly all the special effects in the Haunted Mansion.

13 Tombstones: A Man Named Martin

HERE LIES

A MAN NAMED
MARTIN
THE LIGHTS WENT
OUT ON THIS OLD
SPARTAN

While working at 20th Century Fox in the mid-1950s, Bill "Bud"Martin was recruited by Walt Disney to help in the design and building of Disneyland. His first major area of responsibility was as an art director of Fantasyland. In 1971, he was named Vice President of Design at WED Enterprises, overseeing the master layout of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Among his projects were Main Street U.S.A. and Cinderella Castle, and he was one of the key designers of the ultilidors than run beneath that park.

13 Tombstones: Mister Sewell

RIP

MISTER SEWELL

THE VICTIM

OF A DIRTY

DUEL

Peaceful Rest

Bob Sewell came on board at WED Enterprises shortly after the opening of Disneyland in 1955. A model shop veteran, Sewell was often in charge of show installations at the park. He was involved in the development of a diverse array of attractions including Nature's Wonderland, the Grand Canyon Diorama, the Submarine Voyage, the Swiss Family Treehouse and the Enchanted Tiki Room.

13 Tombstones: Grandpa Marc

IN MEMORY OF

OUR PATRIARCH

DEAR DEPARTED

Grandpa

Marc

One of Disney's legendary "Nine Old Men"of animation, Marc Davis also stands as one of the most influential and creative forces in the history of theme park design. His clever and highly detailed concepts were the basis for the audio-animatronic vignettes of both Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, and his unrealized designs for Walt Disney World's Western River Expedition are among the great lost treasures of Disney Imagineering. He also contributed to other celebrated attractions including the Enchanted Tiki Room, the Jungle Cruise and It's a Small World.

13 Tombstones: Wathel R. Bender

HERE RESTS

WATHEL R. BENDER

HE RODE TO

GLORY ON

A FENDER

Peaceful

Rest

Wathel Rogers was a long time veteran of the Animation Department before moving to WED Enterprises in the mid-1950s. Initially part of the model department, Rogers' true calling emerged when Wat Disney drafted him for his now famous "Project LittleMan" which was the genesis of the development of audio-animatronics. Within the halls of WED Enterprises, he became known as Mr. Audio-Animatronics and went on to contribute his design and engineering skills to countless theme park attractions until his retirement in 1987.

13 Tombstones: Good Old Fred

HERE LIES

GOOD OLD
FRED
A GREAT BIG ROCK
FELL ON HIS HEAD
R.I.P.

Fred Joerger joined the Walt Disney Studios in 1953, coming on board as a set designer and model builder. He, Harriet Burns and Wathel Rogers were the members of WED Enterprises original model shop. He was a master of rock formations, as noted in this passage from his Disney Legends biography:

"Fred's unusual knack for creating gorgeous rockwork out of plaster led to his reputation as Imagineering's "resident rock expert." Among his rocky mountain highlights are the huge stones featured on the Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. In fact, he designed and constructed most all rockwork at the Florida theme park for its 1971 opening, including the breathtaking atrium waterfall featured in the Polynesian Resort."

13 Tombstones: Brother Claude

At Peaceful

Rest Lies
BROTHER
CLAUDE
PLANTED HERE
BENEATH THIS
SOD

Brother Claude refers to Walt Disney Studios animation veteran and pioneering Imagineer Claude Coats. He began his career with Disney in 1935 as a background painter, and contributed stunning water color backgrounds to numerous cartoon shorts and also to feature films from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs all the way through Lady and the Tramp. In 1955, Walt Disney recruited Coats to work on concepts and designs for Disneyland, and he subsequently became one of the key talents at WED Enterprises, the precursor to Walt Disney Imagineering.

Bringing his background artist skills to bear, Coats was largely responsible for designing the Haunted Mansion's interior environments.