Sunday, January 6, 2008

Dead Page-- Small World and California-Style-- Joyce Carlson, Ed LaDau

Back when I was teaching, I had the kids do a Current Events map most days. We talked about a major story around the US or the world, wrote a short synopsis of it and locate the site on maps. I started including obituaries of people who had an impact on culture, or who had lived through historic events. We did so many obituaries, the kids started calling it the Dead Page.

I'm keeping this name now that I'm doing this blog, and also back when it was included on Roaddog's Roadlog blog: http://roaddogsroadlog.blogspot.com/.

Joyce Carlson, 86 died January 4 in Orlando, Fl. If you're a fan of, or even if you're annoyed by it, Walt Disney's "It's a Small, Small World" is hard to ignore. Joyce Carlson was one of its developers.

In a 56-year career with Walt Disney, Ms. Carlson rose from paint and brushes delivery to artists to making films. She was involved with the It's a Small Small World prototype that was first shown at the New York World's Fair in 1964.

She was born in Racine, Wisconsin March 16, 1923 and moved with her family to southern California in 1938. Retiring in 2000, a window on Disney World's Main Street was dedicated to her inscribed "Dolls by Miss Joyce, Dollmaker for the World."

Ed LaDay, 52 died January 4. Pizza innovator and restaurateur. He received notoriety in 1990s for his romaine and watercress salad that supposedly caused contractions in pregnant women within five hours of consumption. Eighteen customers claimed they went into labor. LaDau always believed if that story were indeed true, it was the salad dressing that caused it.

He was a key player in the evolution of California-style pizza when he began loading his pizzas with non-traditional toppings. He opened his own restaurant Caioti.

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