10 Cast Questions: WDW Monorail Cast Remembers Austin Wuennenberg

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  Happy 4th of July! Today we launch a new feature where we ask past and present Disney Cast Members about their experiences in a whole new light.
  
  For our first post we decided to put the spotlight on Walt Disney World Cast Members and how they are remembering Austin Wuennenberg and the tragic accident that occurred in 2009. In honor of Austin, an honorary WDW Monorails tribute was created. Even though this design was not created officially by Disney, it shows the tight bond that Cast Members have for one another.

  
  1. Laura, how long did you work as a Transportation Cast Member in Monorails at Walt Disney World?
  
  From 1999-2004. I started on the Walt Disney World College Program. When I did the Program, they only selected seven students into the Monorail Department out of the thousands College Programmers. I was thrilled because it had always been my dream from the age of 3 to drive the Monorails. I don't know why I always wanted to drive them. I just did. 
  
  
  2. As Walt Disney World is known as a place where families go to visit, it seems there is quite a family environment within the workplace. How is that different than most "normal" jobs?
  
   Disney Cast Members do seem to form a bond and have more of a sense of family than most "normal" jobs. I have had two non-Disney jobs and I have never felt a sense of coworkers being like my family as I did at Disney. Even though it's been ten years since I left the company, I still am very close with a lot of my former coworkers. I am closer with them than the current coworkers I have spent the last ten years with. My current boss said Disney brainwashes the Cast. I disagree. People who have never worked there don't understand and will never understand. I don't think it is so much the Company promoting the family atmosphere in the workplace as it is a byproduct of a unique environment. Is it perfect? Not by any means! Just like a normal family, there is going to be some amount of dysfunction. But overall, it is a very unique environment in which you form tight, lasting bonds with many of your coworkers. You are sharing experiences in an environment that isn't found anywhere else on Earth. Countless families, including my own, are also created when working for Disney. Many of the members of my extended "family" met their spouses while working at Disney. Is Disney really responsible for these relationships? Probably not, but you do have to be a special kind of person to work for the Mouse. So in the long run, maybe Disney is somewhat responsible...
  
  3. As another sad anniversary approaches, WDW Transportation Cast Members are still honor Austin Wuennenberg who was involved in the tragic accident on July 5, 2009. Did you know Austin personally and do you care to share any thoughts or memories about him?
  
    I did not know Austin personally. I only met him once while riding in his front cab when I was just a regular guest. I was with several former Pilots and we started quizzing him and grilling him on everything we could think of pertaining to Monorails. He was entertained and happy to play along. He was also very happy to show off his vast knowledge of the Monorail System. You could tell he truly enjoyed his job. I know that he must have been a wonderful person after seeing the pain I saw in my former coworkers after the accident.
  
  4. The WDW "One Family" Monorail Logo you recently created pays homage to Austin. What inspired you to create this work of art?
  
  

  

  Walt Disney World "One Rail, One Family" Austin Wuennenberg Memorial Design by Laura

   
   I cannot take credit for designing the wings. The wings are based on the wings the pilots wear. After the accident, someone replaced the "Monorail Pilot" on the pilots' wings with "One Rail, One Family" in a graphic image. It has been used by many pilots on their Facebook pages on the anniversary each year. Because the original image has been shared through Facebook so many times, the quality has degraded. As an amateur graphic designer, it irritated me to see this. It seemed disrespectful to the reason we were all doing it, and through no fault of our own. It is the nature of Facebook pictures. Since I don't have the original image and I don't know who created it, I was trying to do everyone a favor and clean it up to make it look better again. While I was working on doing that, the inspiration hit to create a new overall design we could use that incorporated the wings and the ribbons. The design will evolve over the years as I am always learning new techniques that inspire new ideas.
  
  5. What is the significance of the pink and purple ribbons on wither wing of the Monorail Pilot Wings?
  
  The ribbons represent the two Monorails that were lost in the accident - Monorails Purple and Pink. Monorails Purple and Pink were retired by Disney and replaced by Teal and Peach. After the accident, at the memorials held for Austin, many of us wore our pins with ribbons attached to the backs as a symbol of the accident. The ribbons have been symbolic since and I thought they should be incorporated in the design.
  
  6. Do you have additional plans to continue to show the strong bond that Monorail Cast Members have and have had in honoring Austin?
  
  I plan on remembering and honoring Austin each and every year. Even though I was no longer a Cast Member when the accident happened, it still had a great impact on me. It could have happened when I was there and it could have happened to any one of us. It is something that will remain with me and haunt me for the rest of my life for a lot of personal reasons. 
  
  7. What is the biggest thing you miss about being a WDW Monorail Pilot? 
  
   Driving the monorails, of course!
  
  8. If you have any advice for an aspiring Monorail Pilot what would you suggest?
  
  Have fun and enjoy every moment of your time there. It's an experience like no other. Treasure the friendships you make! It truly is like a family. 
  
  9. Which is your favorite color train and why?
  
   My favorite train was whichever train I was driving! Although all of the trains were my favorite, Monorail Purple was and will always be my true favorite train for no other reason than purple is my favorite color. I was always a little happier at work when I saw Purple was my assigned train for the day. 
  
  and finally...
   
  10. Who is your favorite Disney character?
  
   Animated or human? Animated would be Stitch. He's mischievous, but is lovable and just wants to be accepted. Human would be Jack Sparrow because he's just awesome! He's not afraid of what other people think and he's free-spirited.