By Judith Rubin, InPark Magazine Editor
I’ve never concealed my age, so I’ll come right out and say that September 2022 is the month of my 65th birthday, and that I have been part of this industry for 35 years. I don’t know if that puts me over the hill, but certainly it qualifies for something. I’d have to say I feel mostly gratitude. Like so many, I sort of stumbled into themed entertainment.
I was a girl from Detroit, a jazz-crazed art school graduate living in NYC. I had a flair for writing, a love of theater and a talent for knitting. My various jobs included: activities director for a senior residence, publicizing a jazz club, designing sweaters and editing needlecraft instructions. I moved to the West Coast in 1987 and took a job with World’s Fair magazine, which was my portal to the attractions industry. Many of the people and companies I first got to know in my eight years there are still colleagues and clients today, such as Cosm.
There are many downsides to getting older, but the perspective of 35 years is pretty amazing. From my home office in Saint Louis, one of the things I really love to do nowadays is chronicle something that’s become vital and mature in the industry, that I witnessed in its beginning stages years earlier. I love being able to bring that context to the story, to celebrate its successful evolution and acknowledge the breadth and history of accomplishment. And I love that I essentially patched together a unique career for myself that stayed close to my core interests and abilities – a pioneer, if you like, whose job it has been to shed light on other pioneers. I’m not done yet, by the way. This isn’t goodbye, it’s just “wow,” and “thanks.”