Leading Alumni

Born on a pair of Levi’s in a small trailer and circumcised by a doctor whose surname was Butcher, Daniel Burleigh’s entrance into the world seems like the beginning of a modern-day Charles Dickens tale. 

It’s 9:58 p.m. in a small, dark theater. The audience members, an eclectic mix of fashionistas and film fanatics, sit whispering, their faces washed in the green glow of the theater’s exit signs.

Underneath glittering stage lights the bass player and keyboardist pound out a melody. The lead singer sidles up to the microphone and belts out “American Idiot” with enough angst to fool anyone into believing he’s a member of a teenage garage band.

Tinker Bell sprinkles her pixie dust, Mickey and his pals stand ready, and everything is in place for another magical day at the happiest place on earth. But this day at Walt Disney World promises to be a little different.