“I always had respect for Mary, and for John for letting her be creative in her own way and do her own thing,” Roland told.
Paul Mullee, who was in charge of purchasing for Magic Kingdom Park while Howard Roland worked on the Deluxe Resort hotels, spoke to The Orlando Sentinel about his colleague’s impact on Walt Disney World Resort.
“He bought everything – the carpeting, the wallpaper, any kind of decorations that went into the hotels,” Mullee recalled. “There was a lot of purchasing involved and components that go into a hotel.”
Later, Roland was Mullee’s supervisor.
“He and I were a great team,” Mullee said. “He was wonderful to travel with…He knew a lot about food and things that go into restaurants. … So when you traveled with Howard, which we did often, you’d eat very well.”
Howard Roland joined The Walt Disney Company after years at Sheraton Hotels. In 1969, he wrote a letter to Walt Disney’s brother, Roy Disney, asking to help with the “Florida Project” that eventually became Walt Disney World Resort. It was an unorthodox way to apply for a job, but it worked.
“Everything about the project was so interesting,” he told Disney Parks Blog. “I addressed the letter to Roy because it was the only name in the company I had.”
“He was a risk taker,” Lenore Roland, Howard’s wife of 63 years, told The Sentinel. “He was known as the storyteller of storytellers…He had so many fascinating chapters, including Disney, that he really would mesmerize people, even people he didn’t know.”
The vice president of purchasing and construction contracts retired in 1995. Roland devoted his time to serving organizations he was passionate about. The former Disney park head was president and board member of the Center for Drug-Free Living, chairman of the Orange County Public Schools’ construction oversight and value engineering committee, and president of the Orlando Museum of Art’s board.
Roland was honored with a window on Main Street, U.S.A., at Magic Kingdom Park alongside others who were influential in creating Walt Disney World Resort. His name is next to Walt Disney World Resort’s first hotel executive, John Curry, who hired him. Guests can spot Roland and Curry’s tribute above Casey’s Corner restaurant facing Cinderella Castle. It advertises the “Merchants Hotel.”
“I think he felt he made a real contribution,” Roland’s wife told The Sentinel.
Roland died at his Windemere, Florida home on February 15, 2024. He leaves behind his wife, Lenore, three sons, and three grandchildren.
by Jess Colopy
