Mile 644: Robert McCall (1919-2010)

Above: Robert McCall's former mural at the now defunct Horizons attraction at Epcot Center in Florida. Click the picture for a close-up look. From Imagineering Disney.

"IF WE CAN DREAM IT,
WE CAN DO IT."

Robert McCall has been a part of my medical school journey... well, in a more indirect way. One of the most inspirational events was riding the Horizons ride at Epcot Center years ago. The ride was all about the future. During the 15-or-so minute ride in the cab, I saw how the future was imagined in the past, what trends were presently (think 1980s) were done to help us get to the future, and what the future (again, think 1980s) was visioned as in the present. At the end was the coolest part, you could select the manner to travel back to the present (sea, space, or desert), and your cab followed suit.

But the most inspirational parts of the ride occurred when walking in and walking out. When entering the Horizons building, one saw the above quote, "If we can dream it, we can do it." It's been one of my "optimistic" quotes I carry at the back of my head. At the end, I never got to experience it, but I learned that in the early days of the ride, Robert McCall had a mural, the one shown above, at the end of the ride. The Prologue and the Promise it was called, and the transition between the darkness of the past and the light of the future Mr. McCall portrayed in his painting is something that still gives me that "tingle" to this day.

However, it was removed, because according to the internet, GE, the sponsor of Horizons until 1994, wasn't satisfied that people were walking off the ride not knowing that it was the sponsor. So, by the time I rode it, they had replaced the room with the mural with hallways leading to a GE logo. I honestly think they should have stuck with the mural, as it was much more conducive to solidifying the message the ride gave, which to me was There is hope in the future.

I learned a few days ago through the NASA website that Mr. McCall passed away at 90 years old on February 26. He has inspired a lot of people through his interpretations of space and the future. He showed us that the future is quite a beautiful thing. He was one of the people who showed me that there is always reason to keep looking forward.

Thank you, Mr. McCall.

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Check out Mr. McCall's galleries here.

Edutainment

Above: The Wonders of Life Pavilion in Walt Disney World, Florida, August 2007.

EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF LIFE.

August 2007. I'm here at EPCOT staring at a huge golden geodesic dome. Unlike the pavilion to my left that is shaped like a mirrored box (Universe of Energy) and the granite colored space-themed pavilion to my right (Mission: Space), there's something different about this dome.

NOBODY'S WALKING INTO IT.

Nope, instead a sign saying "Wonders of Life is Currently Closed" is placed in front of the entry walkway, with bushes surrounding the sign to prevent curious people (such as myself) from entering the closed pavilion.

If you know me well enough, you'll know that one of my great hobbies is the Disney theme park EPCOT Center (now known as Epcot). However, the common misconception that's made along with that hobby is that I'm in it simply to feel like a kid. The truth actually encompasses Epcot's original vision, a center standing for world diversity and peace (through the showcase of nations in the World Showcase) and a display of progress through our scientific discoveries (Future World) to millions every year.

Wonders of Life was not one of the original pavilions of Epcot when it opened in 1982. With the sponsor Metropolitan Life (most of you know it as MetLife, the snoopy sponsored insurance company), the golden geodesic dome, featuring the words listed above, in FutureWorld West opened in 1989. The outside mounted a tall DNA spire (not shown in picture above, as it was removed by this time). To demonstrate the progress and technology of medicine that was to be approaching in the 21st century in addition to spreading good words about medicine, various instruments from interactive exhibits to a serous simulator ride were erected. In 2007, the health pavilion in epcot closed after years of sponsorship under MetLife came to an end.

At Wonders, one of the attractions that struck home with me was an experience called "Cranium Command."In my opinion, the brain is one of the most complex parts of the body. It is the control center of the human, the centers of our thoughts, the processor our senses, and even unconscious actions of the body, heartbeat, breathing, and reproductive cycles. But yet, with Disney magic with imagineers (the guys who create the experience for us in an engineering standpoint) and the actors provided (stars like Charles Grodin, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Charles Wendt, and more), the general gist of the functions of the most critical parts of the brain (right side, left side, hypothalamus, etc.) can be made sensible to even someone in 2nd grade.

The other significant exhibit of the Wonders of Life pavilion was the Frontiers exhibit, oddly placed at the rear of the building for introducing to everyone the forward-thinking that was going on with engineering & health. You'd walk up to a station with a picture and a short description of that technology, and if you wanted to learn more, you'd pick up the handset and listen for more. If you think it sounds very 80s, I definitely agree with you (Handsets... come on!).

AND it is for this I call medicine an art... One of the most important devices to being in the profession is an essence of educating the patient to understand his/her condition. In this day and age, information is one of the best ways to arm the patient to win against what might be plaguing them. And to me, through creativity, doctors can avoid that medical "scientific lingo" to teach the common person effectively, potentially help their patients strive to do better to improve their health, and make that information reach as many people as possible.