C.V. Wood, 2008 Inductee

The man responsible for the original master plan for Fountain Hills and the creator of the concept of placing the world’s tallest fountain at its center, was also an internationally known theme park developer. Disneyland became a new form of family entertainment and the prototype for amusement theme parks around the world. Walt Disney placed Mr. Wood in charge of the project. He was Disneyland’s first employee and supervised site selection in California, purchased the land, oversaw construction, the opening in 1954 and its operation for the first year. He formed Marco Engineering in 1956 and supervised the creation of Six Flags Over Texas and Pleasure Island in Boston. In 1961, his firm merged with McCulloch Corporation. Robert McCulloch, Sr. had acquired some land at Lake Havasu on the Colorado River. He had a vision of what the area could become. He placed Mr. Wood in charge of the creation of Lake Havasu City and they later purchased the London Bridge and moved it to their new city in western Arizona. The area became an instant tourist attraction.. He created the master plans for two other McCulloch planned cities — Fountain Hills and Pueblo West, Colo. Mr. Wood also founded the International Chili Society and was chairman of the Committee of Publicly Owned Companies.