Richard Gerth, famous Disney cast member of the Grand Floridian, passed early this morning. He was 92.

Richard Gerth started working at Walt Disney World in 1991, and his smile and happy disposition welcomed in families for generations. Gerth became such a staple of the Grand Floridian that many guests asked to take their picture with him, something that is not often done with frontline cast members. As much as guests loved Richard, he loved his job; during an interview in 2014, he said, “I think just about every day is a good day…To be acknowledged by another person is the greatest feeling that anyone could get out of a job.”

Gerth was a great representative of what a good cast member should be, and in 2013 Disney recognized that by awarding him with the Walt Disney Legacy Award. The Walt Disney Legacy Award is the highest award a cast member can receive, and those who have been honored with it wear a blue name tag rather than the traditional white name tag.

Mr. Gerth greeted guests and assisted over 3,500 brides at the resort since 1991. In 2013, Richard was presented with the Walt Disney Legacy Award – the highest award any Disney cast member can receive.

“I went over to casting with a number the Grand gave me,” Richard recollected in an interview with the Disney Vacation Club about starting his career. “She put it in the computer and said, “Richard, you got the job.” I never filled out an application.”

For almost 30 years, Richard interacted with guests and, to some, became as much an important stop as Splash Mountain or Spaceship Earth. Some families would come by with their children and take a picture every year to show how they’d grown in comparison to Gerth.

“The children are now coming to think I’m a grandfather,” said Richard. “Your whole life is built on how you act to other people. I’m overjoyed every time I come here (the Grand).”

Please share your memories of Richard in the comments below.