Paul Ruben
www.parkworld-online.com
he would repeat the same old jokes. Yet I now find myself sharing some of those same jokes. Be proud that they live on and, to quote one of your own lines, go with gravity Paul!” “Paul has been a part of the attractions industry family for many years,” said Hal McEvoy, president and CEO, IAAPA. “We all knew his passion for roller coasters, but truly it was his relationships with so many of us that we will remember the most. The IAAPA team looked forward to seeing him on the trade show floor each year and hearing about his travels to member parks, and commentary about his favourite coasters – and how he always said his Top 10 list really consisted of 25. IAAPA Expo – and our industry – won’t be the same without him. Our deepest sympathies are with Paul’s friends and family” Susan Storey, director, global communications,
IAAPA told me: “Paul was the first reporter I ever worked
said: “I had the pleasure of knowing Paul through all my media journeys and I always enjoyed his stories and his friendship. We shared many rides together at various park media events and always found time to catch up at the various trade shows. “Two media events come to mind: Six Flags Magic Mountain (4 April, 1998) opened its Riddler’s Revenge B&M Stand-up coaster. This was Bonnie Weber’s media event and she convinced Paul to let her spray paint his hair green for a TV shoot, which he gladly accepted. I think this was a good example of Paul’s humorous side, for those of us that got to see it. “On 15 June 2012 Disneyland’s California Adventure
Park opened its new $1.1 billion Cars Land and as fate would have it, Paul and I took one of the early media rides together on Cars. The event was spread out over the entire day giving media free down time to enjoy the park
A selection of Paul Ruben’s famous jokes and answers
Have a nice day: Thank you but I have other plans
When some asked him a question and the answer was yes: Do chickens have knees?
I hate broccoli:
Did you know broccoli is not a real vegetable? The producer of the James Bond movies, Cubby Broccoli who was the Dr. Moreau of plant genetics, created it. He created broccoli by crossing rabe and cauliflower and named it after himself because no one wanted to take the blame.
About haircuts:
Before going on a planned trip to Italy, my father went to get his haircut.
You aren’t truly an industry PR professional until you have your own personal Paul Ruben story and experience.
with. We bonded quickly as two people from Rochester, New York, who shared passion for amusement parks. He taught me about working with reporters, writing about our industry, and the key differences between so many industry manufacturers. He was a walking encyclopedia. I worked with Paul in some capacity in every role I have had. You aren’t truly an industry PR professional until you have your own personal Paul Ruben story and experience. I will miss seeing him at IAAPA Expos and receiving emails from him, reminding me to send a high-res image with my press release.” Wyeth Tracy, president, Empex Watertoys said: “We are so sorry to hear of Paul’s passing. I always looked forward to a visit from him annually at IAAPA to hear his stories. He will be missed.” “On behalf of the entire InPark crew, our condolences on the loss of Paul. He truly was a legend in the industry and carried great gravitas with him on every assignment and article,” said Martin Palicki. “Our paths mostly crossed at industry press events and attraction openings. Paul could be counted on to experience every new ride as often as possible - we’d frequently run into each other in the queues - and he always had intelligent questions when it came time for group interviews. It is particularly sad to lose a fellow journalist, but he made a lasting impact on the industry and left a vast legacy in print.”
Gary Slade, founder and publisher of Amusement Today SUMMER PART 3 2021
or just enjoy the new section, where I ran into Paul again. He was a little flustered as he could not find that “Kodak Picture Spot” to get a close-up of the Cars vehicle on the track due to all the media trucks and support equipment blocking key vantage points of the ride. I told Paul I had found his angle. We ventured over to the elevated TV stage for KTLA where I had a contact. Since they were in between live shoots, we were allowed on set where we have a beautiful view of the ride from 25 feet in the air. Paul was always appreciative for that “Kodak” moment. “Just as this industry will, I will miss my friend Paul Ruben, but what I will miss the most are our talks about roller coasters, the industry and even the trials and troubles of early day film cameras when the mechanics didn’t always work to our liking.”
On behalf of Antonio Zamperla and the team, Zamperla president Alberto Zamperla said: “We will all miss this passionate rider of roller coasters and enthusiastic storyteller of the amusement industry! Thank you for accompanying us Paul for so many years.”
A lasting legacy Paul was a lways very humble about his achievements; the Reader’s Digest article is a perfect example. He sent it to me with the subject line, “Famous for five minutes”. I think I speak for everyone when I say, Paul, you are going to be famous for a lot longer than that.
He told his barber, “I’m going to Rome on Italia Airlines, staying at the Imperial Hotel and I’m going to see the Pope. The barber responded, “This is a terrible time to visit Rome. It’s the rainy season. Italia Airlines is an unreliable airline with old planes. The Imperial Hotel has seen better days, and you’ll be in a crowd with 10,000 people to see the Pope on his balcony.” A month later, my father returned and once again visited the barbershop to get his haircut. “How was your trip? asked the barber. Well,” said my dad, “we flew over on a brand new 747 jet. The weather in Rome was gorgeous, warm and sunny. The Imperial Hotel had been completely and luxuriously refurbished. And we had a private audience with the Pope. The Pope then asked me to kneel to give me his blessing. He put his hand on my head and asked, “Where did you get this lousy haircut?”
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