J.W. “Bill” Marriott Jr. speaks to guests at the opening ceremony of Marriott’s Great America theme park in Gurnee, Illinois on May 29, 1976. Seated on stage, from left are James Bouy, General Manager of the park; Doreen Warvi, “First Lady” goodwill ambassador of the park; Michael Hostage, head of Restaurant Operations, Marriott Corporation; Mel Blanc, legendary voice actor for Bugs Bunny and the other Warner Bros. characters; Randall Duell, park’s architect; David L. Brown, head of Marriott’s Theme Park Group; Richard Welton, Mayor of Gurnee, Illinois