For Pico Rivera\u2019s Frank Rodriguez, it was a bench along Disneyland\u2019s famed Main Street U.S.A. where, for more than two decades, his daughters say, he lived out his motto, \u201cevery day is my best day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cporch potato,\u201d as he became affectionately called by family and friends, found joy in greeting guests daily along the theme park\u2019s crowded thoroughfare until his passing last summer.<\/p>\n
Disneyland recently honored the super fan, as reported by the Orange County Register<\/a>, with a plaque bearing his catch phrase on the bench he occupied.<\/p>\n His daughters spoke to The Times about what the honor meant to them and why their father was deserving.<\/p>\n How Disney honored the porch potato Frank Rodriguez, known as Disneyland\u2019s \u201cporch potato,\u201d was honored by the park with a memorial plaque on the bench where he greeted visitors for decades.<\/p>\n (Courtesy of Andrea Rodriguez Jereb)<\/p>\n The park placed a memorial plaque<\/a> earlier this month bearing Rodriguez\u2019s motto on the bench at the storefront facade dubbed the Palm Parlor<\/a>, along with an engraving from the fictional New Century Historical Society, a nod to archivist Dave Smith\u2019s Main Street tribute window.<\/p>\n A plaque commemorating a parkgoer is a break from tradition at the Happiest Place on Earth. Previously dedicated plaques<\/a> highlight historical venues like Walt Disney\u2019s apartment and the horse-drawn streetcars of his native Marceline, Mo. <\/p>\n This most recent effort is \u201cpart of our focus to connect guests with the history and heritage of Disneyland during the 70th anniversary celebration,\u201d Disneyland Resort spokesperson Jessica Jakary said in an email.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a special opportunity to memorialize Frank Rodriguez\u2019s motto with a plaque to encourage guests visiting the porch to have their best day,\u201d Jakary said.<\/p>\n Frank Rodriguez with one of his big rigs in the 1980s.<\/p>\n (Courtesy of Andrea Rodriguez Jereb)<\/p>\n Who was Frank Rodriguez?<\/p>\n Daughter Andrea Rodriguez Jereb, who lives in Sonoma, called her father \u201cthe most humblest of men.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodriguez, who passed away in August at 79<\/a>, was a polio survivor and Pico Rivera native who operated tow trucks and big rigs for over three decades.<\/p>\n He was known, however, to scores of Disney fans as the friendly face, typically wearing Dodgers gear or even a \u201cMayor of Main Street\u201d sash<\/a>, who waved and greeted visitors daily.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad is a social guy who loved talking to people and just wanting to make sure people were happy and positive and enjoying themselves,\u201d Jereb said. \u201cHe would enjoy a cup of coffee and that porch was his mainstay.\u201d<\/p>\n Jereb said her father had his favorite Disneyland haunts \u2014 riding the railroad attractions and the Mark Twain riverboat \u2014 but nothing gave him more joy than chatting with guests and workers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe VIP tour guides would include a mention of him on their routes,\u201d Jereb said.<\/p>\n Even future Disney chief executive Josh D\u2019Amaro wrote an Instagram memorial<\/a> post, saying he felt \u201clucky to have spent time on the porch with him on our 70th anniversary.\u201d<\/p>\n Where did this love of the park come from?<\/p>\n Both daughters are a bit flummoxed as to the genesis of their father\u2019s passion.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, visiting Disneyland was just something he started doing,\u201d said daughter Amanda Rodriguez, who lives in Pomona. \u201cHe came often with my kids and chatted with cast members and found friends and people who regularly hung out there, so he hung out there.\u201d<\/p>\n A touching tribute<\/p>\n Rodriguez\u2019s family reached out to Disneyland shortly after his death to inform the park that they and several friends were celebrating his memory on what would have been his 80th birthday on Aug. 20.<\/p>\n \u201cDisneyland was incredible,\u201d Amanda Rodriguez said. \u201cThey gave us a special tour and we visited Walt Disney\u2019s apartment all because of my dad. I met so many of his cast member friends.\u201d<\/p>\n While strolling on the tour, a family member commented, \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be nice if he was honored,\u201d Amanda Rodriguez said. \u201cAnd one cast member said that my father was missed and that something would happen.\u201d<\/p>\n That something was the plaque, or as Amanda Rodriguez noted, \u201ca recognition to a man who believed in being kind and having friendly conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n The week\u2019s biggest stories (Uncredited \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n Attack on IranTelevision and media newsLos Angeles Unified crisisCrime, courts and policingAnimals in the wildIn memoriamWhat else is going onMust readsOther meaty readsFor your downtime (Gabriella Angotti-Jones \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Going outStaying inL.A. Timeless<\/p>\n A selection of the very best reads from The Times\u2019 143-year archive.<\/p>\n Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n Jim Rainey, staff reporter How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. Check our top stories<\/a>, topics<\/a> and the latest articles<\/a> on latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772290027_432_.jpeg\")
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