Living in Solivita, Florida, approximately 20 minutes from the pearly gates of Walt Disney World, is the dream that has become a reality for former teacher Greg “Doc” Hennenfent. Doc feels living that close to Disney is the best thing that could happen to him.
“I am truly blessed,” Doc said. “Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am to be here.”
Doc and his wife Mary had a house built in Solivita to move into once they retired. Doc moved to Florida last June right after graduation, and Mary is joining him in June when she retires from teaching this year. Ever since he moved, he has loved how relaxed and unplanned his days have been. He can wake up in the morning and decide that he doesn’t want to go to the parks until 11 a.m., or go at 9 a.m. when they open. Doc goes to the parks every week, sometimes only three times a week, and other weeks five times. One of his favorite things to do is what he calls a “walkabout,” where he parks at Downtown Disney, then goes around to Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom until close and then goes home.
“Now I get my walking done in the parks instead of walking fitness,” Doc said. “The walkabout days are my favorite days, also the most exhausting.”
Doc and Mary have been going on trips to Disney together since they got married in 1982. Doc has been a Disney fanatic ever since his first time to Disney World in 1978, his freshman year of college when he went there with some friends while on a trip to Florida offered through a program at their school. Since then, Doc said he has been in love with Disney, going on trips every year with his wife and daughter, Samantha, for Christmas since 1992, two or three weeks during the summer and spring break when the schedule works out.
“The first time my wife and I went we had to bring all of our food because we barely had enough money,” Doc said. “We thought it was so cool the first time we went to a restaurant and we got to where we could go multiple times a year.”
According to junior Kat Cadigan, students really appreciated what a kind and caring person Doc is. Kat said he always talked about Disney, and how much he loves it, especially how he was going to move there after he retired.
“He was a super friendly person who always wanted to make sure everyone was okay,” Kat said. “If he ever saw a kid who was down he wanted to make them feel better.”
Not only did he become close with the students, but Doc was close with teachers too. Doc started a Facebook page before his last school year of teaching started, so he could keep in touch with people after he moved to Florida. He now does daily Disney updates on this page, including updates on Mickey’s Sorcerer’s hat being taken
down. The hat is the former icon of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the hat closed on Jan. 7. Even while documenting his adventures down in Disney, Doc thinks about FHN. He and Mary are especially close with chemistry teacher Donna Malkmus, who helped him move his things to Florida.
“Doc said I have an open invitation to visit,” Malkmus said. “I’m excited to be able to go down and see them when I help Mary move down there this summer.”
Although Doc loves living in Disney, he misses FHN every day. He misses the athletic events and being able to see all the kids do what they love. The seniors this year really got to him at Homecoming with the “#WeMissDoc” sign. After graduation, Doc said it was one of the hardest things he has ever had to do to say goodbye to everyone, and it made him cry. There is not a day when he wakes up that he doesn’t think of everyone here at FHN.
“I wasn’t good to North, North was good to me,” Doc said. “That school made me what I am today.”
