Wathel R. Bender is a character in the Haunted Mansion.
Description[]
Background[]
Wathel R. Bender was a close-friend or even member of the family which owned the Haunted Mansion. Whether said mansion was located in upstate New York or the French quarters of New Orleans depends on the incarnation of the attraction.
At some point, Wathel was run over by a vehicle which subsequently dragged his body on its fender. This incident killed him and he would subsequently be buried in the family plot of the Haunted Mansion.
History[]
This tombstone is one of original eight tombstones in the family plot outside the New Orleans Square Haunted Mansion and also appears in the plot outside of Liberty Square's Haunted Mansion. The name is a tribute to Imagineer alumni Wathel Rogers, who worked as an audio-animatronics designer and engineer at WED Enterprises.
Appearances[]
Wathel R. Bender in the Grim Gazette
The Haunted Mansion[]
Wathel's tombstone appears in the Haunted Mansions of Disneyland and Walt Disney World within the exterior queue. In addition to serving as a tribute to imagineer alumni Wathel Rogers, the tombstone provides entertainment for guests with its morbid rhymed epitaph.
The Ghost Post[]
According to information given in the Ghost Post, Prof. Wathel R. Bender is of the many ghosts that haunt the mansion. A noted scientist, Prof. Wathel writes a column in the Grim Gazette detailing his metaphysical and supernatural research into the Great Unraveling and its effect on the disembodied. He is also a member of the Committee of Wandering Ghosts.