Terry Van Gorder, Knott’s Berry Farm’s only CEO while it was family owned and operated and who led the effort to license “Peanuts” characters for Camp Snoopy and spearheaded the development of Bigfoot Rapids and the GhostRider wooden roller coaster, has died. He was 82.
Van Gorder, chief executive officer of Knott’s from 1981 to 1998, died in his sleep at his home in Cottage Grove, Ore., on March 2.
The Knott family hired Van Gorder, also the first chief executive at Magic Mountain, when there was little agreement among the children and grandchildren of Knott’s Berry Farm’s founders about the theme park’s direction. Knott‘s had grown over the years, since Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant opened in 1934, followed by Ghost Town seven years later.
Van Gorder’s role as CEO made him a power broker of sorts, requiring him to navigate family politics and build consensus. He helped the park add roller coasters while maintaining Knott’s historical feel.
“He had a vision for where we could fit into a changing market,” said Darrel Anderson, one of the Knotts’ grandsons who helped bring Van Gorder on board. “He had a much more sophisticated vision than we had.”
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