MANY BURGERS? How about 72? (Shutterstock).

Disneyland opened 70 years ago last month and the man behind it – Walt Disney – was the fellow who probably had more influence on Orange County than any other person.

The most obvious fact is that by situating his “KiddieLand” in Anaheim, he opened up the OC to a whole new world of tourism, rapid population growth and – in my case – a college job that paid for tuition, a couple of really junky cars and an education in the ways of working man.

Like many Orange County kids, I worked two-plus years at “The Happiest Place on Earth.” We engaged in dawn canoe races. Saw Captain Hook snogging Alice in Wonderland. And we worked so hard it gave us a bone-deep resolve to get a degree so we’d never have to work that hard again.

In 1973-75 I was a “utility food service” person in two nameless fast food facilities in Fantasyland (known informally as Fan 1 and Fan 2). During the summer when the park was the most crowded, we churned out hamburgers, French Fries, cole slaw, sodas and more at a pace that Ben Hur would have found familiar from his days as an oarsman.

Strangely enough, I found the work – with a few exceptions – enjoyable and calming. As soon as you got the rhythm right, you entered a zen-like state. When I got to work the grill, I got so zenned-up I could cook 72 burgers at once and never burned a one. I was the Kwai Chang Caine of French fries; the Gene Kelly of toasting hamburger buns.

I found that once you stopped “thinking” about what you were doing, your body and mind went on auto-pilot. Eight hours raced by.

As a grown-up, you end up doing many things – when viewed objectively – which were pains in the neck (and elsewhere). But once Uncle Walt’s money machine cranked you up, no mundane task was a chore, no burn, bang or bruise made much difference.

To put it another way, nothing life threw at you broke your stride.

Disneyland allowed Orange County to grow up, and it did the same to me. Thanks, Walt. We all owe you a lot.