Historical Perspectives
The occasion of Disneyland Park's 35th birthday is an ideal time to reflect on a bit of the full, rich past that has helped shape the Magic Kingdom.
More than 100 Cast Members were treated to some of that history as Disneyland Executive Vice President Ron Dominguez hosted the annual Historical Perspectives program, held Monday, July 16, at the Golden Horseshoe.
Milt Albright and Van France were the guest speakers for the event. Both Milt and Van joined the Company before the Park opened, and both shared amusing stories from those early days.
"Since I started in 1947, I've been able to do a lot of interesting things," pointed out Milt, 73, now Manager of Guest Communications. "I actually helped with the construction of the Park, which is probably something I'll never in my whole life forget, that year that we put this all together, working day and night."
Milt began his Disney career at the Studio as a junior accountant. In 1953, in an at- tempt to gain some attention from Walt and transfer to his new "amusement park" in Anaheim, Milt, an automobile buff, decided to design a miniature car for the Autopia. Walt drove the car, and although he was not impressed with the design, he was impressed with Milt and hired him in the spring of 1954 as Manager of Accoun- ting for Disneyland.
"When I was in Accounting...I signed the paychecks here for the first couple of years - many of them by hand," Milt recalled. "We always paid the payroll. Now, the suppliers of concrete and steel and everything they were a totally different story. It was really bad. There was a time when many of them had to go eight to 10 months without being paid...I can remember many times hiding in the Park because people would buy admission to the Park to find me. If you were owed an enormous amount of money, it was worth a dollar to get in and look for me."
In 1957, Milt became Manager of Holidayland, a private party area designed for group events. He transferred in 1958 to…
Disneyland Historical Perspectives, 1990
Van France & Milt Albright
Disneyland Line, July 27, 1990
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