The Day I Met Walt Disney

For a kid growing up in the 50’s, the Mickey Mouse Club was required TV viewing. Now as an adult whenever anyone sings “M-I-C-K-E-Y” who amongst us can’t resist finishing the chorus? Come on, you know you want to.
I grew up in a small town near Sonora, California in the Mother Lode Country. Every Christmas vacation we travelled to Los Angeles to stay with relatives. It took the better part of a year for my parents to save enough money for a trip to Disneyland. My late dad worked at a lumber mill, having given up a teaching job in Mexico to immigrate to the U.S. He now worked with his hands instead of his brains but I never heard him complain. We knew the sacrifices it took and it made us appreciate the trip even more.
I was about ten when we went to Disneyland. It was a different time back then. Going anywhere in public meant putting on your Sunday best. None of this shorts and tee shirts that is now acceptable almost anywhere. Going to Disneyland would’ve required wearing suits, had we owned any. Pictures of the day show my sisters in full skirts and freshly pressed blouses, my brother and I in slacks, dress shirts and dress shoes. My dad wore a suit and tie of course and my mom and Tia in what would today be considered office attire. It was a pretty big deal going to The Happiest Place on Earth.
We kids went crazy trying to figure out what ride we wanted to try first. My cousins, who had been a few times before, were trying to guide us through the dizzying choices. We didn’t care about those “A” tickets, who wants to ride on a horse drawn trolley down the middle of Main Street? Our first ride had to be at least a “D” or preferably the famous “E” Ticket. The Holy Grail of all amusement park rides. It has all faded into a blur now, but I seem to recall that the first ride was the Tomorrow Land Rockets to the Moon. To a small town boy, it was worth the half hour wait, which by today’s standards would be fantastic.
After riding the Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Peter Pan, I was getting tired. Our parents went along with the decision to head for more rides. The others went ahead, but my parents, Tio Pete and I sat on a bench at a point where we could see the river boat, Frontier Land and Tom Sawyer’s Island. I was tired, but in absolute heaven. It was a pleasant reality for a ten year old being in Disneyland with family and perfect Southern California weather. How could life be any better?
I was sitting next to my Dad when he leaned over touching his arm to my shoulder. I looked up at him and with a slight head movement, indicated that I should look ahead. I looked and there, standing in a grassy area about fifty feet in front of us was Walt Disney. He was in a suit, just standing there alone, looking around. I honestly couldn’t believe it. My mom noticed and said I should go over and say hello. She might as well have told me to fly to the moon. People that know me now can’t believe that up until about my second year of college, I was very shy. Painfully shy. But it’s true and for me to approach someone as famous as Walt Disney was well beyond my capabilities.
Thankfully my Mom came to the rescue. She took me by the hand and we nervously walked to where he was standing. If memory serves me, we had to step over a very short looped white wire fence, the kind that was popular back then for flower beds. I remember that he seemed about ten feet tall, almost regal, but with a very friendly face and a smile. Mom pushed my hand towards him and he reached out and shook it. He had such a grandfatherly quality about him as he gently engulfed my hand in his. I know he said something to me, but with my heart pounding, not a word was heard. I do remember that he was a gentleman and made us feel as if we were the most important people in the world. I was the richest kid in the world at that moment.
Fortunately my Dad had the presence of mind to grab my camera and capture the moment for me. It’s one of those moments in my life that will never be forgotten thanks to his quick thinking. As I look at the picture now I see a small boy in total awe, looking goofy at his first celebrity encounter. The Pendleton Store is just visible in the background. My mom is behind me, a steadying hand on my arm, smiling for the camera. But the real focus is the man himself, Walt Disney, in his suit and tie casually facing the camera. The genius behind the world’s most famous and best amusement park, animated movies and Mickey Mouse, taking time to shake a young boy’s hand. And fill his heart with absolute joy. Truly this is the stuff dreams are made of.
We were later joined by my cousins and siblings. They were at first incredulous and then jealous. Very jealous. You know, sometimes in pays to be the sensitive, shy and tired one in the family. It sure did that day. Even now people that are close to my age are in absolute awe and sometimes more than just a little envious over the story of the day I met Walt Disney.
Oh, almost forgot, M-O-U-S-E!!!