Walt's Apprentice: Keeping the Disney Dream Alive

by Dick Nunis

Overview

Walt's Apprentice: Keeping the Disney Dream Alive is the memoir of Disney Legend Dick Nunis. It is a warm personal reminiscence of learning directly from Walt Disney for 12 years, followed by more than 30 years devoted to championing his vision and standards as the Disney empire grew. The story covers Disney's highlights, including the 1960 Winter Olympics, 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, and the development and opening of Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. Unlike other Disney books, this story is told from the perspective of operations rather than Imagineering. It touches on decisions that defined the guest experience and Disney's reputation for quality in areas ranging from capacity and people-moving, training, delivering a consistent "good show," food service, and more.This first-person narrative is presented as a series of wide-ranging vignettes. Some vignettes focus on personal, character-shaping events, such as the injury that ended his collegiate football career. Other stories touch on national events, such as Nikita Khrushchev's derailed visit to Disneyland, the decision to close the park following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan's assistance in expediting the visa process for cast members staffing the Epcot World Showcase. Few people have enjoyed a life so immersed in Disney magic. These stories share that magic through the memories of one of the original doers and dreamers. Searching for that perfect gift for the #1 Disney fan in your life? Explore more behind-the-scenes stories from Disney Editions: One Little Spark! Mickey's Ten Commandments and The Road to Imagineering (By Disney Legend Marty Sklar) Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career (By Kevin Rafferty) Travels with Walt Disney: A Photographic Voyage Around the World (By Jeff Kurtti) Eat Like Walt: The Wonderful World of Disney Food (By Marcy Carriker Smothers) Walt Disney: An American Original (By Bob Thomas)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368096799
Publisher:	Disney Press
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Sold by:	DISNEY PUBLISHING WORLDWIDE -EBKS
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Author Info:
Dick Nunis was a cast member when the gates of Disneyland opened in 1955. For the next eleven years, he learned professional and personal lessons from his mentor Walt Disney, America’s greatest showman. This personal journey takes us through his remarkable forty-four-year career with The Walt Disney Company, beginning as an hourly cast member, and rising to Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, where he nurtured and applied with unwavering dedication and tireless energy the lessons he learned alongside Walt Disney. Thanks to his contributions, Dick Nunis is a Disney Legend, and Walt’s Disney’s dream of creating “The Happiest Places on Earth” continues to delight each new generation of guests around the world.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
A Quick Career Time Line
The Day My Apprenticeship Ended

Act 1:Life Before Disney
Sincerity + Guts = Success
The Family You Find
It Can Be Done
Big Men on Campus
My Lucky Break
Hanging Ten with Hobie
Let’s Shake on It

Act 2:The Early Years at Disneyland (and “Other Duties as Required”)
Disneyfication
Hired, Despite My Shoes
Creating “Creating Happiness”The Opening Before the Opening
Black Sunday Survivor
The Cruise That Launched My Career
The Nunis Theory of Ones, Twos, Threes, and Fours
Climb Every Mountain? What I Did in the Cold War
The Miracle of Squaw Valley
An Unofficial Training Ground Opens
The Day We Closed Disneyland
Mineral King, a Park That Never Was
Show Me Vs. Sunshine? Small World, Big Apple
A Jolly Holiday at Grauman’s
The Class of ’55 Celebrates the Tencennial
Cloak & Dagger & Cans
Project X-plained
Walt Leaves a Hole in Our World
Scaring Up Capacity
The Invasion That Failed
Act 3: Project X: the Biggest Dream Yet
The Gofer Hires His Boss
Losing an Ally
Green Side Up!Pajama Party
The Disney Underground
Carving Out a Wilderness
Tiny and the Monorail
Hitting the Greens“Disney’s Finally Done It!”Making Waves
Mike, Mickey, and Me on TV
Whetting an Appetite for Quality
Farewell
Bringing River Country to Disney

Act 4:Disney Goes Global, at Home and Abroad
Under New Management
Delivering the 21st Century—Some Assembly Required
General Nunis Reporting for Duty
Kanpai!
Merchandising Was Not Lost in Translation
The Kids Who Could
Free-Range France
The Ultimate Souvenir Hunt
Two (Extra) Ordinary Joes
Management by Rampaging Around“On Call” to Our Partners
Friends in High Places Help EPCOT
How EPCOT Evolved
The Challenges of EPCOT
Another Opening, Another Show (place) Becoming a Floridian
People Mover
Disney Ahoy
Club 22
Serendipity-Do-Dah
Who Wore It Better? I Did.
Cast Members Have Their Say
Playing Favorites
Mr. Business
Keeping Quality on the Menu
Disneyana
Helping Give Kids the World
Mingling with Mutants and Muppets
Down Under

Now It’s Time to Say Goodbye . . .
May 26, 1999I Do Windows
The Man, the Myth, the Punch Line

Encore!
Go Knights!E-Ticket to Ride
The Industry Recognizes Walt’s Dream, Realized
A Final Word: Gratitude

Editorial Reviews

This entertaining and instructive memoir appropriately mirrors a theme-park adventure. Nunis takes readers on a journey through the ups, downs, twists, and turns of his career at Disney. Structured as a series of short anecdotes followed by "lessons learned," Walt's Apprentice is effective as a professional model for reflection and improvement as well as a guide for changing with the times and endlessly striving for excellence. Crammed with gems such as "you can always make things better and if you can, you should," shared experiences reflect the thoughts of several Disney leaders in addition to Nunis, adding richness to the content. Any title providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of Disney is sure to be popular with a wide audience. This offering is worthy of that popularity based on both its engaging voice and valuable business insights. Recommended for business collections in all library types.—Val Edwards, Booklist

From the Publisher