It is disturbing how little historical attention seems to be paid to Disney events that happened shortly after the death of Walt Disney. It is just one of those “black holes” that exist in the books and articles that are more fascinated by the great Imagineer than in those who struggled to keep the dream alive after Walt’s death. Here is one of those stories.
In a ceremony on March 25, 1969, almost three years after the death of Walt Disney, then President Richard Nixon presented to Mrs. Lillian Disney a commemorative medal gold medal, authorized by Public Law 90-316 (90th Congress, H.J. Res. 1234) and struck by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, bears a likeness of Walt Disney on one side and Walt Disney’s famous cartoon character, Mickey Mouse, on the other.
The medal was designed by C. Robert Moore of Walt Disney Productions who also designed the Walt Disney commemorative six-cent stamp which was issued by the United States Post Office Department in September 1968.
The gold medal was sponsored in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Del Clawson, Robert Wilson and Richard Hanna. In the Senate, the resolution was introduced by Senator George L. Murphy (a former actor and staunch Republican) and co-sponsored by fifty-two other senators.
The Joint Resolution stated in part:
“That, in recognition of the distinguished public service and outstanding contributions to the United States and to the world, the President of the Untied States is authorized to present in the name of the people…and …of the Congress to the widow of the late Walt Disney, a gold medal, with suitable emblems, devices and inscriptions to be determined by Walt Disney Productions with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury.”
The Joint Resolution also authorized the production of 100,000 duplicates of the commemorative medal in bronze by the Treasury to be used by the California Institute of the Arts in their fund raising program. (The cost of creating the gold medal and the replicas was borne by the school!)
Walt Disney was instrumental in the formation in 1961 of California Institute of the Arts and the concept of a “community of the arts”. In addition to a substantial endowment from Walt Disney’s estate, the Institute also received a five million dollar gift from the Walt Disney Foundation. The sale of this special commemorative medal was to help the school reach its financial objectives.
Accompanying Mrs. Walt Disney to the White House for the ceremony were seventeen other members of the Disney family. These included Roy O. Disney and his wife Edna, Walt’s two daughters: Diane Disney Miller and Sharon Disney Brown, Diane’s husband Ron (then Vice President and Executive Producer at Walt Disney Productions) and their six children, and Roy E. Disney with his wife Patty and their four children.
REMARKS AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE WALT DISNEY COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL. MARCH 25, 1969 at 11:05 am in the State Dining Room at the White House.
President Richard Nixon: “Mrs. Disney, members of the Disney family, ladies and gentlemen, and all of our younger guests here today. (Some 200 third and fourth grade Washington area schoolchildren were invited to the White House for the ceremony followed by a party in the East Room).
“Many ceremonies are held in this White House, but none that I think will have more meaning to all of us, young and old, than this one today, because it is my great privilege to present to Mrs. Walt Disney, on behalf of the Congress of the Untied States, by reason of a joint resolution, and on behalf of all the people of the United States and, I think, of the world, a gold medal. A gold medal honoring Walt Disney for his service through so many years not only to the people of the United States, but to the people of the world.
“The medal and the resolution will speak for themselves, but in making this presentation, and before I do so, I would like to just add a word that I know all of you would want to say to Mrs. Disney and to her children and to Walt Disney’s brother, Roy Disney, and their family who are here today.
“It is very hard to describe our feelings about Walt Disney. I say our feelings, because my wife and I had the opportunity of knowing him personally. He was just as exciting and interesting personally as he was in all of those wonderful movies that we remember through the years, starting with the cartoons and then the real life ones and then MARY POPPINS and all of the rest.
“To know this man was to know that we had been fortunate to have a spirit with us that perhaps comes once in a generation to a fortunate people.
“But I think we are all very lucky that we still have Walt Disney with us. We have him in his movies; we see him on television sometimes when we see those wonderful creations rerun, and of course, those of us who have the chance can go to Disneyland in California or Disneyland in Florida when it is completed; and there it all is, this man so creative, so imaginative, so fine.
“You know in these days of entertainment when we do have on television and sometimes in the movies some kinds of entertainment that many think are not perhaps too constructive and too healthy—I was talking to Senator Pastore about his problem in my office yesterday—we are very fortunate to have had a Walt Disney, a Walt Disney who recognized that what was important was to make people happy.
“You have heard some music today, and the theme of that music was ‘Dreams Coming True’. If you think back about all of the music, the soundtracks from the Walt Disney films, looking ahead, dreams were coming true.
“That is why he leaves for us a very special place in our hearts. And in our hearts that means a very special place in our hearts for you, Mrs. Disney, and for your family.
“I once asked Walt Disney how I should describe him when we went out and dedicated the monorail at Disneyland. He said that he was an ‘Imagineer’, which means he was an engineer with imagination.
“But he was more than that. He was a great artist. He was a perfectionist. He was a wonderful human being.
“All of that he shared with us, not just with his family who loved him because they knew him, but he shared it with the world, and the world is a better and happier and more joyful place in which to live because he was there.
“Could I say a word to the children that are here? Most people, when they think of Walt Disney, think that he created his various movies and cartoons and the rest, and Disneyland just for children. But he didn’t think that at all.
“I once asked him about that, and he said, ‘Oh, that isn’t true’. He said, ‘I don’t create just for children. I never talk down to them’.
“The reason he was successful, you see, was that he respected children-young people of all ages—and because he respected them he was able to communicate not only with the young people, but with the older people as well.
“Perhaps that is what we all need today. When we talk about the problem of the generation gap, and how we are able to communicate with our children, we can learn from Walt Disney, a man who could communicate because he had that one quality which is so important. He had respect for an individual no matter how young he was, or how old.
“So with those words, Mrs. Disney, I am honored, on behalf of the Congress, to present this gold medal to you, and also to make presentations of bronze medals to the members of your family and also the Members of the House and the Senate who are here, who sponsored the joint resolution.
“In addition, I want to tell you that the sales of these commemorative medals will go to a very good purpose, and that is for the California Institute of the Arts, which will further the very programs that Walt Disney had such a vital interest in.
“Thank you very much.”
MRS. WALT DISNEY: “I am very grateful to be here, and to see all of you wonderful children who knew him and loved him, too. I think this is a wonderful time in our life. Thank you.”
PRESIDENT NIXON: “Thank you. I think that since Senator Murphy is the ranking Member of the House and Senate that sponsored this resolution, we would like to hear a word from Senator Murphy. He knew and loved Walt Disney. George, would you say a word?”
SENATOR MURPHY: “I would be very honored to. I think that the story of Walt Disney and Walt Disney’s feeling for people and understanding has been very well expressed by the President this morning. I, too, had the privilege of knowing him, knowing him quite well. He was one of the most wonderful individuals I think probably that ever lived.
“As you said so well, Mr. President, we are fortunate in this generation to have known him. We are particularly fortunate to have so many of his accomplishments and his works recorded on film and existing in the Disneyland parks, so that not only this generation, but generations to come can have the same enjoyment and the same privilege. Thank you very much, Mr. President.”
PRESIDENT NIXON: “This is Walt’s partner and brother, Roy Disney. Thank you very much for coming. We are particularly happy to welcome all of our guests from California, and all of the schoolchildren from the Washington area. We hope that you will all get a chance to go to Disneyland sometime.
“How many of the schoolchildren here have been to Disneyland? You see, quite a few, but not enough. We hope you all go either to the one in California or the one in Florida, because it is a wonderful treat. How many adults have been to Disneyland? You are missing something. Thank you very much.”
(The text of a White House release describing the medal and the ceremony is printed in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Vol. 5, pg. 469.)