John Hench: Celebrating All the Colors of His Rainbow
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Salvador Dali at work in the Disney Studios.

As the applause died down, Roy offered a quote from John Hench, “There’s no trick to it. You just have to love your work.�? He concluded his comments with a few words about “Destino,�? the short feature that was begun in collaboration with surrealist artist Salvador Dali in 1940, completed only last year, and nominated for an Academy Award® in 2004. Roy brought the crowd to laughter recalling some of John’s anecdotes about the project, pointing out, “John had the most clear, exact memory of everything that happened in his life.�? Among them was a memorable trip to deliver a dead swan to Dali—a dead swan that was rapidly decomposing. Roy finished his portion of the program with the presentation of an excerpt from “Destino.�?

A rendered background for “Destino.�?

Marty Sklar next introduced a video tribute from Dick Nunis, colleague and Park Operator. Nunis had been called upon to share memories of his work with John Hench on the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Former Disney executive Dick Nunis

He told about the final rehearsal, right before opening ceremonies, when it began snowing heavily. As Nunis pointed out, “Walt says the show’s gotta go on!�? The director of the extravaganza, Tommy Walker, was issuing orders through a series of speakers as the crew scurried about. Dick Nunis and John Hench were out in the field with them, when Hench suddenly folded his arms and said, “Do you think Tommy Walker, up in that nice warm press box, knows it’s snowing out here?�? Fortunately the snow cleared in the nick of time, and Hench turned to Nunis and said, “Well, shall we warm up the torch?�? Dick Nunis said of John Hench. “He would really take care of anything—the details that make the difference in our Disney Parks.�? He concluded by saying, “Every time I see Mickey Mouse I will think of John Hench.�?

John Hench produced numerous designs for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.

To speak about John Hench’s contributions to Disney’s four 1964 World’s Fair projects, Marty Sklar introduced Roland Fargo Crump. “Rolly,�? started out, predictably, with a laugh, saying, “I just found out today that John Hench and I have something in common. We both started at Disney at $30 a week. But mine was in 1952!�?

Rolly Crump display models for “The Museum of the Weird�? to Julie Rheim and Walt Disney.

Rolly spoke of the four Disney pavilions at the Fair: Ford’s Magic Skyway, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln for the State of Illinois, General Electric’s Carousel of Progress, and it’s a small world for Pepsi and UNICEF. As sketches and photos were displayed on the screen, he spoke warmly of the work he had done with John Hench and Herb Ryman. He pointed out, “We worked as a team, which was unusual for John. I feel sorry that others did not have the same opportunity.�?

John Hench’s rendering of the proposed Ford Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair

Rolly spoke of John’s expertise with color: “John’s claim to fame is that he was a color guru. He actually trained me while we were doing the Ford pavilion to use 25 values of white!�? Rolly also spoke of the time he found Hench tracing a design of the sun from a book. When Rolly asked how he could justify tracing, Hench gave him a lofty statement about the timelessness of art, the value of homage, and how existing designs could find new uses through interpretation. So, concluded Rolly, “He did kinda teach me how to trace the tikis for the Tiki Room.�? As he finished his comments, Rolly sheepishly admitted, “I would love to tell you stuff that I can’t tell you.�?

John Hench rendered this over head view of Disneyland’s Tiki Garden.