Thoughts on Walt
Page 23 of 26

Roger W. Nurick

What Walt Disney Meant to Me

I just wanted to say what Walter Elias Disney meant to me: Walt Disney's life and his achievements inspired me at a fairly young age to pursue a similar career in the arts, although I've gone down a long road to get to where I am today. From several biographies written about Walt Disney I read as a younger person, I realized that I too wanted to have a career that would basically be a fun and interesting way in which to make a life for one's self.

My parents were also adding fuel to the fire to the type of what career I would pursue. During the 1960's - 1970's, my parents, along with my brother and I, made many trips to Disneyland. We lived in California at that time and had the convenience of being fairly close enough that we could go often. As I got older and moved away to Nevada, I was then planning on making my own pilgrimage to Disneyland. In fact, my first trip away from home over state lines was to Disneyland, and my younger brother accompanied me on my first trip away from home. It was the most exciting time in my life, but it would certainly not be my last.

I really loved the 'wonderful world' that Walt Disney had brought to life, and it was during my junior high school and high school years that really decided for me what career I was going to pursue. Not only did I really love going to Disneyland and watching many of the movies that the Disney Studios were famous for producing, but I was also highly interested in animation, and especially fascinated by the process of Audio Animatronic figures. I remember when I first rode on the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' ride for the first time, although I was quite young, I was in heaven. The sights, sounds, and music, not to mention human and animal figures that actually moved by themselves and spoke and sang, I thought that attraction was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen.

Then in 1969 when 'The Haunted Mansion' opened its creaking doors to the public, being only seven years old at the time, I was hooked yet again. By this time, I fully believed that the Disney people could do almost anything that was of high quality and entertaining (if I had a choice in the matter, I personally would've loved to have seen the Western version of the 'Pirates' show called 'The Great Western River Expedition' come into being, but some things never come to pass).

As I continued to journey to Disneyland as the years went by, I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a part of the people responsible for bringing so much joy to the world. As I got older, I hadn't lost interest in the things produced by the Walt Disney Studios. Still inspired by my original feelings, I planned on going to go to school and study things required that would lead me to a job working as a Disney Imagineer.

Actually, it didn't quite work out the way I had planned. Feelings change, we grow up, and tastes change. Although I was still very interested in the kind of work that went on at the Walt Disney Studios, I got side-tracked when I discovered that I also liked video camera work and basic editing that I had learned in my eighth grade audiovisual production class at Woodbury Junior High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. I enjoyed creating small television programs and commercials as a part of the introductory class, and for the most part, I decided then that I couldn't do both things in life - become a Walt Disney Imagineer AND a television production specialist at the same time.

I had made my decision, and television production won out. Through my entire high school years, I knew where I was heading in my career choice. I attended Southern Nevada Vocational Technical Center (VOTEC) because I knew I was going to need specialized training to achieve my goals. After my freshman and sophomore years, it was during my junior and senior years (at the very same school) I was able to attend the two-year audiovisual/television production course taught at VOTEC. I was awarded my high school diploma in 1979.

Walt Disney delved into the use of television in the mid 1950's as a way of financing his future 'dream park', with his popular (and way before my time!) 'Mickey Mouse Club' and 'Disneyland' programs for the American Broadcasting Company. With these highly popular programs, Walt had found the financing needed to make his newest dreams come true. Coming back to my own experience, I thought that television production would be an interesting way to make a living, while emulating what my 'hero' did in life and staying with my choice of career.

In order to achieve my dream of working in the television production field, having a high school training course wasn't enough. I knew that I needed to have a way in which to learn the business. So, just as much as what Walt Disney did, I too joined had decided to join the U.S. military, and it did help me to get where I am in life today. I am sure that Walt probably had a more patriotic reason to enlist in the service than I did when he enlisted as a Red Cross ambulance driver during World War One, but I would like to think that I am in good company with Walt Disney when I can say that I did serve my country as well, and had a good time doing it.

I joined the U.S. Army when I was seventeen and went to work as an Audiovisual Production Specialist, which was basically learning the various aspects of the television field and helping to produce video programming, although I had also learned about basic photography, and some graphics type work. I served in various locations to include California, Alaska, and overseas in Korea. I left active duty in June of 1991, and stayed overseas and worked several jobs apart from what I did while on active duty. After a year of working in various locations, I got a break when a position for an Audiovisual Production Specialist came available with Civilian Service. So I decided to 'enlist' again, this time as an U.S. Army civilian employee in Korea.

Which brings me to where I am today. Since September of 2001, I have still been doing what I love while working as a civilian employee with the United States Air Force at Peterson AFB in Colorado. I can say that I have the best of both worlds: not only am I still able to get out and shoot with a video camera and edit on occasisions, but I am also helping to create 2D and 3D artwork and graphics with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Recently I began learning how to work with a 3D software package called 3D Studio Max which is what we will be using to produce 3D animation projects in support of Air Force requirements. There is much that I have yet to learn and achieve, but I am having a great time doing it, and slowly but surely, I am coming back around to my original love for creating 3D animated projects and entertainment, as well as getting to create video projects. While I probably won't be doing anything close to creating an AudioAnimatronic extravaganza, I am having the satisfaction of knowing that I am able to do what I love, and I can say that I originally had Walt Disney to thank for this. If I could say anything to him today it would be this:

'Thanks 'Uncle Walt' for your life and your achievements. If you left me any thing to remember you by, I would say that there are several things. You and your company have created some of the most outstanding achievements and attractions ever created and that you have left a legacy that is enjoyed by many people in the world today and tomorrow. You had inspired me to always reach for a higher goal in whatever I set out to create or do; to always do the best in whatever thing I set out to do; have good work ethics and never settle for mediocrity to achieve goals; to stay with a project and never quit even when circumstances seem nearly impossible; always strive for quality, and not settle for second-best; help others to find their own creative ideas and concepts, and to help others do the job that they are best suited for; and most importantly, never to sit on my laurels when I've achieved something I am satisfied with. Life is too short and there is so much to learn. With your life, you helped me decide what I wanted to do with my own.'

This is what Walt Disney meant to me.