By Rhett Wickham

The official White House press release dated November 8th is rather understated and direct. It reads simply:

This is followed by a list of the recipients in alphabetical order. Sixth from the top is the following entry:

I read it over and over again. Ollie Johnston. At long last. I am, today, so proud of America for acknowledging the contribution of art in society, and particularly for recognizing the greatest surviving pioneer of the most unique and original of all art forms born in this Nation. I’ve know for a while that Ollie was to be honored, but the dawn of the day gives the fact a sweet and golden glow. This is a kind of pride and renewal of faith in my government that I’ve not felt in some time.

Ollie Johnston has been preparing for his travel to Washington ever since he received the news. He didn’t want to make too big a fuss on his 93rd birthday, this past Halloween day, as he thought it more important to rest and reserve his strength. He is accompanied by his family and by his very good friend, Roy E. Disney. The distance between Los Angeles and Washington is great in both time and temperament. To travel it safely is not so much the worry, I suspect, as having every sensory passage fully open, aware, and prepared to embrace the experience and capture the moment, keeping it close to his heart. He’s been doing it that way since he was born – living, that is, from the heart, in every way, every day.

It’s funny to think of Ollie having to keep anything in reserve, as his immense talent has been rising high above the banks of normal expectation for nearly a century now, fertilizing the soil from which have sprung more devoted pupils and adoring fans the world over than…well, more than the man who will be placing the medal around his neck today in the Oval Office of the White House, I’d wager. This is very different from the politics of mere polling; it is the grace of acknowledging, on behalf of the Citizens of the United States, the great contribution to something that outlives and outlasts popularity or fashion.

The National Medal for the Arts was first authorized by Congress over twenty years ago, following then President Ronald Reagan’s suggestion that the National Council on the Arts - the advisory body to the National Endowment for the Arts - honor both artist and art patrons in a more formal way. The Congress allows no more than twelve medals be awarded each year, and states that they be bestowed upon “Individuals or groups, who in the President’s judgment, are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.�? (Personally, I like the way it sounds in my head when I imagine it being spoken by a five-year-old Peter Behn. Of course when I do that, it always ends with a little aside, something along the lines of “Boy, that sure is a mouthful!�?)

So, how is it that the man who breathed life into Thumper, Pinocchio, Br’er Rabbit, Rufus the Cat, and Prince John comes by this honor? Largely through the efforts of Briar Rose, actually.

Mary Costa sits on the National Council on the Arts, the body that advises the Chairman of the NEA on all policies and programs established by Congress in 1964. To understand what a presence on the Council means one need only look at the first members appointed by President Lyndon Johnson. They included Gregory Peck, Leonard Bernstein, Sidney Poitier, and John Steinbeck. Mary Costa works alongside Maribeth McGinley, another Council member who works as an art director and designer in Glendale. Ms. McGinley is president of a graphic design studio that develops branding for film and television, and clients include both the Disney Store and Walt Disney Art Classics.

Together, Maribeth McGinley and Mary Costa placed Ollie’s name into nomination and provided ample evidence to support the recommendation that the White House acknowledge his lifetime achievement. This is not the first time Ollie has been nominated, as both Ollie and his life-long friend and colleague Frank Thomas have been placed into nomination previously. Sadly, Frank passed away before the NEA and any administration could acknowledge them, but Ollie will represent magnificently today, no doubt. He always does.

Speaking exclusively to Laughing Place, Mary Costa said "Ollie Johnston is one of the truly unique artists of his time and one of the grandest gentlemen in my life," noting that she's known Ollie since Walt first cast her as the voice of Briar Rose in 1952 as the seven long years of production on “Sleeping Beauty�? revved up.

"I've known and loved him and his work for such a long time that it feels a little like a member of my own family is being honored," said the always elegant and beautiful Ms. Costa, who was in Washington preparing for the Honoree Dinner last night. "His hand-drawn animation represents an era of excellence, a time when animators such as Ollie and his contemporaries created some of the best work ever produced by Hollywood. Ollie is virtually the last of Walt Disney's inner circle, a special link to a rich legacy of work that continues to inspire new generations of animators and artists."

So, join me in raising a glass with all the spirit of Mr. Smee, and let us toast my friend and my hero, a true American Original, the Honorable Oliver Martin Johnston, Jr.

BRAVO OLLIE!!! And thank you, for breaking new ground in the art of film, and for keeping that ground-breaking spirit alive in every loving, gentle, comedic, heartfelt and thoughtful performance of your career, as well as in your writing and your words of encouragement.

Marie is watching today, Ollie, and she’s smiling and laughing, and loving you as always. We all love you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Congratulations.