Wayne Allwine: A Celebration of Life
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Disney CEO Bob Iger
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Don Hahn was the moderator and introduced the first speaker, Bob Iger (CEO of the Walt Disney Company). Bob said �Disney has created some of the world�s most endearing and enduring characters, as well the world�s most valuable and it�s no secret to all of you that in fact Mickey is the most valuable character that exists in the world for so many reasons, commercial and otherwise. Not only is Mickey the most valuable character in the world but if there is a heart and a soul to Disney, it's Mickey Mouse because no one, whether they are a human being or an animated character, really says as much about who we are as a company, as much about Disney as Mickey. And Wayne did so much with his talent and his personality and his work ethics to both preserve and to expand the values that Mickey represents to all of us. There are so many personality traits that were Mickey�s that I know were also Wayne�s, notably a fantastic sense of humor �.and a huge sense of humility. Those qualities enabled Wayne to provide real integrity of performance, which is so vital to the personality that he brought to Mickey. But Wayne�s integrity went well beyond performance. I know that he was a man of great integrity and also a very kind and giving person, whether he was in character as Mickey Mouse or out of character as Wayne Allwine. And just like Mickey, he was an ambassador of good everywhere he went, whether he was working for Disney or whether he was just in his own personal life. �.He would call children in hospitals all over the country, all over world in the Voice of Mickey Mouse and give them a little humor, a feeling of excitement, a feeling of joy at times when they were in their most difficult moments, even as children�Wayne was a character with a lot of character�One of the ways that he and Russi gave to others was through an organization called Guide Dogs for the Blind. Guess you�re both dog lovers or so I was told. And you appreciated the value that dogs could bring to blind people, not only to help them see but to provide really important security and companionship to them. And so to honor your involvement with that organization on behalf of the Walt Disney Company we are going to present a check in Wayne�s name to the Guide Dogs of America for $10,000.�

Iger presents a check to Guide Dogs of America
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Dave Smith gave a brief history of Wayne Allwine. �As early as age 7, he got the show business bug appearing as one of the children interviewed on Art Linkletter�s House Party. Attending John Burroughs High School here in Burbank, just down the street, he formed his own acoustic music group, The International Singers, which performed in clubs and colleges all over the state. He also recorded with such singers as Dobie Gray and Bobby Vinton and was a member of a group called the Arrows. Deciding on a less hectic job, he began work at Disney on Aug.29, 1966 at age twenty in the mail room, being paid the princely sum of $87 a week. ..From the mail room Wayne worked briefly in wardrobe, then moved to audio post production beginning a 7 � year stint, apprenticing under sound effects expert, Jim McDonald. Wayne went to an open audition for the Voice of Mickey Mouse in 1977 when Jim McDonald retired and he walked away with the part�. Mickey�s voice, as you all know, had been originated by Walt Disney himself. Then Jim McDonald took over in 1947. But Wayne would continue doing the voice for 32 years. Of the three people to do the voice, Wayne had the longest stint�.. Besides the occasional recording sessions for Mickey, Wayne continued to work in sound design and sound effects editing for Disney films and TV shows�Wayne received an Emmy award in 1986 for his work on Steven Spielberg�s Amazing Stories. He met his future wife, Russi Taylor, at a recording session for Totally Minnie in 1986. �Wayne and Russi were both welcome guests at numerous Disneyana and National Fantasy Fan Club Conventions, being named as Disney Legends at the latter in 2003. � Wayne and Russi received even the more impressive Disney Legend Award by the company in Oct 2008 and their handprints will soon be on bronze plaques here in this Plaza. Wayne passed away on May 18, 2009 at UCLA Medical Center at age 62. Wayne, you are greatly missed.�