Disney Legend Dick Nunis Passes Away at 91
Disney Legend Dick Nunis, one of the towering figures in the history of The Walt Disney Company, has passed away at 91.
Nunis was born on May 30, 1932, in Cedartown, Georgia. After receiving a football scholarship, Nunis decided to attend the University of Southern California.
His playing career was cut short, however, when he suffered a broken neck. Changing course, Nunis graduated from USC with a Bachelor of Science in education.
Joining Disneyland
After learning about Disneyland through his classmate and Walt Disney’s son-in-law, Ron Miller, Nunis decided to apply for a job at the theme park on a whim.
He was hired by Van France, who was the founder of Disney University and the author of Disneyland’s orientation and training program. Just prior to the park’s July 17, 1955 opening, the duo began to train the first Disneyland employees. Among the attendees of their inaugural class was Walt Disney himself.
At Disneyland, Nunis quickly worked his way up to attractions supervisor, where he would develop standard operating procedures for all of the park’s attractions.
In 1961, he became director of park operations and began to focus on the development of “Project X,” which would later be known as Walt Disney World.
Continuing Walt’s Legacy
Following the death of Walt Disney, Nunis served as chairman of the Parks Operation Committee and, in 1968, was promoted to vice president of operations.
Even after Walt’s death, Nunis continued to be inspired by his vision.
“Walt believed strongly that what would make Disneyland different was the people—he wanted them to feel that they were part of the organization,” Nunis once said. “That’s why he established the first-name policy—he was Walt, I was Dick, and so on. From an overall operations point of view, the most important thing is to work together to make sure that when guests come, they have a wonderful experience.”
In 1971, Nunis was named executive vice president of Walt Disney World and Disneyland. It was under his watchful eye (and iron fist) that Walt Disney World was ready for its opening day.
In 1980, a month after his 25th anniversary with Disney, Nunis was named president of the Outdoor Recreation Division. This meant he was now overseeing the Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, and eventually the Disney-MGM Studios. He also consulted on plans for Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland as a member of the Walt Disney Productions Board of Directors.
Imagineer Joe Rohde would later claim that without Nunis’s support, Disney’s Animal Kingdom would never have been constructed.
On May 26, 1999, exactly 44 years after starting his “summer job,” Dick Nunis retired as chairman of Walt Disney Attractions. The same year, he was named a Disney Legend.
A True Disney Legend
Most Disney fans have a favorite Dick Nunis story, whether it be the time he punched a hippie at Disneyland or his love for the ill-fated Polynesian wave machine. What we often forget, however, is how vital Nunis was to The Walt Disney Company’s success.
Following Walt’s death, Nunis helped guide the company forward, and without his unmatched administrative ability, Walt Disney World would never have been completed on time.
With Nunis’s passing, there is a little less Disney magic in the world. RIP Dick Nunis.
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