I'm posting up another midweek episode to keep the holiday mood moving forward.

Also, I want to remind listeners that I'll be at the Buena Vista branch of the Burbank Public

Library this Thursday, December 18th, at 7 to read and talk about making Mary Poppins.

And then on this Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. I'll be at Walt

Disney's Carol Wood Barn in Griffith Park. There's no presentation but I think I'll be at

a table I can sign books and I can talk to you about anything you like concerning the

podcast or other things relating to Disney history. On Sunday we'll'll have a new show, but today we're going back to that pivotal first Christmas

at Walt Disney World and how Walt Disney World's first year changed the lives of many people.

So whether you're off to work or out for a walk or driving off to see some loved ones for a special celebration,

here's hoping that today's seasonal episode keeps your spirits bright.

Let's go.

Let's go. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Disney company worked through the question as to who would manage Disney

World once it was open. During construction and beyond, senior executives at the studio, such as

Roy Disney, Card Walker, and Don Tatum, planned to keep their offices at the Disney Studio in Burbank,

making only short field trips to Florida every few weeks.

Long-time Disneyland management, such as Joe Fowler and Jack Sayers, planned to stay in Anaheim,

also making only short trips. Even Dick Nunes, who eventually oversaw park operations,

split his time between California and Florida. To manage the new resort,

the company initiated a training program designed to promote operations and transportation

managers from within frontline ranks. In 1969 and 1970, hourly cast members at Disneyland,

typically with some supervisors' experience, could apply for a promotion if they were willing to relocate to Florida.

Once an application was accepted, the applicant was given a two-week trip to Orlando, sometimes with their spouse, to better understand what the change would entail.

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