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

On Sunday, we'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. 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,

plan 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.

For the most part, the applicants were young men and women in their late 20s and early 30s who

had worked up through operational ranks at Disneyland.

Disney legend Tom Nabby recalls his exploratory trip in detail, quote, after spending some time in Central Florida, I asked myself some tough questions.

Is this where I want to go and is this where I want to someday raise my kids?

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