Dave Smith, Disney Legend and founder of The Walt Disney Archives, was honored with the unveiling of his very own window at Disneyland, in the early morning hours of January 24, 2022.
In the late 1960s, Smith was working on a bibliography on Walt Disney when he first heard of a possible archive being created by The Walt Disney Company.
After writing to the company and offering his services, Smith, who passed in 2019, was originally hired in 1970 by Walt’s brother, and The Walt Disney Company co-founder, Roy O. Disney.
His first task was to document all the items in Walt Disney’s office that had been stored there since his death four years earlier.
In addition to running the TWC archives, Smith wrote several books including “Disney A to Z,” an official encyclopedia of Disney knowledge, and the four-volume “Ultimate Dinsey Trivia Book.” He also co-authored the book “Disney: The First 100 Years.”
He was named a Disney Legend in 2007, and in 2010, he announced his retirement after 40 years with the company.
Smith’s window is located above the Fortuosity Shop on Main Street, U.S.A. It was revealed to a small audience of invited guests that included his family and friends, as well as Walt Disney Archives employees.
The inscription reads: “New Century Historical Society, Dave Smith, Town Archivist, Preserving, Protecting, & Presenting Our Fond Memories of the Past.”
D23 posted some video from the event to their instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CZHz9KsAEa4/