Dave Smith (archivist)

Dave Smith

Smith in 2010
Born David R. Smith
(1940-10-13) October 13, 1940
Pasadena, California, U.S
Nationality American
Occupation Former Chief Archivist at Walt Disney Archives

Dave Smith (born October 13, 1940) is the founder and former chief archivist at the Walt Disney Archives, which is located in the Frank G. Wells Building at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

Early life

Dave Smith was born David R. Smith on October 13, 1940 and raised in Pasadena, California. He appreciated Disney movies as a child and having lived in California, visited Disneyland frequently.[1] He later graduated from University of California, Berkeley and spent a year and a half as an intern at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. He then moved back to California and worked as a librarian at UCLA for five years.[2] 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. Smith, still working at UCLA at the time, wrote a letter to the Disney Company offering his services, which was accepted.[3]

Career

Smith's Disney Legends plaque in Legends Plaza at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank

He joined the company on June 22, 1970, as its first archivist.[4] His first task was to document all the items in Walt Disney's office which had sat dormant since his death in 1966.

Smith has written many books, including Disney A to Z, an official encyclopedia of Disney knowledge, as well as the Walt Disney Trivia Books, and also co-authored Disney: The First 100 Years. In 2007, Smith was honored with the Disney Legends Award, an honor given to people who have made significant contributions to The Walt Disney Company.[5] During his acceptance speech, he stated that he has at one time worked with nearly all the other Disney Legends.

Forty years later, on Thursday, June 24, 2010, he announced he would soon be retiring.[6]

Books

References

  1. "Dave Smith". Google Sites. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  2. Wolf, Scott (2007). "Dave Smith talks about starting the Disney Archives". Mouse Clubhouse. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  3. "Into The Walt Disney Archives With Disney Legend Dave Smith". DISUnplugged. June 9, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  4. "Disney Legends - Dave Smith (Archives)". Disney. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  5. "About the Author: Dave Smith". D23. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  6. Boucher, Geoff (June 24, 2010). "Column One: Pack rat in the Mouse House". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 17, 2017.


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