Disney Legend, Walt Disney Archives founder Dave Smith to be honored with Disneyland window

Disney Legend and founder of the Walt Disney Archives, Dave Smith, will soon receive the highest honor that Disneyland Resort can give: a tribute window on Main Street, U.S.A.

Smith’s Disney career began on June 22, 1970, when he founded the Archives. Hired by Roy O. Disney, Smith was responsible for growing the Archives from a one-person department to the ideal model for corporate archives.

Smith’s window will be unveiled on June 22, 2020, the 50th anniversary date of the Walt Disney Archives’ founding.

Smith, who passed away in 2019, had a regular column on Disney history in “The Disney Channel Magazine,” “Disney Magazine,” “Disney Newsreel,” and numerous other articles in publications like “Starlog,” “Manuscripts,” “American Archivist,” and “California Historical Quarterly.”

He is the author of the official Disney encyclopedia, “Disney A to Z,” now in its fifth edition; co-authored four volumed of “The Ultimate Disney Trivia Book” with Kevin Neary; co-wrote “Disney: The First 100 Years” with Steven Clark; and edited “The Quotable Walt Disney.”

Smith was honored with the Disney Legends Award in 2007, and retired in 2010 after his 40th anniversary with The Walt Disney Company. He continued to work for the following nine years as a consultant for the company.

More details on the unveiling of the Disneyland window for Dave Smith will be revealed at a later date, so be sure to stay tuned for updates.