| The last my friend Walt Disney said to me: "I am glad there are real heroes like you so we can make our pretend ones." What I did for Walt to say that : When Disneyland was starting to be built Walt wanted someone to bring in food- big quantities and at wholesale prices. William Randolph Hearst recommended my father, Frank Dias, who had done that during the construction of Hearst Castle. My father could have used the money but there was something more important. Instead of of a letter or phone call he decided to turn down the offer in person- an excuse to meet somebody he had admired for years. Happy father. I thought he was a nice guy. While we were there somebody said something about the trouble they were having with the performers and the trouble with the food service places. Trying to be helpful my father said the solution was easy. He volunteered to lead the negotiations. That took about 10 meetings. What will I do during those meetings? My father banned Walt from the meetings. Walt offered to show me around. I accepted. Him and I started talking about things like construction and design and materials- a surprise to him because I was only 9 years old. One time I made a suggestion to a painter to use an additive to the paint. Next week a Disneyland employee offered me a check for $2,000- I turned it down. When he heard about that Walt offered me a check for $3,000. I turned that down. I only wanted to see alot of people having fun. And help my big friend Walt. My father talked the workers into a settlement- some of the performers would work some additional hours in food service and some of the food service workers would work as performers. All of them would have a full work week. After the worker solution Walt and I did not see each other for about 3 weeks. Then he asked to see me- quick. I did. He said to me that the union picketers had stopped all business at Disneyland for so long that if he did not have 3 weeks revenue soon the bank was going to shut down Disneyland and his studios where he made cartoons and movies. He then said that he had read the Los Angeles page 2 article about how the union had not dared beat me like they did a truck driver at the Los Angeles Vegetable Exchange when I drove in about a hundred semis. Would I do that for him? I thought- for him, yes. For the employees taking home money, yes. For the people to have fun at Disneyland, yes. For those to watch his cartoons and movies, yes. To me worth facing death by those union gangsters. The day came. Simple- I got in a borrowed truck and drove to the south parking lot. Stopped. Got out. Walked towards the service entrance with a small box of tomatoes. The union gangster would had hit a friend of mine at the vegetable exchange quickly walked away. The others slowly moved out of my way- A picture of me had been in the Los Angeles Times. I walked in and handed the box of tomatoes to a friend of Walt's. I walked back to the truck, got in and started the motor. Easy to drive right in- they had move away from the service entrance. My father was across the street giving a signal to a convoy of vehicles- I counted 11 trucks and 67 cars. Before they got to where I was at there was something to do to these union gangsters. They made a living scaring and beating people. So, a supercharger had been put on to make a great loud sound. A little more gas there was a loud rumble from the truck The union gangster started to look worried. More gas started that charger to scream. The gangsters started walking fast and dropping their bats. I put on full gas- the screaming of the motor it was heard from Los Angeles City Hall. Loud enough for some union gangsters to cover their ears as the ran from the truck. Three peed in their pants as they ran to their cars. Two forgot about their pickup and kept running down the street towards the ocean. They were in their own hell. I drove into heaven, I mean Disneyland. Pretend heroes or real heroes- many millions have enjoyed Disney entertainment since then. Walt and I know the difference. Now you know the difference. Bobby |
| Walt Disney And Me |