On April 9, 2013, Disneyland executives unveiled a tribute window on Main Street dedicated to Harrison "Buzz" Price. Below are his son David's comments that he delivered to the audience.
HARRISON “BUZZ” PRICE WINDOW DEDICATION - APRIL 9, 2013
Good morning everyone!
I'm David Price, son of "Buzz" and Anne Price. While Dad and Mom are no longer with us, the Price siblings and our families along with friends and colleagues are here in full force. Be assured that Buzz and Annie are at the other end of Main Street cheering us on.
On behalf of my wife Alicia and I, my brother Bret and his wife Lynn, my sister Dana, and my sister Holly and her husband Al, along with our children and close friends, we want to extend our gratitude to the Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Imagineering and Disneyland for organizing this very special dedication.
I also want to thank an amazing bunch of Disney volunteers and enthusiasts that have embraced this dedication as well as the many community causes that they support.
Dad would be grinning ear to ear about his window dedication on Main Street honoring his role in the creation of Disneyland. The creative work leading to the opening of Disneyland was truly a transformational moment. Buzz often said that he was incredibly lucky to be around for it. That's an easy truth but it hardly explains the how and the why of it.
Simply put, Buzz was the right man at the right time. His special brand of humor, wit, passion and intelligence resonated with two brothers who would launch a revolution in family entertainment and destination attractions.
Buzz's "Yes If" approach to creative thinking allowed Walt and Roy to move forward with their ideas in a manner that changed our world. His "Yes If" approach was also essential for giving direction and balance to a dynamic and creative attractions industry inspired by the vision and success of Walt Disney.
Where did Buzz's "Yes If" approach spring from? He most certainly understood it's practical dimensions, but he also appreciated it's application when you're surrounded by creative thinkers and visionaries. His "Yes If" approach stands as a Golden Rule for creative thinking and problem solving.
While Buzz could drill down into numbers with a focus that boarded on obsession, he also knew how to translate numbers and economic data into meaningful and easily understood terms. This "Yes If" approach combined with his intelligence, common sense and experience enabled him to mathematically quantify for investors, creators and operators the meaningful business investment opportunity used to guide the development of Disneyland, Disney World, other theme parks and wide ranging cultural, education and sports related projects.
It all began right here in Anaheim, the City that Buzz recommended as the best location for Walt's new park - Disneyland. With Walt's encouragement Buzz also meet with Gene Autry with the purpose of bringing the Angels to Anaheim.
It was a new era for Orange County and the dawn of an exciting and robust Creative Economy driven by the arts, design and entertainment. Today the Creative Economy ranks 4th out of 66 industry clusters in greater Los Angeles. Supporting one in eight jobs in the region in 2011, the Creative Economy had a total regional output of $230 billion in revenue annually.
With Disneyland a success, Walt and Roy asked Buzz to study locations in Florida for another park, and in 1963 Buzz recommended the Orlando area. These are some of the reasons Dad was named a Disney Legend and why the Themed Entertainment Association honored Buzz as the first recipient of the industry’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” – which two year ago was re-named The Buzz Price Award for Lifetime Achievement by TEA.
Towards the end of Walt's life, he again asked Buzz to take over the special task of completing his vision for a multi-disciplined visual performing arts school - California Institute of the Arts. Opening in 1961, Cal Arts has emerged as one of the Nation's top educational institutions directed solely at training and cultivating the next generation of creative thinkers, designers and artists in our Creative Economy.
So what was it like living with a Legend at home? When you're that close to it, it was hard to see. I began to understand more fully the dimension of the Man when I started working with him in my early thirties. That's when I met the mentor, the colleague, the collaborator, the teacher. He could stop you in your tracks with a penetrating question, split your guts with his humor, and entertain anyone within hearing range with his one liners.
As small children growing up in Los Angeles, we had no way of knowing that dad's home office next to our game room would be the place where his early work for Walt and Roy began. I remember clearly his well organized assortment of 3-ring binders, a readily available slide ruler, stacks of neatly piled papers and how each of us took turns sharpening pencils.
What is warmly remembered too is the Price children receiving each Christmas a large wrapped box from Walt filled with an assortment of Disney toys. It was a child's fantasy. It would have been a treasure trove for a collector had they not disappeared as children's toys often do. Someone ought to make a movie of that.
As children we turned our front yard into a CEC - a Children's Entertainment Center - with miniature golf courses, games of chance and lemonade stands. All the kids in the neighborhood joined in. It became our fantasy land.
Later on when Walt and Roy started looking at the prospects for a world class year-round Alpine Resort in Mineral King, California, Buzz conducted a study of its recreation potentials and the family picked up skiing as the Go To choice for our Holidays
In later years my siblings and I each found our path into the arts: my brother Bret as a successful sculptor; my twin sister Dana as an artist; my sister Holly as a professional choral singer; and myself as an architect and planner in the attractions industry. We were all encouraged by two amazing parents who modeled for us the adventure that comes when you engage life.
Dad always gave Mom the credit. Others might say behind every great man is a great woman. Bottom line, Dad led the way.
The joy lives on as it does each day for the thousands of guests walking down Main Street, Disneyland. Dad's Window looks out, a testament to his life and the impact he made. Our family along with our children, grandchildren, future family members and his many friends and colleagues, can now walk by and shout with joy - Thank you Buzz. I'm Going To Disneyland!
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