[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10845]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN TRIBUTE TO THE RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL FOUNDATION, WALT DISNEY 
COMPANY, AND THE ``D23 PRESENTS TREASURES OF THE WALT DISNEY ARCHIVES''

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                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 29, 2012

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to the Ronald Reagan 
Presidential Foundation and the Walt Disney Company's D23, the Official 
Disney Fan Club, as they present an historic exhibit at the Ronald 
Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, 
titled, ``D23 Presents Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives.''
  The exhibit, which opens on July 6, salutes Walt Disney, one of 
America's most revered men of imagination. D23, the Official Disney Fan 
Club will showcase the largest-ever exhibition of iconic props, 
costumes, artwork, and artifacts at the Presidential Library of our 
40th president, who believed there are no limits to growth and human 
progress when men and women are free to follow their dreams.
  Ronald Reagan and Walt Disney were American originals and eternal 
optimists who shared a belief in the essential goodness of the American 
way of life. Both grew up in the heartland of America during the early 
1900s with hardworking, patriotic parents who believed that everything 
was part of God's plan. Next to his photograph in his high school 
yearbook, Reagan's outlook is captured in the expression: ``Life is 
just one grand song, so start the music.''
  Both men moved to California in their 20s to pursue careers in 
entertainment. With deeply shared values and abundant talent, the 
friendship of the pioneering imagineer and actor/broadcaster began 
decades before Reagan went to Washington. In July 1955, Disney 
revolutionized family entertainment when he unveiled the Magic Kingdom, 
Disneyland, and asked Reagan to co-host ABC's television coverage of 
the historic event.
  Disney joined the ``Friends of Ronald Reagan'' to encourage and 
promote Reagan's ideas about limited government and individual liberty 
during Reagan's first gubernatorial race in 1966. Reagan was hoping 
Disney would join his finance team in Sacramento but, sadly, Disney 
died just 16 days before Reagan's inauguration. In tribute, Governor 
Reagan successfully petitioned the U.S. Postal Service to create a 
stamp in Disney's honor.
  During his presidency, Reagan visited Walt Disney World in Florida 
twice. In 1983, he promoted the President's International Youth 
Exchange Initiative in tandem with the World Showcase Fellowship 
Program, and encouraged students to ``soar on the wings of invention 
and the winds of change.''
  In 1985, President and Mrs. Reagan celebrated a first at Walt Disney 
World by holding a ``make-up'' inaugural parade after the original 
parade was cancelled due to severely cold weather. During his speech at 
that event, President Reagan honored the immense force for good that is 
found in the imagination of those who live in freedom and reminded us 
that Walt Disney personified the spirit of America, leading us to 
invent, to build, to envision, and to learn.
  After leaving the Oval Office, one of President Reagan's first public 
events was a return to Disneyland, where he officiated at the park's 
January 1990, 35th anniversary celebration, proclaiming it ``one of 
America's treasures.''
  It is a tribute to both men that this exhibition of Disney treasures 
will be open at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in honor of the 
bond between President Reagan and Walt Disney.
  Mr. Speaker, Bob Iger, the chairman of The Walt Disney Company, which 
partnered with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library, 
continues Walt Disney's legacy. As chairman of Capital Cities/ABC 
television, he was an architect of the merger with Disney--a 
combination that has shaped and transformed the global media landscape. 
He has dedicated himself to fostering the creative vitality of the 
Disney organization and under his guidance The Walt Disney Company has 
become the world's largest media company.
  Ronald Reagan was the first president I served under as a Member of 
Congress and his Presidential Library is less than a half-mile from my 
home. On a plane ride back to California, I met actor Fess Parker, who 
was catapulted to fame by playing Disney's Davey Crockett and was 
returning home after spending time with his friend Ronald Reagan at the 
White House. Fess Parker became a lifelong friend as well. Personally 
and as an American, I have a strong connection to this exhibit and the 
men it honors.
  ``D23 Presents Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives'' celebrates the 
leadership, the accomplishments, the creative spirit and powerful 
legacies of two great American pioneers. Ronald Reagan ended the Cold 
War and reshaped the world. Walt Disney changed the face of family 
entertainment. And both men had a keen understanding of what you'd find 
at the ``shining city on a hill'': harmony, decency, wholesomeness, and 
homespun values that never have, and never will, go out of style.

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