February 4, 1932 – Birth of Disney Legend Bob Allen
Image credit: Disney Legends at Disney Insider
“He was a great, great lover of people, and he showed it. When you met Bob Allen, he acted like you were the first person he ever met.” – Joe Potter, Disney Legend and former Vice President for EPCOT Planning.
Born on February 4, 1932, Disney Legend Bob Allen is best known for his work with Walt Disney World, becoming the Vice President of the park in 1977, as well as being one of Disney’s greatest goodwill ambassadors. He was born in Corona, California, and served in the Navy for four years around the time of the Korean War. After the war, he attended Long Beach State College, majoring in physical education. On a whim, he decided to apply for a job at Disneyland, and in 1955, he began to work in the park as a ride operator. His job was on the Casey Jr. attraction, where he blew a whistle if someone fell off the ride.
Allen moved around to various positions while working at the park, and by 1963, he was the production coordinator at Disneyland. In 1964, Allen moved to Denver, Colorado, spending two years as the manager of the Celebrity Sports Center, a sports facility built by a group of celebrity investors, including Walt Disney and Art Linkletter. Allen also worked as the project manager for the proposed Mineral King resort. Four years later, Allen came back to Disneyland as the director of General Services.
Allen helped prepare for the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida. In 1970, he moved to Florida to work as the director of General Services, and was soon promoted to Vice President of the Resorts Division. On January 1, 1977, Allen was promoted to Vice President of Walt Disney World. Under Allen’s leadership, Walt Disney World was able to thrive, and he continued to work on its long-range plans until his death on November 8, 1987. He was named a Disney Legend at the October 16, 1996, ceremony.
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