October 18, 1990 – The 1990 Class of Disney Legends are Inducted
“Any mechanical things you had to do, what you said was, ‘Call Roger, he’ll know how to fix it.’ Without [Roger Broggie], Disneyland wouldn’t have happened.” – Michael Eisner, then CEO of the Walt Disney Company
On October 18, 1990, the new 1990 class of Disney Legends were inducted at the special ceremony at the Disney Legends Promenade. Among those inducted were Roger Broggie (Imagineering), Joe Fowler (Attractions), John Hench (Animation and Imagineering), Richard Irvine (Imagineering), Herb Ryman (Imagineering), and Richard and Robert Sherman (Music). Irvine and Ryman were the only ones awarded posthumously; since the ceremony, Broggie, Fowler, Hench, and Robert Sherman have passed away. Broggie was known as Disney’s original Imagineer, beginning work in 1939 at the company as a precision machinist. Fowler, a retired ship builder, was invited personally by Walt Disney to lead construction of Disneyland. Hench began at Disney as a sketch artist in 1939, and moved to the Imagineering department in 1954; he was also awarded an Academy Award for his special effects work on the live-action film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and was Mickey Mouse’s official portrait artist. Irvine helped create what is now known as Walt Disney Imagineering, creating leading a team of Imagineers to create Disneyland. Ryman created the preliminary sketches of the park, and was able to turn Walt Disney’s ideas into drawings from which the Imagineers could work. The Sherman Brothers were well known for creating some of the most memorable songs for Disney films, and are best known for their work on the classic film Mary Poppins.
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