August 20, 1928 – First Female Imagineer and Disney Legend Harriet Burns is Born
“What really earned respect for Harriet Burns was her creative skill…Fred Joerger, Wathel Rogers and Harries became known as the WED Model Shop, the heartbeat of Walt’s design engine for Disneyland and beyond.” – Disney Legend Marty Sklar
On August 20, 1928, Harriet Bruns (née Tapp) was born in San Antonio, Texas. Burns studied art at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and went on to study advanced design at the University of New Mexico. She married William Burns, and in 1953, she, her husband, and their daughter moved to Los Angeles. While there, she found a job at the Dice Display Industries Cooperative Exchange designing props and interiors part-time. In 1955, after the company closed down, she was advised to apply for Disney, and started working there the same year. She began her career at Disney as a prop and set painter for the Mickey Mouse Club; she immediately stood out as the “best-dressed employee,” wearing dresses and high heels while working with saws and sanders alongside the men. Soon after, she moved up the ranks, creating the show’s color styling, and designing the Mouse Clubhouse. While there, Burns worked alongside Fred Joerger, who was a model builder for the Disneyland project.
When WED Enterprises was founded (later to be known as Walt Disney Imagineering), Burns was one of the three employees tapped to be a part of the group, alongside Joerger and Wathel Rogers. One of Burns’ first assignments was the model of Sleeping Beauty Castle, which was soon followed by designs of New Orleans Square, the Haunted Mansion, Storybook Land, and the design of the birds of The Enchanted Tiki Room. Burns also contiributed greatly to the Disney attractions at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, particularly the Carousel of Progress and the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. In 1986, Burns retired from Walt Disney Imagineering, and in 1992, she was honored with a window on Main Street, being the first woman in Disney history to be honored in this way. In 2000, she was further honored as a Disney Legend for her work in Imagineering. She passed away on July 25, 2008, at the age of 79.
disneydetail 