In the history of Disney Parks, there are only a handful of people whose contribution has been as important as Walt or Roy Disney themselves. One of those is Dick Nunis. He spent his entire professional career working for, and under the wing, of Walt Disney and watched the single Disneyland theme park he helped open transform into the global resort destinations we know today. Disney Parks have lost one of the greats as Dick Nunis has passed away at 91.
Journalist David Koenig broke the news of Nunis' passing. On Twitter he posted that he learned through a mutual friend of the death of the Disney Legend, saying simply
A mutual friend has just reported that Disney Legend Dick Nunis has passed at the age of 91. A giant in Disney theme park history.
The news of Nunis' passing has since been confirmed by The Walt Disney Company in a press release.
Known as "Walt's Apprentice," a title which he used for his memoir released last year, Nunis went to work in the operations department developing training materials for Disneyland's first Cast Members in 1955 under fellow Disney Legend Van France. He retired 44 years later to the day as the head of Walt Disney Attractions, the division now known as Parks, Experiences, and Products. He was named a Disney Legend that same year.
Many of the principles that France and Nunis developed for Disneyland Cast Members are still used in the parks today. Disney has a very different way of approaching its business than other organizations, and Nunis had a major hand in that. In Walt's Apprentice, he wrote...
The training program was the first effort to define "the Disney Way," turning a workforce into a cast. The idea of using the warmer term "guest" rather than "customer" and the use of first names only (except for Mr. Toad, and later Mr. Lincoln) was part of the culture from the start.
Nunis' achievements are many. In his book, he relates that he strongly advocated for Disneyland's first thrill ride, which was eventually brought about with the Matterhorn Bobsleds, still one of Disneyland's best attractions today. He was the director of park operations when work first began on the project that would become Walt Disney World. All but two of the current Disney Theme Parks opened during Nunis' tenure with the company.
Dick Nunis has a Main Street U.S.A. window that calls him a People Mover. Not to be confused with the popular Wedway PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom, Nunis developed a reputation as a man who, in his words in Walt's Apprentice, could "keep guests happily engaged as they move through your property."
In a post to Instagram in 2021 Joe Rhode, the Walt Disney Imagineering brain behind Disney's Animal Kingdom, gave Nunis significant credit for making the park happen, and also making the famously laid-back Imagineer feel at home. Rhode wrote...
I flew cross-country. I put my hair back. I wore a suit and tie. When I walked into Dick’s office, he was sitting there wearing a Hawaiian shirt, white Bermuda shorts, sandals, and a huge dangling clip-on earring. There’s not many people left who know just how unexpected that would be. I pointed to my suit, “Dude! I did this for YOU!” He replied, “I did this for you!” I set up my boards. Did my presentation. Nunis said, “Well. You’ve addressed all my concerns. This isn’t what I thought it was. It’s new. It’s great. It’s feasible. You have my support 100%.” And we did.
Dick Nunis fell in love with the Orlando area when developing Disney World, and he eventually moved there. Disney reports it was there, surrounded by his family, that he passed away. Dick Nunis will be missed and anybody that loves Disney Parks owes him a great debt.
