



|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Page
26 of 28 |
Vision
of the Future: |
Walt's
Illness |
Sharon, Bob Brown and Ron
Miller
aboard the yacht during a
1966
trip in British Columbia waters.
|
In July 1966, Walt and his whole
family -- Lilly, Diane, Ron, Sharon, Bob,
and all their children (including baby Victoria)
-- took a memorable trip through the waters
of British Columbia on a 140-foot yacht. During
that time, he and Lilly celebrated their 41st
wedding anniversary.
A large craft by any means, it wasn't huge
for six adults and seven children. But according
to Diane, "The kids playing all around him
didn't bother him. They were climbing all
over him, and he seemed to really like that.
It was a beautiful, wonderful trip. We loved
it." "The Vancouver trip was wonderful," echoes
Tamara, who was nine at the time. "I didn't
realize at the time that he was sick. I remember
him finding an eagle's feather and giving
it to me. He'd just listen and observe. Knowing
he didn't feel good, now it makes sense. He
was the guy sitting on the boat with the camera."
When Walt would grow weary, he'd retire to
the upper deck of the yacht and read. Diane
recalls there were two books he was focused
on; one dealt with the task of choosing a
college president (he was very involved in
Cal-Arts at the time) and the other was a
book about city planning, which he was reading
for inspiration for EPCOT. |
On July 24, Walt checked into
UCLA Medical Center, where tests showed that
he would need an operation to help relieve
the pain in his neck. But he decided to wait
for a while. In mid-September, Walt attended
a press conference for Mineral King -- his
proposed resort near Sequoia National Park.
It was a gray, cold day, and Walt didn't seem
well. A public relations man explained that
he had simply been affected by the altitude
and cold. But even a quick glance at photos
taken that day show that Walt's face had aged
noticeably in the year; more than the cold
was ailing him. It was to be his last press
conference. |
Walt and Governor Edmond
G. Brown during the
Mineral King press conference. Many
journalists were struck by
Walt's appearance.
|
Walt in the promotional film
for EPCOT. Shortly
thereafter, he checked into St. Joseph's
Hospital, where it was determined
that he had lung cancer.
|
In early October, Walt made
a film to promote EPCOT. Shortly after the
film was made, he checked into St. Joseph's
Hospital. It's almost certain that he learned
he had lung cancer while there. But he said
not a word to his family. Later that month,
he traveled to Williamsburg with Lilly, Sharon,
and son-in-law Bob Brown to receive an award
from the American Forestry Association. Diane
and her family were invited but "we said we
couldn't go. It was Halloween. The kids loved
Halloween and they wouldn't miss it for anything
-- not even to go to Williamsburg with Grandpa.
It seems shortsighted now." "We were there
for three days," recalled Sharon. "We ate
and ate and talked and talked. Daddy was a
good tourist. He had been back there before,
so he was showing it to these two newcomers
who had never been there. And he went through
everything! On Halloween, the leaves were
all dropping deep into the streets. There
was no one around, and it was raining. One
little boy came to the door for trick-or-treat.
We hadn't even thought about it. It was the
most awful feeling of not having anything.
And I remember Daddy going from room to room
trying to find a pack of gum, and he finally
found something upstairs in his room; a pack
of gum for this little boy. It bothered him." |
On November 2, doctors told
Walt that he would need surgery to remove
a cancerous spot on his left lung. He ran
into Peter Ellenshaw and pooh-poohed the artist's
concerns. "There's no problem," Walt said.
"My God," thought Ellenshaw. "My great man
is going to die." The next Monday, after the
operation, the surgeon reported that Walt's
left lung had been removed. Lilly, Diane,
and Sharon had waited for the surgeon's report
-- they had no idea of the news they were
about to hear. "It was as I suspected," the
doctor told them. "I'd give him six months
to two years." Walt spent about two weeks
in the hospital, and then insisted it was
time to get back to work. Secretary Tommie
Wilck picked him up and brought him to the
studio. "I only saw him from a distance when
he was released from the hospital and came
back to the studio," said Ward Kimball. "I
didn't see him up close. As an artist you
go by the outward shape . . . or how a person
walks. He looked awfully old and bent over.
. . . People who saw him up close hardly recognized
him." |
Walt embraces Lilly during
the 1960 Squaw Valley
Olympics
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|