list_text=          Gaudenzio Capelli helped make Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters honorary citizens of Italy during his nearly 33-year career first with Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, the Disney publishing licensee in Italy, and later with Walt Disney Company Italia S.p.A. in Milan. As former director of "Topolino" or "Mickey Mouse" magazine, he worked diligently to enhance and expand Disney publishing throughout the country.
          His wife Rosalba recalled, "He was working, working, working all of the time and he was very happy. He never stopped developing, creating and making things better. Quality is very important to him. He always says, 'It is best to do something well or simply do not do it.'"
          Born December 7, 1929, in Milan, Gaudenzio graduated as an industrial chemist from the State University of Milan. In 1961, after military service in the Italian Army, he won an editorial position at Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, one of the most important publishing houses in Italy. There, he began his career as a reader and translator of "Topolino," whose editor-in-chief was then Mario Gentilini.
          During the late 1960s, Gaudenzio helped develop the popular "Manuali" (Disney Handbooks), a series of "how-to" manuals for children featuring Disney characters instructing on such subjects as sports, cooking and gardening. The success of the "Manuali" led to the creation of Enciclopedia Disney and Enciclopedia Disney Geografica, general knowledge books for children.  
          After fellow Disney Legend Gentilini retired as editor-in-chief in 1980, Gaudenzio assumed his responsibilities and enlarged the translations of the "Topolino" stories for publication in other European markets including Germany, France and Scandinavia. He also displayed innovative leadership beyond publishing. Among his contributions, he expanded the Italian Topolino Trophy youth ski competition (founded by Gentilini in 1960) to include additional youth competitions in tennis, golf, swimming, fencing and more. The Topolino Trophy quickly spread from Italy to Germany and Scandinavian countries.
          As editor-in-chief of "Topolino," in 1982-83, Gaudenzio appeared on 34 episodes of the children's ecology television series "Vai col Verde," to promote the magazine, which at the time, was recognized as a leader in preservation of ecology and wildlife.  Then, in 1988 when "Topolino" passed from Mondadori Publishing to Walt Disney Company Italia S.p.A., Gaudenzio became a full-fledged Disney employee. Under his continued leadership, "Topolino" reached an unprecedented milestone, selling more than one million copies a week in July 1992.
          He also helped found the Disney Academy in Milan, which is dedicated to discovering and nurturing young artists and to helping develop new technologies for Disney magazines.
          After developing another 40 Disney-themed magazines for children, including pre-school magazines "Cip and Ciop" (Chip N Dale), "Bambi," among others, Gaudenzio Capelli retired from Walt Disney Company Italia S.p.A. on March 31, 1994.&