Ron Dominguez, Whose Family Sold Anaheim Property to Walt Disney, Dies At 85
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) -- Disney legend Ron Dominguez has died at age 85.
Dominguez died Friday, the Walt Disney Company announced in its D23 newsletter. No cause of death was given.
Dominguez is the former executive vice president of Walt Disney Attractions. His family originally owned and lived in the orange-grove covered property that was purchased by Walt Disney for Disneyland in 1954.
"Our house was located right about where the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean and Cafe Orleans are today,'' he once recalled, according to D23. "The day we moved out, in August of 1954, we were walking in ditches and holes. Things were popping up around us because construction had to move ahead. They built Disneyland in a year.''
When he was younger, Dominguez took a summer job as a ticket taker at the new theme park and rose through the ranks to eventually hold several managerial positions. In 1970, he was appointed director of operations.
In 1974, he was named vice president of Disneyland and chairman of the park operating committee. In 1990, he was named executive vice president, Walt Disney Attractions, West Coast.
"We are saddened to have lost a very dear member of our family, Ron Dominguez,'' said Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. "Ron's contributions to Disneyland are nearly incalculable. He was well-known among the cast and community throughout his tenure at the park and continued to show his support long after his retirement, guiding and mentoring leaders, including me, for decades. I am personally grateful for all that he has done for Disney, and want to express my deepest condolences to his family on behalf of every Disney Parks cast member around the world."
Dominguez, who retired in August 1994, attended 60th anniversary festivities for the Disneyland Resort in 2015.
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