The Fabulous Disney Babe
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Every time I ride the Disneyland Railroad, I think of David Mumford. David (never, never "Dave") told me the story of how he, as a young boy, watched Walt talking about audio-animatronics on Walt Disney Presents.  Walt stepped aside, and a curtain opened to reveal the dinosaurs we now see in the Primeval World exhibit. It was at that moment that David decided he wanted to become an Imagineer.

When David was old enough, he went to work at Disneyland on the Submarine Voyage. When he graduated from high school, he called WED Enterprises and asked what he needed to do to become a Disney Imagineer. "Well," the woman who answered the phone told him, "we're looking for architects right now."

He went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied Architecture. Upon his graduation, he marched into WED's offices and presented himself, and was hired, just like that. They were working on the EPCOT Center project at the time, and his first job was to work on some of the scenes in the Universe of Energy Pavilion. He was taken to the room where the model was being worked on. The curtain concealing the model opened to reveal...those same dinosaurs that made young David vow to be exactly where he was standing at that moment.

His next project was The Land. Later, after Ellen's Energy Adventure and Living With the Land opened at Epcot 92, David mourned: "everything I work on, they destroy!" -but David, ever good-natured, said this with a smile. Aladdin's Oasis was his, as well. I jokingly called it "the Mumford curse".

Most things, however, that David left his mark upon are still around. You can even find his name on the brass membership roster at the Adventurer's Club in Florida...last name only. He named WDI's company store, Mickey's of Hollywood, winning a contest at Imagineering.

He did show set design for the Alice in Wonderland attraction, which most people agree with me is the best dark ride in Fantasyland.  Over in Tokyo, he worked on the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour and Star Tours. His latest project was huge, and he worked on it for literally years: Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo DisneySeas.

David's little finger forgot more about Disney than most of us will ever know. He's been generous with his knowledge, and been a teacher to new generations of Disney fans with his writing and production work. He co-produced the Disneyland Story special that aired on The Disney Channel, which featured Harry Anderson traveling back through time on the Disneyland Railroad.

His most famous works, however, have been the books he's authored and edited. He co-edited Walt's Time with fellow Imagineer and hardcore Disney Geek Bruce Gordon, Jeff Kurtti and (uncredited) Carole Mumford. He and Bruce edited A Brush With Disney: An Artist's Journey told through the words and works of Herbert Dickens Ryman. But he's most famous for the ultimate in Disneyland books, co-written with Bruce Gordon and started from a shared love for Disneyland postcards, Disneyland The Nickel Tour.  It is, quite simply, the best book ever written about Disneyland.

David and Bruce were annual favorites at the NFFC Conventions with "The Bruce and Dave Show", which was informative, lighthearted, and highlighted by David and Bruce throwing things into (and at) the audience: pre-opening Euro Disney newspapers, candy, slides, losing Gift Giver Extraordinaire tickets, and, of course, rolls of toilet paper.

After returning from Tokyo, David came to the rescue of our favorite little purple dragon, Figment, working on restoring him to Epcot's Imagination pavilion in "Figment's Journey Into Imagination". In a press release, he seemed very enthused about the project: "The return of Figment adds another level of excitement to this re-energized attraction,” said David Mumford, show designer for Walt Disney Imagineering. “Journey Into Imagination with Figment is bright and fun and should appeal to guests of all ages.” (Press release posted on LP.com April 19)

While working on the attraction in Florida, David began to suffer from severe skin blistering. His wife, Carole, flew out to be with him as he underwent weeks of testing. They flew home for more tests, with little or no solid answers as to what was going on. Finally, a diagnosis was made: paraneoplastic pemphigus, which accompanies cancer. David was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, in layman's terms: cancer, and is now hospitalized, undergoing tests and preparing for treatment.

Knowing how the power of those who love and care about you can get you through horrible times, I asked Carole if I could get the word out so that David's friends and fans could send their thoughts, prayers, and wishes to them. She replied:

David's lucky as hell to have someone strong and supportive by his side through this. Brava, Carole.

David and Carole can be reached at P.O. Box 800088, Santa Clarita, CA 91380-0088.

I will also forward Carole any comments that go on the message boards for her and David to read. David, I love you. Get better soon so you can come back to the NFFC and throw things at people.

Michelle

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