Project Future: The Inside Story Behind The Creation of Disney World
Chad D. Emerson
Ayefour Publishing
$14.95
189 Pages
For those who know me, I am fascinated by Walt’s idea of creating an experimental greenfield city in Florida. The original concept for EPCOT and how Walt wanted to implement those ideas is something I am intellectually very curious about. You will see some of that curiosity being addressed over the summer.
In the meantime, I am very excited about a new book called Project Future, The Inside Story Behind the Creation of Disney World by Chad D. Emerson. Mr. Emerson is a tenured member of the faculty at Faulkner University’s Jones School of Law.
What he has put together is a history of how the Walt Disney Company was able to buy enough land to hold all of Walt’s dreams. A property so big you can place two islands of Manhattan within its borders. This incredible effort was done secretly and used “multiple code names, fake identities, make-shift affiliations, and unique regulatory arrangements.”
Some early surprises include Walt exploring the Palm Beach County area in Florida as early as December 1959 on land owned by John MacArthur. Walt first looked at the future Walt Disney World back in November 1963 (on the same day as JFK was assassinated). The book takes readers all the way up to the opening of the Magic Kingdom in 1971.
Mr. Emerson spent two years writing and researching for the book and was lucky enough to interview some of the key players including Harrison “Buzz” Price (the master economic forecaster), ex-Florida Governor Claude Kirk, and others.
You can learn more about the book at www.projectfuturebook.com. I ordered the book from Amazon this week and hope to post a review in the near future.
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