"You Don't Pay to Bring Those Children Here"|Katherine and Richard Greene
Anyone who was close to Walt knew how generous he was. When his niece Marjorie was married, he and Lilly gave her a wedding. He put a grand-nephew, Bill Papineau, through college when money was still tight. Young family members and other children close to the family received huge boxes filled with gifts every Christmas. "The box would be so large that they were sent by special parcel post," recalls Walt's niece Dorothy. "The box would come in a big truck and we'd practically scramble to get it in the door." In fact, when Walt first started building trains, he gave one set each to Dorothy's and Marjorie's sons and one to his nephew Ted Beecher, Ruth's son. "He made all the trees, the flowers, and the little cars," said Dorothy.
When he got involved in formal charities - like the John Tracy Clinic, a facility for deaf children and their families - Walt gave moeny and volunteered his time as well. Recalls actor Kevin Corcoran, who starred in many Disney films, "We would go over to the clinic and put on a show to raise money. After the show there was aalways a luncheon. After one lunch I remember looking up at a fellow busing the tables. It was Walt."
Toward the end of his life, when he decided it was important to create a new kind of institution for teaching the arts - California Institute of the Arts - he changed his will so that half of his estate went to the school (better known as CalArts).
Part 2 coming Saturday
Anyone who was close to Walt knew how generous he was. When his niece Marjorie was married, he and Lilly gave her a wedding. He put a grand-nephew, Bill Papineau, through college when money was still tight. Young family members and other children close to the family received huge boxes filled with gifts every Christmas. "The box would be so large that they were sent by special parcel post," recalls Walt's niece Dorothy. "The box would come in a big truck and we'd practically scramble to get it in the door." In fact, when Walt first started building trains, he gave one set each to Dorothy's and Marjorie's sons and one to his nephew Ted Beecher, Ruth's son. "He made all the trees, the flowers, and the little cars," said Dorothy.
When he got involved in formal charities - like the John Tracy Clinic, a facility for deaf children and their families - Walt gave moeny and volunteered his time as well. Recalls actor Kevin Corcoran, who starred in many Disney films, "We would go over to the clinic and put on a show to raise money. After the show there was aalways a luncheon. After one lunch I remember looking up at a fellow busing the tables. It was Walt."
Toward the end of his life, when he decided it was important to create a new kind of institution for teaching the arts - California Institute of the Arts - he changed his will so that half of his estate went to the school (better known as CalArts).
Part 2 coming Saturday