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Ron Dominguez, former executive vice president of Walt Disney Attractions, passed away on January 1. He was 85 years old.
Dominguez was known as a “Native Disneylander” because his family owned and lived on the 10-acre Anaheim property which was purchased by Walt Disney in 1954 to build Disneyland.
“Our house was located right next to the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean and Café Orléans today,” Dominguez said, according to D23. “The day we moved, in August 1954, we were walking in ditches and pits. Things were popping up around us as construction had to move forward. They built Disneyland in a year.
Born August 10, 1935, Dominguez grew up on the property, which the family inherited from his grandfather, who initially purchased the land in the late 1800s. Dominguez then attended the University of Arizona, where he studied business administration. On July 13, 1955 – days before Disneyland opened its doors – Dominguez got a summer job as a ticket taker at the park.
Dominguez eventually became the temporary supervisor of Main Street, US, and even worked as a cast member, disguising himself as Davey Crockett. He then oversaw Frontierland, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland, and in 1962 he became the general supervisor of the west side of Disneyland. Later that year he was promoted to director.
Dominguez continued to rise through the ranks of park administration, becoming director of operations in 1970 and vice president of Disneyland and chairman of the park’s operating committee in 1974. In 1990 he became executive vice president of Walt Disney Attractions, West Coast.
In 1994, Dominguez retired after 39 years at the Walt Disney Company. In 2000 he was named a Disney Legend and received a window on Main Street, USA
“We are saddened to have lost a very dear member of our family, Ron Dominguez,” Josh D’Amaro, president of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products said in a statement to D23. “Ron’s contributions to Disneyland are almost incalculable. He was well known among the cast and the 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 he has done for Disney and I want to extend my deepest condolences to his family on behalf of all of the Disney Parks cast around the world.
Dominguez is survived by his wife of 41 years, Betty, and three children from a previous marriage, Sheryl Ralston, Steve Dominguez and Ronald K. Dominguez Jr, as well as his grandchildren.
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