Today in Disney History 2/24

[vizsla]

Feb. 24, 2005 – It was reported that the Florida Board of Governors had appointed WDW Resort President Al Weiss to the University of Central Florida board of trustees.
Feb. 24, 2006 – Actor Dennis Weaver passed away in Colorado at age 81. Best known for his TV roles in Gunsmoke and McCloud, Weaver was the voice of Abner in Disney’s 2004 animated feature “Home on the Range.” He also appeared in the Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color “Gallegher Goes West” series.
Feb. 24, 2006 – Comedic actor Don Knotts passed away at age 81 in Beverly Hills, Ca. Best known of TV’s The Andy Griffith Show as the lovable but nerdy Deputy Barney Fife, Knotts was a five-time Emmy winner. His Disney voice credits include “Chicken Little” (as Mayor Turkey Lurkey), and “101 Dalmatians: The Series” (as the dogcatcher). Knotts also appeared in the Disney live-action features “The Apple Dumpling Gang,” “The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again,” “No Deposit, No Return,” and “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.”
Feb. 24, 2006 – The “Art of Disney” gallery opened in the World of Disney Store in Manhattan, N.Y.
Feb. 24, 2006 – The annual “Mardi Gras” began on Pleasure Island at WDW. (Ran Feb. 24, 25, and 28)
Feb. 24, 2008 – Brad Bird accepted the award for Best Animated Feature for the Disney/Pixar “Ratatouille” at the 80th Academy Awards.
Feb. 24, 2008 – Nine sea turtles were released back into the Atlantic Ocean, after spending several weeks at WDW, after being rescued from the shores of Brevard County during a red tide bloom.
Feb. 24, 2009 – Disney’s Animal Programs Team released a manatee, named Bock, into the warm waters of the St. John’s River. (The manatee, rescued as an orphan from the St. John’s River in 2001, arrived at Epcot in 2003 weighing about 500 pounds. At Epcot, marine mammal experts weaned him from a bottle and began feeding him a diet of romaine lettuce, fruits and other vegetables. Bock now weighed more than 1000 pounds and was approximately 8 years old at the time of his release.)
Feb. 24, 2011 – The Animated Feature Symposium, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, took place in California just 3 days before the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.
Feb. 24, 2011 – Guests aboard the departing “Disney Dream” cruise ship in Fl. Got a glimpse of the space shuttle Discovery as it blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center for its final launch.

[Jeff]