Chuck Boyajian was the first manager of Custodial Operations at Disneyland, and spent the next quarter-century establishing—and demanding—a sparkling standard for Disneyland and other Disney Parks. Chuck trained a “Disney Dynasty” of Custodial Hosts and Hostesses, who are proud to say decades later that they are members of “The Team that Chuck Built.”
Charles Boyajian was born on August 15, 1917, and grew up in Akron, Ohio with his three siblings, Rose, Paul, and Helen. During World War II, he served for three years with the United States Navy as a mechanic on an aircraft carrier. Three years later, he married Alice Wallace, and moved “out west” to California.
It was in 1955 that Chuck began his career at Disneyland, when Walt Disney himself put Chuck in charge of the janitorial team, and charged him with the somewhat daunting task of keeping the Magic Kingdom clean. As a result, Chuck developed a reputation for cleanliness and efficiency that had never been seen before in an outdoor entertainment enterprise.
Like Walt, Chuck believed that “cleanliness breeds cleanliness,” and realized that he needed to build a team that, also like Walt, used imagination and innovation to achieve its unusual goals and high standards. Working with some creative management cast members, such as his longtime friends and colleagues Tom Roppa, Roy Young, Ray Sidejas, Wayne Culver, and Mike Sweeney, Chuck and his team were able to achieve Walt’s vision of maintaining the cleanest Parks in the world.
Chuck also brought his expertise to the establishment of the custodial functions for the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971, and for Tokyo Disneyland in 1983. He also participated in the Disney exhibitions at the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair. Although Chuck retired in 1981, he remains a legend among his professional successors, who continue the traditions established by Chuck at Disneyland more than 50 years ago.
Chuck Boyajian passed away on August 1, 2004.