Q : When your career as Disney’s first archivist began, did you ever expect to someday be an author and be in such demand by Disney fans, guest speaking at so many events? Or did you think an archivist position would be one of solitude? If the direction your job went was not expected, was it a welcomed surprise? When did you first realize that fans wanted a piece of Dave Smith?
Scott, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
A: Thanks for your kind comments. I don’t think I expected to become an author when I started the Archives in 1970, but eventually it became obvious that Disney fans wanted access to some of the information in the Archives. I started what became this “Ask Dave” column in 1983, and then the books began with four trivia books, collections of Walt Disney quotations, and the Disney A to Z encyclopedia; the latest is the current Disney Trivia From the Vault, compiling my Ask Dave questions. It has indeed been gratifying to have my books so well received.
Q : I have a very odd piece in my collection, and I have no idea where it came from. It’s a hand-carved statue of Happy, and when I bought it 30 some years ago, I thought it might have been one of the maquettes used for Snow White. He’s a little too large for that; on his stand he’s about two feet tall. He has a conductor’s baton in one hand, and there is a cutout in the back with a lever that could have been once run by a simple motor. My best guess is that he was part of a display somewhere long ago, but the level of craftsmanship makes me think it was Disney-made. I’d love to bring him to the Archives and have your staff make a guess. Perhaps he was part of the display at the Carthay Circle in 1937? I have no clue?
Andrew, Riverside, California
A: Your guess is probably correct in thinking window displays; Disney had licensees who made displays for department store windows. I am not aware of any mechanical figures at the Carthay Circle Theater in 1937. You can contact the Archives at Disney.archives@disney.com.
Q : I often attend yard sales and came across a wonderful find one day for my Disney collection that I would love some more info on: It’s an 8″ x 10″ Kodak photo showing some form of military, possibly the air force, viewing a Donald Duck movie. It is a photo of a painting. On the back there is a typed sticker that reads: DOD STILL MEDIA DEPOSITORY BLDG. 168, N.D.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20374-1681
Kristen, Mechanicsville, Virginia
A: Robert Laessig (1913-2010), who for years was known for his floral designs for greeting cards, during World War II served in the 13th Air Force Historical Section, creating 70 paintings depicting his unit in the war. You have an official Department of Defense photo of one of those paintings.
Q : I am trying to locate a color lithograph of a character named Battlin’ Pete, which was originally done by Hank Porter, as directed by Walt Disney, to honor the U.S. Merchant Marine. It was created by The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, in July 1944. The finished artwork was mailed on July 14, 1944. The “Walt Disney Merchant Marine Emblem” image of Battlin’ Pete was done by Hank Porter, who was the head of the WW II insignia unit at Disney Studios.
James, Melbourne, Florida
A: While the Walt Disney Archives does not have a color photograph of this insignia, they do have a list of the colors of each element on it.  If that would be useful to you, contact them at Disney.Archives@disney.com.
Q : I am cataloging the Disney Golden Book, Supercar, by George Sherman, with pictures by Mel Crawford. I’d like to create a unique authority record for Mr. Sherman, since he shares his name, George R. Sherman, with a geologist and the author of The Negro as a Soldier. I understand from a brief article on the net that Mr. Sherman died in 1974 and that he worked as “head of foreign relations” and in the publications department from the late 1950s until he died. Can you find the man’s date of birth and possibly his full middle name? I seem to have lost my bookmark for an archival page that gave brief biographies of many of the artists and writers who worked at the Disney Studios; has that page been pulled?
Emilie, Minneapolis, Minnesota
A: His full name was George Ransom Sherman, born September 30, 1928, and died August 3, 1974. When I met him in 1967, he was head of the Disney publications department. The Web page you are thinking of may be the one for the Disney Legends; it is still there.
Q : Do you know where Flora and Elias Disney stayed when they honeymooned in Daytona Beach, Florida? I live near there and would love to see the hotel/inn/home where they stayed if it is still there.
Fred, Port Orange, Florida
A: Elias and Flora married in Kismet, Florida, in January 1888, and actually lived for a time beginning that year in Daytona Beach; their first son was born there in December 1888. For a short time, Elias operated and lived in Daytona Beach’s Halifax Hotel. We do not know any other local locations where they lived. The next year, they moved to Chicago, where the rest of the Disney children would be born. Halifax Avenue was, and is, a major thoroughfare in Daytona Beach.