On this day in 1890, Raymond Disney was born to Elias and Flora Disney. Raymond was the second of four boys and one daughter. Brother Walt would not be born for another 13 years. Kaye Malins, who currently lives in the Disney house in Marceline, Missouri, recently told us more about Raymond. “Most what I know about Raymond I learned from his sister Ruth and niece Carol. However, in the (Walt Disney Hometown) Museum we have a recording of Walt interviewing his parents on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary. In the recording, Walt asked his parents how they decided on the names for their children. Flora makes it very clear that she did not name her son Ray, she named him Raymond. Raymond Disney never married and was an insurance salesman his entire life, and for a time sold insurance to Disney employees at the studio. Raymond enjoyed the celebrity of his brothers Walter and Roy and attended events at both Disneyland and the Studio. He was active in the Shrine organization and upon his death left a significant donation to the Shriners Children’s burn centers. Raymond’s donation to the Shriners hospital was publicly recognized years later. In 2001, in Marceline, the Shrine organization presented his nephew and niece Ted and Carol Beecher a plaque in a touching ceremony during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Walt Disney.”
