Joseph Van Arsdale France (October 3 1912 – October 13 1999) is credited with establishing the process for training new employees in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

-owned and other "

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

s" around the world.

Early career

Prior to working for Disney, his skills in

labor relations Labor relations is a field of study that can have different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. In an international context, it is a subfield of labor history that studies the human relations with regard to work in its broadest ...

landed France a job as director of education for the

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

Division of

General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...

. His work in labor relations and training next led him to an appointment as a civilian educational consultant for the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

in England and later, Germany. Upon France’s return to the U.S., he became superintendent of industrial relations for

Kaiser Aluminum Kaiser Aluminum Corporation is an American aluminum producer. It is a spinoff from Kaiser Aluminum and Chemicals Corporation, which came to be when common stock was offered in Permanente Metals Corporation and Permanente Metals Corporation's ...

Corporation's Mead Works and director of labor relations for Kaiser Frazer in Michigan. He also opened a small paper goods business in Rhode Island.

Disney career

Van joined Disney in March 1955, and over the years, performed many roles at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

, including area manager of

Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...

, conducting training of line supervisors, organizational chairman of the Disneyland Recreation Club, and coordinator of the first Disneyland

Cast Member In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenp ...

magazine, " Backstage Disneyland." In 1978, he retired from Disney and became a special consultant at Disneyland.

After Disney

He also went on to author ''Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks'', a career guide for senior working adults, as well as his autobiography, ''Window On Main Street, 35 Years of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park''. He remained an active member of the Disneyland Alumni Club and spoke on Disneyland history at conventions around the country.

Death

At age 87, on October 13, 1999, Van Arsdale France died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:France, Van Arsdale 1912 births 1999 deaths People from Seattle Walt Disney Parks and Resorts people American expatriates in the United Kingdom American expatriates in Germany