US SAILING Mourns the Passing of Roy Disney

by Jake Fish on 17 Dec 2009 Roy Edward Disney passed away on Wednesday after a long battle with stomach cancer. In 2008, US SAILING, national governing body of the sport, awarded Disney its prestigious Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy for his outstanding contributions to the sport of sailing in the U.S. over many years. Disney was 79.

Gary Jobson, president of US SAILING, had this to say about what Disney meant to the sport: 'Roy Disney was great for the sport of sailing. He set a high example for all of us, as a top competitor, visionary and philanthropist. Roy has inspired so many young people to follow their dream of life on the water. Our sport will miss him.'

Roy E. Disney's involvement in the sport goes back decades. As a long-time, reliable supporter of the sport, his impact has been has been felt across the board: from youth sailing to the Olympic level of the sport and beyond. When US SAILING created the medalist donor program to support the athletes of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, Disney was the first donor to jump on board at the highest level. He is also a top contributor to the California International Sailing Association and several other sailing organizations.

Not only does Disney support various levels of the sport, he is also an accomplished sailor with many titles to his name. He has set records in many of offshore races, including the Transpac Race (which he has sailed 16 times and won once), the Chicago Mackinac Race, and the Newport-Bermuda Race. In 1999, Disney fulfilled a lifelong dream when he and the 12-member crew of his 74-foot Pyewacket sloop -- named for the witch's cat in the 1958 film 'Bell, Book & Candle' -- won the biannual, 2,225-mile Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, setting a course record.

Combining his passion for sailing and for filmmaking, Disney was a powerful voice for sailing, as well as a promoter. His documentary movie 'Morning Light,' which he co-produced with his wife Leslie DeMeuse-Disney, put a new spotlight on the sport of sailing.

'Sailing with Roy was like being adopted by a family,' explained Stan Honey, board member of US SAILING. 'He got so much out of his crew, because his loyalty was astounding. His crew was never worried about losing their job. Instead, they just focused on winning.'


From The Los Angeles Times:

Roy Edward Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney whose commitment to his uncle's creative spirit prompted him to mount revolts that led to the unseating of two of the company's chief executives and a revival of the studio's legendary animation unit, died today. He was 79.

Disney, who had been battling stomach cancer, died at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, according to Clifford A. Miller, a spokesman for Disney's company Shamrock Holdings.

Disney toiled for years in the shadow of his famous uncle and his father, Roy O. Disney, who behind the scenes ran the business side of the Walt Disney Co. for his brother. But the quiet man in the cardigan sweater would emerge as a forceful protector of family traditions.

'People always underestimated Roy,' said Peter Schneider, the former president of Walt Disney Feature Animation. 'You underestimate Roy at your peril, as many people have learned.'


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