Introduction
The founder and former chief archivist at the Walt Disney Archives, which is located in the Frank G. WellsBuilding at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.
Dave joined the company on June 22, 1970, as its first archivist. His first task was to document all the items in Walt Disney’s office which had sat dormant since his death in 1966.
Smith has written many books, including Disney A to Z, an official encyclopedia of Disney knowledge, as well as the Walt Disney Trivia Books, and also co-authored Disney: The First 100 Years. In 2007, Smith was honored with the Disney Legends Award, an honor given to people who have made significant contributions to The Walt Disney Company.[5] During his acceptance speech, he stated that he has at one time worked with nearly all the other Disney Legends.
Forty years later, on Thursday, June 24, 2010, he announced he would soon be retiring.