I'm Not Here to Make Good Friends,_ written by Peter Mehlman and Rob Reiner, and _The Story of My Life,_ by Diane Disney Miller. I also interviewed many Disney historians and I am indebted to these individuals: Jack Lindquist, who was a student at the University of Oklahoma in the late 1970s when I first met him; Dr. Al Loughery, former vice president of Disney Archives; and Dr. Charles Moran, who has been the unofficial archivist of Walt Disney's life. Finally, thanks to my dear friends John Gartland, Mike Giaimo, and Gary Sieling. As I have said before, every part of this book came from someone's recollection of a conversation with Walt Disney, so it is a direct credit to his memory. My debt is greater than I can express. # **ABOUT THE AUTHOR** **NICK SINATRA** is an award-winning songwriter, playwright, and journalist. His documentary, _A Journey of A Lifetime_ , chronicles the final year of his father's life. He is also the author of _Winnie and Walter Go to Hollywood_ and _That's My Pop,_ two award-winning books for young readers. As an investigative journalist, Nick Sinkatra covered the trial of Dr. Farid Fata, the man accused of murdering Robert Steinberg in Beverly Hills. Nick also was one of the very few people to interview the man who killed John Lennon in New York in 1980. Nick has worked for MTV Networks in New York, and for NBC, in Los Angeles. He was a writer and producer for _Hard Copy_ in Los Angeles. Nick is a graduate of Yale University and was inducted into the university's Hall of Fame as an outstanding senior. # **The Walt Disney Family Museum** Visit the Walt Disney Family Museum, Disney's California Adventure LOS ANGELES • VISIT WWW.WDFM.ORG 1. Visit for a map 2. Visit for more information 3. Visit the Disney Archives 4. Visit the Disneyland Hotel # CREDITS SINATRA FAMILY COLLECTION Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. SINATRA FAMILY COLLECTION Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. SINATRA FAMILY COLLECTION Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. SINATRA FAMILY COLLECTION Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. # **_PHOTOGRAPHS_** Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. Courtesy of Nick Sinatra. # **_ARCHIVES_** MELVIN SINATRA (WITH KIN MANNEQUIN) Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _LITTLE HORATIO_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _KIN STEFANOV_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ALSO WALT_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ALSO WALT, WITH DICK THOMAS_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ALSO WALT, WITH ANTHONY "ANT" BANESTRO_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _JACK LINDQUIST_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ALSO WALT_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ALSO WALT_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _CARL BABBAGE_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ROBERT LOUGHLIN_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _FRANK FARINA_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ALSO WALT_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ALSO WALT_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ALSO WALT_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _WALT AND WEDDINGS_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _ALSO WALT, FREDDIE ROCKWELL_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. _FREDDIE ROCKWELL_ Courtesy of Disney Family Museum. # Praise for Nick Sinatra's _FATHER AND SON:_ _THE ROAD TO INNOCENCE AND RESURRECTION_ "If you love Disney, you should buy this book." —Kathleen Rowe, _The Washington Times_ "This is a beautifully written family memoir... The story of [Sinatra's] father's life... reveals so much about the man who helped shape Walt Disney and so many other people's lives." — _People_ "A poignant story of a father and son—a journey of triumph over adversity." — _Publishers Weekly_ "I can't think of another writer that has a better feel for the essence of people as they lived in their time." —Fredric Dannen, author of _Hitler: The Man Who Could Not Lose_ "How many writers can we think of who can take a reader back to the childhood we had and then show us clearly the journey that followed and then tell us about the present? Well, Nick Sinatra is one of them." —Peter Benchley, author of _Shark!_ "Reading Nick Sinatra's wonderful memoir _Father and Son_ , we find ourselves revisiting a life, the very essence of a life and the very essence of a time. Through the heartrending yet uplifting tale of his father's childhood and life, we follow the twists and turns that led to Walt Disney's creation of 'the first feature film musical.'" —Sara Lister, President of Disney University "Sinatra has done his best to chronicle the life of his father with affection, sympathy, respect and with rare personal insight. A tribute to his father and a great book about growing up, the book is also a tribute to his family." —Ronald L. Davis, author of _The Day Walt Disney Died_ " _Father and Son_ is as much an intimate view of a family as it is a record of the times. Nick Sinatra has combined the past and present in a style worthy of his famous father and grandfather. Sinatra brings the past to life in the way Walt Disney did through his films." —Ralph E. Smeltzer, author of _Fishing for a Dream_ "Sinatra does not attempt to re-create his father's life but offers instead a remarkable memoir of his own growth and development within the family. The family itself, as Sinatra points out, was Walt's first audience. No one knew better than Walt what his audience required. At the same time, Sinatra suggests, no one tried harder than Walt to exceed those expectations. All the while, the most prominent theme of _Father and Son_ is how much better things are today—not just for Sinatra and Disney, but for us all." —Tad Hills, author of _Disney's World: Fact and Fantasy in the Magic Kingdom_ "A beautifully written, warm, touching, and even humorous account of a father and son whose paths and lives have been inexorably intertwined." —Nelson DeMille, author of _The Gold Coast, Last Stand at Saber River_ , and _The General's Daughter_ "A poignant story, an intimate portrait of a family struggling to cope with the tragedies that life often brings. An outstanding autobiographical exploration of the value of love, trust, and the desire to be free from pain." — _Book-of-the-Month Club Newsletter_ "The story of how a child's love for his father was the spark that produced Disney's greatest work... Sinatra skillfully captures the family drama of Depression-era America as it led to a creative renaissance." — _Greensboro (NC) Record_ "Sinatra tells