Morgan Brittany ~ Disney Panel Moderator

Morgan BrittanyFollowing bio and picture taken from photographer Alan Mercer’s blog. 

Morgan Brittany is one of the most beautiful film and television actresses of all time. She is best known for her role in the 1980‘s prime time soap opera ‘Dallas,’ where she portrayed Katherine Wentworth. It’s hard to forget those penetrating blue eyes and her striking dark hair. … 

Some people may not know that Morgan, under her birth name, Suzanne Cupito, began her career as a child in 1960 in an episode of the original ’Twilight Zone’ series. She then appeared in a fourth season episode and most famously in the fifth season episode ‘Caesar and Me,’ one of the most popular of all the series. She discusses these parts in interviews for the ‘Twilight Zone Definitive Edition’ DVDs.

She appears in the 1962 film ‘Gypsy’ as “Baby” June. Although uncredited, she is in the birthday party scene in the 1963 Hitchcock movie ‘The Birds.’ In 1964 she filmed an episode of ‘Daniel Boone’ portraying a young mute girl. She appears in a 1967 episode of ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ as “Mary Alice Carter”, whom Opie Taylor asks out for his first date. She is also in the 1968 film, ‘Yours, Mine and Ours’ along side Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda.

After her successful career as a child actress, Morgan, at the age of 18, appeared with Gene Kelly in his Las Vegas show ‘Gene Kelly’s Wonderful World of Girls.’ After that, she moved to New York City where she became a model with the Ford Modeling Agency. She appeared in a multitude of national commercials and print ads including a 3 year stint as the “Ultra-Brite toothpaste” girl, L’Oreal cosmetics, Ford, Levi’s, Camay soap and many more. 

In 1974 she was hired by the Japanese cosmetics company Kanebo to be the “face” of their product “Ireine”. Morgan moved to Tokyo and represented that company for two years. In 1976 she returned to the United States and restarted her acting career. Also in 1976 Morgan portrayed Vivien Leigh in the biopic ‘Gable and Lombard.’ That was followed by numerous movies of the week and shows such as ‘The Initiation of Sarah’ with Kay Lenz, ‘The Amazing Howard Hughes’ with Tommy Lee Jones, and ‘LBJ, The Early Years’ with Randy Quaid.

Her brief appearance as Vivien Leigh again, is the climax of the made-for-TV movie Moviola: The Scarlett O’Hara War (1980). Because of that pivotal moment, she came to the attention of the producers of ‘Dallas’ who were searching for a new character to play the sister of Pamela Ewing.

Morgan first appeared on ‘Dallas’ during the 1981-1982 season in a recurring role which continued for several seasons. In 1985, she returned for a brief cameo appearance in that season’s finale. Thus, in 1987, Morgan made another brief return to the show in which Katherine came to visit Pam in the hospital after a car accident. This was Morgan’s last appearance on ‘Dallas.’

In 1984, Morgan Brittany starred in her own short-lived ABC drama series, ‘Glitter,’ as “Kate Simpson”, a reporter at an entertainment magazine. She has also guest starred on a number of other prime time shows, such as ‘Married….With Children,’ ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard,’ ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ and ‘Melrose Place,’ and has the distinction of appearing on ‘The Love Boat’ seven times. She also appeared with Bob Hope on two of his television specials for NBC.

In 2002, Morgan had roles in the film, ‘The Biggest Fan,’ and ‘Mothers and Daughters.’ She also had a guest appearance on the television series’Son Of The Beach.’ in 2002. She also appears in the 2007 film ‘Americanizing Shelley.’ Morgan appears in the 2010 docu-drama ‘a Minute.’ The documentary features cancer survivors. She is currently a frequent guest on the Fox News Networks, ‘Hannity’ show where she is a member of the “Great American Panel”. Morgan travels extensively, fund-raising and bringing awareness to issues that affect the military and American values.

She is also an advocate for child actors in Hollywood and along with former child star Paul Peterson, brought attention to the film ‘Hounddog’ starring Dakota Fanning. Morgan returned to her musical roots in the 30th anniversary tour of ‘Mame’ in 1997 where she played the title role. She followed that with tours of “The Sound of Music’ as Maria, and ‘Crazy For You.’

Morgan is the mother of actress Katie Gill and musician/stuntman Cody Gill. She met her husband, stuntman Jack Gill, when she did a guest appearance on the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ show.

 

Joseph Yakovetic ~ Disney Panelist

Joseph YakoveticJoseph Yakovetic DISNEY RESUME

Title: Designer/artist/performer

Originally Joe was hired as a portrait/caricature artist for the Disneyland Hotel under the direction of Charles Boyer.  Later on, Mr. Boyer, famous for his many Disneyland lithographs, hired Joe to produce illustrations for Disneyland Magazine.  The first illustration was ‘How to Draw Clarabell Cow.’

 With the original Disney Stores, Joe began designing and fabricating award winning windows.  The first day, he painted a Roger Rabbit standee, without knowing who the character was!

After the Disney Stores, Joe went to work with Disney Books By Mail, art directing and illustrating the most successful book series to their division credit.  “The Little Mermaid Treasure Chest” was a 24 book series complete with a treasure chest box with which to keep the books, a poster and removable stickers  from each book to add to the posterAnother book series Joe developed was, 101 Dalmatians recreating the original art style of the film.

As an Art Director and Illustrator, Joe was called in to rescue 8 of an 18 book series, entitled ”Disney’s Storytime Treasures Library.”  He not only brought the series in on time but met Disney’s high standards.

As a frequent illustrator for Disney’s Golden Books, Joe’s first coloring book assignment was “The Lion King.” Still in production, he successfully created the coloring book pages with only a few rough storyboards and some model sheets to work from.

Discovering Joe’s background in costuming, Golden Books dubbed Joe the Paper Doll King as he designed and redesigned many Disney’s Paper Dolls.

Due to his publishing background, Joe as asked to lend his talents to the Disneyland Clock shop on Main street, by designing ‘one of a kind Art Watches.”  Joe introduced painted illustrations instead of pencil drawn creations, boosting sales and elevating the quality of the custom art watches.

With the success of his books and watches, Joe was asked to join a promotional tour for the feature film, Pocahontas.

 Christopher Radko recruited Joe to design over 50 unique Disney ornaments.

As a designer, Joe was asked to design the railing around the new ‘Partners’ statue in the Disneyland Hub.  Joe submitted the requested image but added various Disney characters on colonnades surrounding Walt and Mickey.  His idea was accepted and is seen today at the Castle fore court.

Entertainment Art, another division of Disneyland, asked Joe to design other aspects of the park.  Working with set designer Tom Butch, Joe took Tom’s rough pencil sketches for the Snow White set and transformed them into the color and style of Maxfield ParrishThese renderings were used for the final set.

An award winning costume, set and prop designer, Yakovetic’s designs have included costumes for “Disney’s The Little Mermaid on Ice” and “The Disney Faire.”

Back at Disneyland, Joe was brought in to design various venues for  Innoventions: the video game kiosks for “Finding Nemo” and the Haunted Mansion and redesign the Tivo set.  During Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary, Joe was the sole designer of the theater and set for  Innoventions’ new show, “Say ‘Hello’ to Honda’s ASIMO!”  This job included designing the graphics that wrap the theatre and dressing the set and art directing all the video clips used in the show.  The show has had over 1,000 performances and continues to be a guest favorite.

Halloween is a special season for Joe as he performs as a pumpkin carver for Disneyland guests.  Disney Home Entertainment brought his carving skills to Access Hollywood, Telemundo, Univision and You Tube to promote Pirates 4 and Monster University.

Starting in 2006, Joe became a featured artist at the Disneyland Gallery.  His paintings depicting still life reflections of Disney films are highly prized Disney collectibles. A limited edition sculpture of Belle is also at the Disneyana  Shoppe. In honor of Snow White’s 70th Anniversary, John Lassiter requested that Yakovetic create a commemorative painting for the special event.

 Joe represents the Walt Disney Company as a sketch artist, performing “live” sketches of Disney Characters for groups all over the world.  As a sketch artist for Disney Interactive, guests waiting up to five hours to receive a custom Disney sketch created by Yakovetic. His art continues to be in demand around the globe.

Todd Regan ~ Disney Panelist

Todd ReganTodd Regan, Executive Director, The Center for Early Childhood Creativity and Innovation at the Walt Disney Birthplace

Todd is a marketing and social networking leader and Executive Director of The Walt Disney Birthplace. A themed entertainment expert, Todd is a frequent speaker about Disney and the Theme Park Industry. 

Plans to preserve and protect Walt Disney’s historic birthplace in Chicago Illinois are well underway with an incredible dream team of architects, historians, artists and benefactors under the direction of Todd and his amazing team at the Center for Early Childhood Creativity.  When the Birthplace restoration is complete, it will serve as a point of inspiration for future generations of dreamers and doers.
Todd has shared his motivational messages with millions of readers and fans on his family entertainment website, MiceChat.com. Todd has served as Senior Vice President of Operations, Sales and Marketing for a variety of companies and on two continents over his successful 25 year business career.

Working to preserve the important history surrounding Walt Disney is a dream for Todd and a source of great pride and personal inspiration. 

Kaye Malins ~ Disney Panelist

Kaye MalinsKaye first met Walt and Roy Disney in 1956 when they stayed with her family, for the dedication of the Walt Disney Swimming Pool and Park. She was 6 years old.

At Walt’s invitation Kaye became a Disneyland Cast Member and served on the first crew when the Carousel of Progress opened at Disneyland.

Kaye is a founding board member of the Walt Disney Hometown Museum and has served as Director since it’s opening in 2001. Kaye is the co-founder of the Walt Disney Hometown Toonfest. A celebration which features well know cartoonist and animators during a two day event held annually the third Saturday of September. In 2015 Marceline will host the 19th annual Toonfest.

Kaye is a past Board Member of the Missouri Travel Council and is a founding board member of the Highway 36 (The way of American Genius) Alliance. She provides Marceline Disney heritage presentations several times each year to Cast Members at Disneyland and Disney World. She has been featured on American, British, Japanese, French, Canadian, and American TV. And recently completed a project with the BBC which will air in China the fall of 2015.

Kaye is honored to be participating in the 2015 Cherry Blossom festival in her home state of Missouri.

H. Alan Day ~ “The Horse Lover: A Cowboy’s Quest to Save the Wild Mustangs”

H. Alan Day          If it’s possible to say that someone can be born a cowboy, then Alan Day was born one. He and his sister Sandra Day O’Connor were part of the third generation to grow up on the 200,00-acre Lazy B cattle ranch that straddled the high deserts of southern Arizona and New Mexico. The ranching and cowboy lifestyle appealed to him so much that after graduating from the University of Arizona, he returned to manage the Lazy B for the next 40 years. During his career, he received numerous awards for his dedicated stewardship of the land.  In the 1980’s, Alan purchased a cattle ranch in Nebraska, followed by a ranch in South Dakota called Mustang Meadow Ranch that became the first government sponsored sanctuary for unadoptable wild horses. He was the first rancher to develop and successfully use a herd modification-training program for cattle and wild mustangs. He relates his heartfelt adventures with the horses and government in his award-winning memoir The Horse Lover: A Cowboy’s Quest to Save the Wild Mustangs, co-authored with Lynn Wiese Sneyd. Booklist has called it an “instant classic.”

            Alan’s first book was the New York Times best-selling memoir, Lazy B, which he co-authored with Justice O’Connor. In it, they tell the story of the Day family and of growing up on the harsh yet beautiful southwestern cattle ranch.

            Now a retired rancher, Alan divides his time between Tucson and Pinetop, Arizona. Through genealogy tracing, his daughter recently discovered that the Day family is related to Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Lynn Wiese Sneyd ~ “The Horse Lover: A Cowboy’s Quest to Save the Wild Mustangs”

Lynn Wiese SneydLynn Wiese Sneyd is professional writer and owner of LWS Literary Services in Tucson. She coordinates national, regional and local publicity campaigns for authors, crafts query letters and book proposals, ghostwrites, and edits.

She is the author of Holistic Parenting and the co-author of Healthy Solutions, which received the Arizona Book Award for best health and wellness book. Lynn’s articles, essays and poetry have appeared in various publications around the country. Most recently she co-authored the award-winning  memoir, The Horse Lover: A Cowboy’s Quest to Save the Wild Mustangs with H. Alan Day.

She now lives in Tucson, Arizona, but is a Midwesterner at heart, having lived for many years in Wisconsin. You can visit her at www.lwsliteraryservices.com.

Jonathan Sandys

Jonathan SandysJonathan Sandys is the great-grandson of Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, and is an internationally recognized author and public speaker. Since 2005, Jonathan has been communicating the morals, values and leadership skills of his great-grandfather and those of that “Greatest Generation” in a vibrant and interactive way to both young and old alike. Though born ten years after his illustrious relative’s passing, Jonathan very much credits his legacy as a major positive influence in his life. As a result, Jonathan found the never, never, never, never give in attitude of Churchill, was what made it possible for him to rise above the challenges of dyslexia and social isolation and become very successful. Jonathan’s life mission is to use both the experiences of his great-grandfather and his own to encourage and inspire people of all ages and walks of life to “Never Surrender!”

His first book, God & Churchill: How the Great Leader’s Sense of Divine Destiny Changed His Troubled World and Offers Hope for Ours, was released by Tyndale Momentum in the U.S. October 1, 2015.

“I have known four generations of the Churchill family. The noblest remaining of that family is Jonathan Sandys. He has both the vision and the voice to carry forth the legacy of his great-grandfather and is well worthy to offer this account of Churchill’s life and faith. God and Churchill has earned a place next to the greatest of books ever written on the master statesman.” (James C. Humes, Author and former presidential speech writer)

 

Bertram Hayes-Davis

Bertram Hayes-Davis

Bertram Hayes-Davis, a great great grandson of Jefferson Davis, is deeply committed to educating the public about the life and legacy of his distinguished ancestor.  Bertram has served since 1976 as the President of the Davis Family Association and since 1988 as the President of the Papers of Jefferson Davis.  He is the former Executive Director of Beauvoir, the last home of Jefferson Davis and the Presidential Library in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Over the last 35 years Bertram has traveled and spoken at a majority of Davis sights throughout the country. He has been interviewed by Life and People magazines  and is on several online interviews.

 

Bertram is currently serving as the President of the Beauvoir Foundation.  The Foundation’s mission is to support opportunities and exhibits to educate the public about the life of Jefferson Davis.  He and his wife Carol travel the country speaking on behalf of the Foundation.

 

Bertram has a Master’s of Science in Geology, and spent sixteen years in the Oil and Gas Exploration business.  Four of those years were spent working in Russia conducting studies to determine the oil potential in Western Siberia.  He has also worked in his hometown of Colorado Springs for Colorado College as both the Director of Corporate Support and the Director of Athletic Fund Raising.  Bertram was the Director of Development for The Pikes Peak Community Foundation, and the Director of External Relations for Peak Vista Community Health Centers; both organizations are located in Colorado Springs.  Bertram held positions in the financial industry for J.P. Morgan both as a Trust Advisor in Colorado Springs, and as the Vice President, Head of Oil and Gas Management in Dallas, Texas.

 

In addition to his varied work experience, Bertram is also involved with numerous charitable organizations.  He has served on boards in both Colorado and Mississippi such as The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, The Broadmoor Improvement Society, and the Combined Boards of Beauvoir.  In his free time, he enjoys travel and golf.

 

Tasha Dunagan ~ “Copy Mocker’s Song”

Tasha DunaganTasha Dunagan, author of “Copy Mocker’s Song,” grew up in Oklahoma and has worked for two newspapers as a photographer and reporter. In the late 1990’s, she also contributed stories and photos to “Birds and Blooms” magazine, as one of two field editors for Oklahoma. Tasha has lived in rural Missouri for the last 15 years, where she and her husband have raised two children. In 2009, she completed the “Writing for Children and Teenagers” course with the Institute of Children’s Literature. In addition to being a writer, she is currently a stay-at-home mom and library volunteer.

Tasha Dunagan will be among the local authors signing books at the Ella Dickey Literacy Awards on Thursday, April 23 at 4:30 PM at Marshfield Assembly of God.

Marilyn Smith ~ “A History of Highway 65, from the middle of the road”

Marilyn Smith

Marilyn K. Smith – Writing credits: Buffalo Reflex Newspaper (weekly column), The Ozarks Mountaineer, Springfield! Magazine, Springfield News-Leader (guest columnist), Ozark Senior Living (associate editor), Journal of the Ozarks (contributing editor), and others. Books: “A History of Highway 65, from the middle of the road” and “The Window Pane Inn.”

 

Marilyn K. Smith will be among the local authors signing books at the Ella Dickey Literacy Awards on Thursday, April 23 at 4:30 PM at Marshfield Assembly of God.