Company PR exec Tom Wilck dies

[Tom Morrow]

PR exec Tom Wilck dies

PR exec for Disney, Irvine Co., Nixon appointee dies C. Thomas Wilck, 75, died July 24 from kidney cancer Orange County Register C. Thomas Wilck, a public affairs consultant for Walt Disney and the Irvine Co. who also worked in the Nixon administration, has died of kidney cancer in Irvine. Wilck represented some of Southern California's leading businesses and was involved in many community organizations, from the Boy Scouts to the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. He died July 24. He was 75. "Because of him, Orange County was a better place. I think he will be missed and so many of the things he left are legacies that will live on," said Jack Lindquist, who worked with Wilck; Lindquist was the first advertising manager for Walt Disney and later became Disneyland's president. Wilck worked as Walt Disney's personal public relations consultant throughout the 1960s. His most noted work included helping Disney open Walt Disney World and the California Institute of the Arts. "These were exciting times in Disney, because we were going from making movies to giving live entertainment in the form of theme parks," said Sandy Quinn, who was head of marketing for the new Walt Disney World. "Tom helped in all of those things." Wilck married Walt Disney's personal secretary, Tommie, in 1962. "The man gave away his secretary as Tom's bride, so I'd say they were very close," said Jim Stewart, the former vice president of corporate relations for Walt Disney Productions. "Walt was basically the father of the bride; he gave Tommie away at the wedding." by Lauren Ashbaugh complete article

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