Long before the pirates established a lair on Tom Sawyer Island, guests could meet Tom Sawyer himself there. Tom Nabbe was perhaps the youngest person ever to be employed at Disneyland. He started work in July 1955 at the age of 12, hawking The Disneyland News (written by none other than Marty Sklar) at the front of the park. From the moment he learned that Tom Sawyer Island was coming to Frontierland, Tom took every opportunity he could to ask Walt Disney for the job.
Tom Nabbe became Disneyland's Tom Sawyer in 1956, holding the job until he no longer looked the part. Nabbe later went on to be a ride operator and supervisor at the park. He moved to Florida in 1971, joining the opening team of the Walt Disney World Resort as manager of monorail transportation. Tom retired in 2003 as head of Walt Disney World Distribution Services.
Today, there's a window dedicated to Tom on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. Located just above the cinema, it reads, "Sawyer Fence Painting - Tom Nabbe, Proprietor" in tribute to his unique role in Disney history.
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