Yale Wilbur Gracey (September 3, 1910 – September 5, 1983) was a Disney Imagineer, writer, and layout artist for many Disney animated shorts, including classics such as The Three Caballeros and Fantasia. Gracey joined the company in 1939 as a layout artist for Pinocchio. In the 1960s, he designed many of the special effects for the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion attractions at Disneyland. Among these was a fire effect, developed for Pirates of the Caribbean, which appeared so realistic that the Disneyland fire department wanted an emergency switch to turn it off in case of a real fire. The Haunted Mansion character Master Gracey was named in homage to him. Gracey retired from the company on October 4, 1975.
Family
Gracey was the grandson of Charles G. Yale, businessman and club man, Secretary of the San Francisco Yacht Club and 1st President of the Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association.A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PACIFIC INTER-CLUB ASSOCIATION BY THE P.I.C.Y.A. HISTORICAL COMMITTEE His great-grandfather was Colonel Gregory Yale (1817–1871), a mining claims and maritime lawyer, who arrived in San Francisco in 1849, and was involved in Senator Broderick's case, as well as with Salvador Vallejo, brother of Gen. Vallejo.Richmond Enquirer, 31 Aug 1849, Fri ·Page 4
He was in partnership under Yale & McConnell, with Attorney General of California John R. McConnell, and sat on committees with Congressman Thompson Campbell, Senator John S. Hager, Congressman Joseph P. Hoge, and at events with Gov. John B. Weller.The Charleston Daily Courier, 15 Aug 1853, Mon ·Page 2The Valley Virginian, 09 Jan 1867, Wed ·Page 4The San Francisco Examiner, 14 Aug 1865, Mon ·Page 1 He defended the Vice President of the Republic of Lower California, Col. Watkins, with Gov. Henry S. Foote, and Yale was involved himself in a duel against Bailie Peyton.Evening star, 27 Apr 1854, Thu ·Page 2The Daily California Express, 19 Jun 1858, Sat ·Page 2The Nevada Democrat, 23 Jun 1858, Wed ·Page 2
His fortune amounted to $300,000 in 1857.Legal papers of Gregory Yale, consisting of briefs, complaints, writs, court records, letters, memoranda, etc He was also a real estate investor and an associate of Frank Turk, a pioneer of the city of San Francisco.Text / Gregory Yale, 1852-1872 His great-uncle, Frank Willey Yale (1854), was married to Fannie Amelia Bleecker, granddaughter of Major general Leonard Bleecker, a member of the Bleecker family of Bleecker Street, New York, and cofounder of the New York Stock Exchange through the Buttonwood Agreement.The San Francisco Examiner, 03 Aug 1920, Tue ·Page 4
Personal life Gracey's parents were Enid Yale (1884–1968) and Wilbur Tirrell Gracey (1877–1946).Political Graveyard Registry His father was a US Marshal and diplomat who served in consulates in China, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom. His grandfather, Rev Samuel Levis Gracey (1835–1911) was a Methodist clergyman who had served in the Civil War as the chaplain for 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment ("Rush's Lancers"), 1st Division Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac, and 2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment.
In 1946, Gracey married Beverly-Joyce Newman of Beverly Hills, California. They had two sons, Wayne and Lucky Gracey, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Death On September 5, 1983, Gracey was shot and killed in Los Angeles by a burglar. His wife was also injured in the attack. Gracey and his wife, Beverly, were staying overnight at their cabana at the Bel Air Bay Club, on Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of western Los Angeles. The shooting was reported at approximately 2:30 a.m. by another club member. A police spokesman indicated that Gracey and his wife were both asleep when an unknown intruder entered and shot them both, then fled onto the beach. A motive was not determined, and there were no suspects. As of 2023, the Gracey murder remains a cold case.UPI, 1983, Sept. 6, Executive Shot to Death at Exclusive Beach Club, The Montreal Gazette, p. 105Ex-Disney Special Effects Expert Slain, Toledo Blade, 7 September 1983, page 14. Last retrieved 21 April 2023.
Gracey's widow, Beverly Gracey, died on November 1, 2017, at the age of 95.Beverly Gracey obituary, Legacy.com, 20 December 2017.
Disney filmography Year Film Position 1940 Pinocchio layout artist 1940 Fantasia segment "The Pastoral Symphony" 1941 The Reluctant Dragon art direction: cartoon sequences 1942 Saludos Amigos backgrounds/layout artist - uncredited 1943 Figaro and Cleo layout artist - uncredited 1944 Donald's Off Day layout artist 1944 The Three Caballeros layout artist 1945 The Eyes Have It layout artist 1945 No Sail layout artist 1946 A Knight for a Day layout artist 1946 Lighthouse Keeping layout artist 1946 The Story of Menstruation layout artist 1946 Frank Duck Brings 'em Back Alive layout artist - uncredited 1946 Double Dribble layout artist 1947 Straight Shooters layout artist 1947 Clown of the Jungle layout artist 1947 Bootle Beetle layout artist 1947 Foul Hunting layout artist 1947 Chip an' Dale layout artist 1948 They're Off layout artist 1948 Inferior Decorator layout artist 1948 Soup's On layout artist 1948 Three for Breakfast layout artist 1948 Tea for Two Hundred layout artist 1949 Donald's Happy Birthday layout artist 1949 Sea Salts layout artist 1949 Winter Storage layout artist 1949 Honey Harvester layout artist 1949 All in a Nutshell layout artist 1949 The Greener Yard layout artist 1949 Slide, Donald, Slide layout artist 1949 Toy Tinkers layout artist 1950 Lion Around layout artist 1950 Crazy Over Daisy layout artist 1950 Trailer Horn layout artist 1950 Hook, Lion and Sinker layout artist 1950 Bee at the Beach layout artist 1950 Out on a Limb layout artist 1951 Chicken in the Rough layout artist 1951 Dude Duck layout artist 1951 Corn Chips layout artist 1951 Test Pilot Donald layout artist 1951 Lucky Number layout artist 1951 Out of Scale layout artist 1951 Bee on Guard layout artist 1952 Donald Applecore layout artist 1952 Lambert the Sheepish Lion layout artist 1952 Two Chips and a Miss layout artist 1952 Let's Stick Together layout artist 1952 Uncle Donald's Ants layout artist 1952 Trick or Treat background artist, layout artist 1952 Pluto's Christmas Tree layout artist 1953 Don's Fountain of Youth layout artist 1953 The New Neighbor layout artist 1953 Rugged Bear layout artist 1953 Working for Peanuts layout artist 1953 Canvas Back Duck layout artist 1954-1968 The Magical World of Disney layout artist, stylist ("The Plausible Impossible") 1954 Spare the Rod layout artist 1954 Dragon Around layout artist 1954 Grin and Bear It layout artist 1954 The Flying Squirrel layout artist 1955 No Hunting layout artist 1955 Bearly Asleep layout artist 1955 Beezy Bear layout artist 1955 Up a Tree layout artist 1956 Hooked Bear layout artist 1956 In the Bag layout artist
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