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TLS, two pages, 8.5 x 11, illustrated Walt Disney Productions 'Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoons' letterhead, March 12, 1936. Letter to Nell Turner, in full: “I was very glad to hear from you. Old associations seem to come back in bunches sometimes. Only yesterday, at a polo game at the Midwick Country Club here, I ran on to Mr. and Mrs. Jay Donaldson. They are living in Long Beach and have been for a number of years. Jay and I see each other occasionally. They are well, and Jay is the same old jolly likable fellow.
In regard to the possibility of our giving employment to Miss St. Clair, samples of whose drawings you enclosed in your letter, I am sorry to inform you that it is against our policy to employ women in our creative art department, for the reason, Nell, that it takes three to five years to properly train a person for this work. We conduct a regular school with five instructors on full time, holding day and night classes. When we succeed in developing a person to a useful point, we feel that we have quite an investment in him. To put all of this time, effort and expense on a girl is not a good business risk, we feel, for the reason that the girl is liable to get married any time and quit work entirely, or even if she desires to continue work after marrying, she is liable to be stopped by the arrival of a youngster. All of which is as it should be, but, nevertheless, it would leave us in the hole after spending a great deal of time and effort in the development of a person. That has been our position with respect to hiring women artists for a number of years back. We have never deviated from this policy. It does seem rather unfair to the women, doesn't it? But then good business seems to make it necessary.
I hope this finds both you and Bertha well and happy. I have dropped in at the old First National on several I occasions during the past years. I was through there about two weeks ago and it was ten below zero, so I was very glad to leave the town and get back to California. I seldom go back by way of El Paso, but if I should, you know that I would be very glad to see you both. I believe that the last time I was there was about 1922.” In fine condition.
On February 10, 1941, Walt Disney announced that the studio would begin to train women as animators. Among the reasons listed for training women, Disney claimed that it would be beneficial for the women employees to gain new skills and keep the work going in the possibility of a war that would enlist young men. From then on, dozens of women took jobs in other departments, as animators, art directors, and character designers. Some of these pioneers include artists and animators like Mary Blair, Ruthie Tompson, Retta Scott, Hazel Sewell, Retta Davidson, and Sylvia Holland.
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