Disney World Land Purchase/RCID Collection

Robert Price Foster, also known as Bob Price, was born August 2, 1924. He became an attorney employed by Walt Disney Productions and was charged with overseeing land purchases in Central Florida for the purpose of building Walt Disney World. Foster began working in the Law Department of Walt Disney Productions in 1956. In 1965, he became Vice President of the Florida Project, responsible for the site selection, land acquisition, and the legislative package that created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, where Walt Disney World was to be constructed. Using the pseudonym Bob Price, he was able to maintain secrecy regarding the land purchases for eighteen months before word got out about Disney's interest in developing the area. Foster authored an unpublished manuscript that details the entire process of site selection and land purchases, which is a highlight of this collection. Foster held several different positions during his tenure with Disney from 1956 to 1975, including Vice President of the Buena Vista Land Company, which developed the community of Lake Buena Vista, FL. Foster also served as Vice President for Administration and Counsel for Sea World, San Diego, CA., from 1975 to 1982, and worked in real estate investment and development during the 1980s. Foster served in the Pacific Theater of World War II as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the College of Emporia, Emporia, Kansas (1947), a Bachelor of Science degree in Business/Education from the University of Southern California (1952), and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law (1954). Foster was admitted to the California Bar Association in 1954. Foster passed away on January 13th, 2022.