Harriet Burns

Harriet Burns (August 20, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American artist and designer. Burns was the first woman hired in the Walt Disney Imagineering department within the Walt Disney Company.

Biography

Early life Burns was born Harriet Tapp in San Antonio, Texas, on August 20, 1928, and raised in Seguin, Texas. She earned her bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the Carousel of Progress.

Her work earned the attention of Walt Disney. He featured Burns on several episodes of The Wonderful World of Color, a 1960s television show which gave a behind-the-scenes look at the Walt Disney Company, including its theme parks.

Burns retired from Walt Disney Imagineering in 1986. She was honored in 1992 with a window display of her work on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland with a commemorative plaque that reads, "The Artisans Loft, Handmade Miniatures by Harriet Burns." She was the first woman in Disney history to receive this honor. Burns was also designated a Disney Legend by the Walt Disney Company in 2000, as an employee "whose imagination, talents and dreams have created the Disney magic."

Death Harriet Burns died of complications from a heart condition at USC University Hospital in Los Angeles on July 25, 2008, at the age of 79. Burns was survived by her daughter, Pam Burns-Clair; two sisters, Wilma Draves and Suzie Mosteller; two granddaughters, Chelsea and Haley Clair; and many extended family members. She was a resident of Santa Barbara, California where she had been active in the arts and music community.