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Didier Ghez: When and where were you born?

Herb Hughes: I was born in Nebraska on March 12, 1934. About 1937, my parents relocated to the Sacramento, California, area. I grew up living in a small town called Lincoln. I graduated from Lincoln Union High School in 1953. I did one year at Sierra Junior College, then located in Auburn, California. I joined the United States Navy in 1954. I served four years and was discharged with honorable service. Some months later, I was privileged to be accepted into a motion-picture lighting union in Hollywood.

DG: What did you do before you joined Disney?

HH: I was, at that time, a member of a motion-picture and television lighting union. My training as a communications electrician in the U.S. Navy was instrumental in my getting what I thought would be a one-day call at 20th Century Fox Studios. That one day was at 6 a.m. on a cold November day in 1958/59. It was my thought that I would see the inside of a real Hollywood studio and then return to my hometown. However, that one-day call lasted for 96 consecutive days! That got me a “permit to work” card until I accumulated enough days to join the union, which I did in 1960.

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