University of Denver Fall 2023

New titles transport readers to mountains, rivers and the middle school classroom BOOKS By Joy Hamilton

Disney’s ski resort dream ignites environmental activism There’s no shortage of lore when it comes to Walt Disney and his cultural empire of movies and theme parks. But did you know that he once dreamt of building a ski resort with DU’s former legendary ski coach, Willy Schaeffler? Writer duo Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer (BA ’07, MLS ’10) revisit this failed venture in “Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt,

Disney’s passion both for the project and for nature and wildlife and his death in the middle of planning the project to the rise of environmentalism and the case going to the Supreme Court,” says Mayer. Walt’s vision would require a complete re-envisioning of the Mineral King valley in California, complete with heavy infrastructure and crowds—much to the ire of the Sierra Club. “Disneyland on the Mountain” was and is an appealing concept to Disney fans (even though the ambitious plan ultimately failed, ideas for the ski resort are visible in other Disney resorts and hotels), but what sets this story apart is how the 15-year conflict between Disney and environmentalists “lit a fire for the environmental movement and inspired other activism,” says Mayer.

the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort That Never Was” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023) in eyebrow-raising style. Imagine a 64-year-old Walt clambering up a Sierra Nevada mountainside in a “sweater vest, heavy camping jacket, and wool trousers,” reporters in tow, to share his dream with the world, just as his health is beginning to decline. For Glasgow and Mayer, what started as a fun fact spotted at the Walt Disney Family Museum turned into a

Read an excerpt featuring Walt’s right-hand man in the project, DU’s decorated ski coach, Willy Schaeffler, at magazine.du.edu

A western thriller set on a snowy mountainside

Novelist C.J. Box (BA ’81) is a familiar name in the Rocky Mountain Region, as a #1 New York Times bestselling author of award-winning crime novels with a distinctive Western flare. “Storm Watch,” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2023), the 23rd book in his Joe Pickett series, follows the

journalistic calling. “We

quickly realized there was a much bigger story to tell—from Walt

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