Julie Reihm Casaletto: When the thing for the Ambassador thing came up and they asked me, would I please compete for it, at first I told them no. First it was Jack Lindquist who asked me do I want to fill one of those out. I said no. He said, "Why?" I said, "I'm in school. I don't have time to think of that. I'm a serious student, I take my studies seriously.” "Well, you can take them seriously and still fill out this paperwork." I said, "No I can't. I don't have time to go through." I said, "They're going to have about three days of interviews they say. THREE DAYS. Do you realize the time it takes when you're studying and you're doing things? I'm on all these committees at school and I'm with student government and I'm in a sorority." I said, "No I don't have time for that." So I didn't fill it out.

Then Bob Matheison asked me would I like to fill it out. I again told him no. He said, "Julie... I think it would be really nice if you fill one of these out," and I told him the same thing and he was very nice and he told me, "You know, I think you might learn something in the process. I think in the process itself you might learn more about yourself and it might be worthwhile to you." I kind of looked at him and I was kind of thinking, "Is he just doing verbal gymnastics with me?" I said, "Well, let me think about it over this weekend and I'll let you know the next time I see you." He said, "Okay."

The next time I see him he says again, "So did you think about it?" I said, "Yeah. I kind of get your point, but at the same time it might really oppress me at this time because we're going to be coming in to midterms just about the time that first interview is and I really like my grades right now. My grades are straight A's. It's the only time in my college career that I've had straight A's." He said, "Well... uh... if you've got them once you can do it again." I thought, "Yeah, right." He said, "No, no, no. C'mon, fill this thing out. C'mon. You've got to fill this thing out. Do this. It's going to be a lot of fun. You're just going to love it." I said, "Why are you saying that?" He said, "I'm on the committee." I said, "Oh... so you know what they're going to be doing?" "Yep. It's going to be a lot of fun. You're going to like some of the things we do." I said, "I see. Well, okay, (long hesitant pause) I'll fill it out." He said, "Good, good."

I filled it out and I go home, we’re all having dinner, just the family and I say something to my parents and even my mom says to me, "How on Earth are you going to have the time to be driving out there and doing interviews with your schedule already the way that it is?" I said, "Well, I mentioned that, and Matheison has tried to get me to think that this is going to be such a fun thing and I'll learn so much more about myself and the organization and we'll be doing great interviews." He seems like a good person whose got a good head on his shoulders. I like him as a Director so I'm trying to think positive that he knows what he's talking about."

My mom said, "Okay." My father looks at me and says, "I've got news for you. You are not to even sign a napkin for anybody." I looked at him and said, "What? Oh dad, you are so far off base. I'm a tour guide. Nobody's asking me to sign anything." He said, "Yeah, right." My dad was already onto it, but he was always ahead of the game and knew people so well. I think he had a sixth sense that I guess a lot of us don't entertain and we don't use it but he certainly had this sixth sense and knew almost from day one what was going on, even on the day I went up to the studio, the very first time when I knew I was going up and Dad knew I'd be having lunch with Walt and perhaps Roy and he said to me, "You're not signing anything. Remember that. I'm your dad. I'm telling you right now. You're underage, you're not signing anything." I said, "Gotcha. I wouldn't do that anyway." He said, "You're darn tootin'. A lawyer will read everything before you sign anything." "I'm not signing anything. I'm in school." I said things like that. "I'm a tour guide. That's what they're having me out there for. I've got a good voice. It's nice that I have a good voice, Dad." He said, "Right. You just keep thinking that, dear." He was interesting.

So we went thru the interviews and the meetings and the TV interviews and radio interviews and newspaper people and all of that and you know what happened?

Well, I know you became Ambassador. Did you have to sign something?

JRC: Oh, of course. (She laughs) A big contract... a long contract!

How were you notified that it was going to be you?

JRC: Well, they did some hinting. I don't know if they were supposed to. They did have me a little concerned because I wasn't sure... I had had a lot of fun in the interview process, I had enjoyed it, I had learned about myself, I had learned about the organization. Going to all those places for dinner, being interviewed by all those people was great.

I wasn't really sure that I wanted to quit school, but at one of the times when we had lunch, Walt had asked me a question about what were the five things that I wanted in life right now. Could I name the top five things I wanted in life? I told him yes. So I named them and he said, "What would you do if I told you that I could satisfy three or four of those?" I said, "Wow, I'm not quite sure you could, but there's one or two of them I wouldn't allow you to satisfy." He said, "What are those?" I said, "I'll choose my own husband, thank you." He said, "Well, I'm older than you and I know what a good man is." I said, "Okay, that's nice that you do, but I'll still choose my own husband. Thanks."

"You know, the places you said you wanted to travel... I can make that happen." I said, "You can?" He said, "Uh huh. But, I have a question for you. Why India?" I said, "That's one I can't answer. I don't know why. Haven't you ever had something that's just in your mind, you really want to do that but you don't really know why?" He just laughed. "I'm not sure about India," he said. "Everything else you mentioned, the other places you want to travel, those are okay. I can make those happen."

I just kind of looked at him, and he said, "And your education... you don't have to worry about your education. You're worried about it. You obviously want your education so you obviously are going to get your education. I can just see to it that after you've done your traveling and after you've represented us that you could go anywhere you want to go for education. Anywhere you want to." I said, "Oh... (long pause) Are you sure?" He said, "Uh huh." I said, "Oh..." He said, "But, you're not sure." I said, "No, I'm not sure how that would work." He just kind of laughed, he was probably thinking, "Oh boy. This one is not putting two and two together. She looks smart but she's not always right on the tack here."

So we talked about different things, different things that I wanted in life and the fact that I did want to travel. In fact, I said, "Before I ever get married I've got to go around the world two or three times. I said I want to stand on my own feet, I have to be totally independent of my parents, and I want to have that education. I must at least, well I've got to have the Bachelor's but I'd like to have a Masters. I don't know if I'll go further but I need to have an advanced degree of some sort." He looked at me and said, "You NEED it?" I said, "Yes. Anybody can get a Bachelors, I wish to at least go to the next step and maybe beyond it." "Okay, fine."

After I was done with the contract and I went in to tell him that I was going to go back to school, and we talked about it and he said he'd rather I’d sign another contract and I said, "We've already talked about that several weeks ago and I have the same feeling. I'm going back to school."

And that's what you did?

JRC: Yeah. Well, he said to me (chuckling), "Okay. On the one hand I'm saying too bad, and on the other hand I'm just jumping for joy." I said, "Huh? I don't get it." He said, "Well, you won my bet." "I won your bet?" He said, "You know how the boys are. The boys have a bet. The boys have bet that they can get you to sign a contract and they've been working hard on it, haven't they?" I said, "Yes. I shouldn't even hesitate, I always wanted to say to you yes because… you know what's been going on." He said, "Yes I do. They report to me every time. I need to know and I'd get a report on where things stand and I know there is one of them who is very frustrated and he feels like you are doing entirely the wrong thing and he tells me he told you so." I said, "Well, yeah," without mentioning any names, "he certainly has." "And you haven't been very happy about that." I said, "No, I haven't. I think he's been a little overbearing and I don't think that's his role and I find it even rude." He said, "Okay," and he just smiled, not a huge smile.

I said, "So that's one of the ones that has a bet with you?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Do you stand to make a nice little tidy sum where at least you can go out and take Lil out to a nice dinner or something?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Well then, I'm glad I've won your bet for you." He said, "You don't want to know WHY I knew which way you'd go on this issue?" I said, "Yeah, I do. How did you know that I would definitely go back to school and I wouldn't sign again?" He said, "I know that money is not what rattles your chains. I knew that if you said you had something you were going to do, that you were going to do it... no matter who rattled what in front of you. It's one of things I've always liked about you and I always will." He said, "If you promise me that you'll do something I know I can count on you. I knew you'd win that bet. I was going to be stunned if you didn't win it for me, but IF you didn't win it for me, my company was the winner. I was going to win no matter what." I said, "You're too much." He said, "I know when I choose a protégé what I'm doing. I don't do that easily. I had to be careful." Then he said, "You'll come back to us."

Did you?

JRC: He had me back numerous times, like somebody would come in to town or they had met internationally or something and they would ask for me, whether it was the studio or Disneyland, one of the offices would call me and tell me when they were coming and could I be there at this time or that time to be at the dinner with them or to have pictures with them at Disneyland or take them on one or two of the attractions, and when they opened one or two things he just asked would I please be out there, that his wife was coming out there and one of his daughters or the other would be out and would I just be there. I usually just arranged it so I could be there. I would just not go to class, have somebody else take notes for me and that's what I would do.

But you never went back to work full time for Disney?

JRC: No. I was full time in school.

More from Julie:
The tests she was put through before becoming the first Ambassador
Memories of being Ambassador

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