Though founded in 2013, 90 years after Walt Disney arrived in California, the idea for Disney Club began in the fall of 2012 in Professor Bryan Alter's "The Pursuit of Happiness and Knowledge: Walt Disney and Charles Darwin" course. At first the idea was a simple thought by one student, why didn't Chapman already have a Disney club?
The School was known for helping to create some of the most brilliant minds in the future of entertainment and what student couldn't say that having Disneyland only 10 minutes away from campus wasn't a deciding factor in choosing Chapman University? Many students take advantage of this proximity by working at the Disneyland Resort while going to school (Yes we're looking at you Jungle Cruise Skippers) Even Cheetah Girl and Chapman Alumni Sabrina Bryan knew that Chaptown was where its at. Obviously, there was a great love for Disney on Campus but it seemed that somebody just needed to step up to the plate and get the ball rolling.
With boundless enthusiasm that student collected a team of fellow Disney aficionados from all walks of life and from across many majors to form Club 55, Chapman's very own Disney Focused Club. These 5 fearless young men and woman slaved on ride after ride of Space Mountain, sweat through grueling showings of Fantasmic, and even sat through painful dinner after dinner at the Hyperion Penthouse until all the paperwork had been finished. With the i's dotted and the t's crossed the students brought Club 55 to reality.
Today Club 55 lives on in spirited memory of these five brave souls to serve as a way of creating a fun and exciting Disney filled atmosphere here on Chapman University's Orange, CA Campus. We hope you'll join us sometime for one of our many amazing events as we work towards bringing you a magical experience. From all of us here at Club 55, Welcome.
