Peter Emmerich an acclaimed illustrator having an extensive relationship with The Walt Disney Co. Born in New York City, he was raised in Brooklyn and attended Xaverian High School, and then The Fashion Institute of Technology. Upon graduating from The Fashion Institute of Technology he began his career with The Walt Disney Co. as a character artist for Walt Disney Consumer Products. He worked there for over two years before being promoted to Chief Illustrator and Official Character Artist for the Disneyland Resort. While he was there, he created a great number of successful collector lithographs including Disneyland's 45th Anniversary "Character of the Month" series. In 2001, he created an image that has become one of The Walt Disney Company's most iconic images: "Mickey Salutes America". It quickly became one of the fastest-selling posters ever created for The Walt Disney Co. and the poster publisher, Bruce Mcgaw Graphics,Inc. in Nyack, New York. Due to the success of that image, Emmerich was chosen to create a series of postage stamps for the United States Postal Service highlighting images and characters from famous Disney films. [More at Wikipedia]

November 5th, 1973 in Brooklyn (Age 51)