An artist, Kent spent most of his professional career — nearly 40 years — with Disney. And during most of that time, it was his job to be “protective” of the image of iconic Disney characters, and none more so than Mickey Mouse.
“He wouldn’t let out certain merchandise, things Mickey shouldn’t be on,” said his wife, Linda. “Mickey was the standard bearer of Disney; Mickey was the one that made Disney. He had to be kind of kept that way.” So much so that around the company, Kent became known as “The Keeper of the Mouse.”
He trained other artists on how to draw the famous rodent and the rest of the company’s “Fab Five” — Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto — so that they always looked the same, and decided which products Mickey would be licensed for. When Kent first asked Walt Disney for a job, Disney said no: he had no jobs for 8-year-olds. So Kent kept studying art, and eventually was hired at the company, and one of the first things he designed was a Mickey Mouse wristwatch for adults; it was used as a special award for company employees.
He later moved east to Disney World in Florida, where he became director of Walt Disney Imagineering East. He died at his home in Florida on September 10 from esophageal cancer. He was 68.