Daniel L. Ritchie

Daniel Ritchie was born on September 19, 1931 in China Grove, North Carolina at the beginning of the Great Depression to parents who ran a farm implement store. He was a restless child and adolescent, bored in school but infinitely curious. When he was 15 years old, he told his father that he was going to drop out of high school because it was useless - his father responded by finding a school that would not be useless. That school led him to a full scholarship at Harvard, where he gained leadership roles almost immediately. He went on to Business School at Harvard where he also thrived. He did a two year stint in the Army following graduation and then signed up with Lehman Brothers on Wall Street to begin his career in earnest. During that time, he came to the attention of the founder of Music Corporation of America, then the leading talent agency in the world in an emerging Hollywood. MCA wooed Dan away. In his Hollywood years, Dan reported that he had dinner with Alfred Hitchcock, lunch with Walt Disney and went on one date with Marilyn Monroe. However, his interest in the glitz and glamour waned and he ended up back in Colorado running Columbia Savings and Loan - then owned by MCA. He fell in love with Colorado and began to make connections and long term plans here. However, before he returned for good, he had one more very successful stop: Westinghouse Broadcasting in NYC, where he became CEO. 

In 1983, former Governor John Love and businessman/cattle rancher Al Cohen approached Dan to serve on the Board of Trustees of the University of Denver. DU was struggling at the time - and needed financial acumen and nation-wide breadth. Dan ultimately agreed and from the very beginning, began to make changes in the way DU was being run. 

But Dan's plan was to return to Colorado and settle down on the cattle ranch he was amassing in Grand County. His vision was to ride horses, run cattle and grow old on the ranch. He had put together a ranch of 100,000 acres - and he was spending a great deal of time there. Upon leaving Westinghouse, he picked up his spurs and intended to hang up his briefcase. 

But, not to be. In 1989, members of the Board of DU and members of the community approached Dan about becoming Chancellor of the University of Denver - a struggling, cherished institution. He left Grand County, moved back to urban life and was named the 16th Chancellor of the University: the "cowboy Chancellor". During his tenure, he rebuilt the infrastructure and reputation of the University: focusing on excellence, ethics, athletics and international opportunities. Ultimately, he donated his beloved ranch to the University: "I love this land," he said at the time, "but I love the University of Denver more." He served as Chancellor for 15 years. 

His next stop was the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, where he became Chairman and CEO, elevating that organization into one of national renown. Along the way, he presided over the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation and its efforts in early childhood education and development; the Daniels Fund, the Denver Art Museum Foundation, Colorado Concern, the Central City Opera House Association, the National Park System Advisory Board and Build a Better Colorado. Every moment of his day was dedicated to the public good: making the world a better place. 

He received countless awards, and was beloved by many many people whose lives he touched. 

He passed away on January 30, 2025 at the age of 93.