DU Oral History - Daniel Ritchie, Background and Business Career

Daniel L. Ritchie was born in China Grove, North Carolina at the beginning of the great depression. He attended Woodberry Forest, a private school in Virginia. After graduation from Woodberry, he attended Harvard University where he became involved in various leadership roles. Daniel attended Harvard Business School and after graduation, launched a successful business career. In this interview Daniel discusses his early childhood, experiences at both Woodberry Forest and Harvard and his business career with Lehman Brothers, MCA (Music Corporation of America) and Westinghouse Broadcasting. He describes what brought him to Colorado and how he became a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of Denver (DU). He reflects on the troubling times the University was experiencing when he joined the board and how he was eventually tapped to become Chancellor, a position he held for sixteen years. Daniel shares the ethics and principles he follows and his life-long commitment to quality. He highlights his efforts to develop first-rate buildings on the DU campus and the fundraising efforts involved. Daniel discusses the development of the Study Abroad program at DU and touches on his unique efforts to identify prospective students who displayed the qualities of character, grit, determination and motivation.