The University of Denver plans to honor Daniel Ritchie, its late former chancellor, board member and longtime benefactor, with a public memorial service next week.
The event is scheduled for Feb. 13 at Magness Arena. The memorial will begin at 10:30 a.m. and is open to the public.
Ritchie died Jan. 30 at 93 years old. He served as DU’s 16th chancellor from 1989 to 2005, and was widely recognized in Denver as a civic leader and a prominent financial supporter of the arts and education.
During his tenure, Ritchie donated about $100 million to DU from the sale of his sprawling ranches in California and Colorado. DU later named its athletics complex the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness in his honor.
“Dan’s tireless advocacy for DU is now the stuff of legend,” Jeremy Haefner, the institution’s current chancellor, said following Ritchie’s death. “He presided over a fundraising campaign that allowed DU to make more than $400 million in investments in new facilities and infrastructure. ”
After stepping down as DU’s chancellor in 2005, Ritchie served as the chairman of the university’s board of trustees and became a lifelong honorary trustee. He later spent seven years as chairman and CEO of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts before retiring in 2014.