This year’s hall of fame inductee is a true Fiji. He accepted his bid freshman year at Berkeley in 1956, and wasted no time getting involved with the chapter. Aside from the obligatory hell raising he maintained, Dan was apparently mature and respected by his brothers enough to be on cabinet for two years. Dan was the corresponding secretary in his second year, and was President of the Delta Xi chapter his junior year. As if taking on an active role in the house was not enough, Dan also was in the Army ROTC for the 4 years he was at Berkeley and upon graduation, served as a 2nd lieutenant in the Army reserves as an artillery officer.
After graduating in 1960 and serving for the Army, Dan entered the investment business. He started his own Investment Management firm, Guggenheim and Davenport in 1970 and after that venture ended, joined Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate as an investment specialist. After 10 successful years at Coldwell Banker, Dan decided to pursue his career goal of real estate development, and became a large developer of apartment complexes. Dan then transitioned from apartments into investing in mobile home parks, which is the business he currently concentrates on.
As a philanthropist, Dan has been giving back to the community for decades. He has been involved with and served as the director of FISH (Friends In Service to Humanity), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, and The Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation for many years.
Of all his investments, the one he is most proud of is the property development for St. Matthews by the Sea, an Anglican Catholic Church. This was a church that he helped found and really put it on his back during the redevelopment, taking it from an attic production with a part time priest, to a parish with over 200 active families.
Dan currently resides in Newport Beach with his wife Susan, and during the summer lives on a river near Ketchum, Idaho where he spends his time fly fishing and golfing. Although living on a beach and in the mountains can be strenuous, Dan’s ‘can do’ attitude describes retirement, “it’s not for me”.
