DANIEL BEN GREENBERG

Philanthropist and Former Chair and CEO of Electro Rent Corporation Passed Away on February 23, 2021. He was 79.Dan attacked each day, in the best sense of the word. He lived with gusto and brought boundless energy to everything he did. He loved life. He cared about people. He was a builder. A fighter for education, art, civil rights, and the environment, Dan was happiest when working to solve a problem.Born in Minneapolis, Dan and his younger brother, Phil, were raised in Los Angeles. Dan attributed his keen aesthetic eye and his love of food to his mother Ruth, and his head for business to his father Mayer. Dan received a bachelor's degree from Reed College in Portland, OR, and earned a law degree from the University of Chicago. His first job was in Sacramento, CA, on the legal staff of the California Department of Water Resources. He served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves from 1966-1972, among other things teaching citizenship classes and writing wills. In the early 1970s, he joined the business started by his uncle and father. In 1976, after Mayer's passing, Dan became a member of the Board of Directors of Electro Rent Corporation (ER). He served as Chair and CEO for more than 35 years, until it was acquired in 2016. Along with his team, he built ER into an industry leader in the leasing and rental of electronic test and measurement equipment and computers.Dan was a dedicated member of the Board of Trustees of Reed College, serving for more than 45 years and eight as Chair. He also served as trustee and Chair of Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund (now Earthjustice), trustee of the Craft and Folk Art Museum (now Contemporary Craft), trustee of the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, trustee of the National Public Radio (NPR) Foundation, trustee of ClientEarth, and member of the American Business Conference.Dan met Susan Steinhauser in 1974 when they both volunteered at KCET, the local public TV station. They married in 1985. For nearly 50 years they complemented and completed each other, working in their own spheres and coming together as civic activists, art collectors, and philanthropists. Dan and Susan funded the interdisciplinary Greenberg Seminars at the University of Chicago Law School, where students and faculty meet in faculty homes to share a meal and to talk about the law in a broad societal context. Dan firmly believed that eating together provided important fellowship that stimulated both the mind and the heart. Dan loved everything about food (and wine) -- buying, preparing, eating (and/or drinking), and reading about it; shopping for gadgets and utensils; and protecting home-grown crops from garden visitors. The highest compliment one could pay him was a clean plate and a request for seconds. He always said his last bottle of wine would be a Burgundy. Dan cared about people. In groups small and large alike, business or otherwise, he would seek out a few, look them in the eye, and start a good conversation. No chit chat for him. He wanted to find a real connection; to know what was going on with you and how you were doing. His circle grew with the addition of godchildren, cousins, marriages and friends who became like family. Dan had collecting in his blood. The only thing stronger than his urge to collect was the pleasure he took in giving pieces and collections to museums that would care for them over the long-term and share them with the public. Dan and Susan donated highly important and often foundational collections of photographs, studio art glass, turned wood, and jade to museums across the country. He knew that for every piece he collected he was a temporary steward in its long life. His family and friends will long remember Dan for many things, including: best bear hugs ever; his devotion to his cymbidiums and tuberous begonias; his relishing a good read, especially sci fi, mysteries and detective stories; his aggressive, no-prisoners-taken Scrabble and bridge playing; his tough love for Bruins basketball; his joy in swimming, body surfing, and sailing; and his delight in a good principled fight. Music soothed Dan's soul and his expansive tastes ranged widely, including: Buddy Holly; Hawaiian slack key guitar; Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, bluegrass, and country; Mahler's 1st, Mozart's Requiem and Beethoven's 5th.Dan was a larger than life individual: curious, energetic, opinionated, and always positive even when he was talking about negative things. He was enthusiastic, had a good sense of humor and was wonderfully engaging. We will all miss him greatly.He is survived by his wife, Susan Steinhauser; his brother Phil Greenberg, Phil's partner Annie and their daughter Eliana; brother-in-law Steven Steinhauser and his wife Branwen; and sister-in-law Debbie Thompson, her husband Ted and their daughters Loren and Rachel.Donations in his memory can be sent to Reed College (Portland OR), Earthjustice (San Francisco CA) and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.