There are people you meet in this world who make a difference. Dan Gottlieb was one of those people. While he stood mostly in the shadow of his lovely wife Susan who was the public face, the Garden Empire they created some 20 years ago has made a lasting impression on everyone who has visited the Gottlieb Native Garden, or attended a book signing about the Garden, or visited The G2 Gallery when it showcased over 10 years so many wonderful nature photographers celebrating nature, or attended a Gottlieb Native Garden Film Festival at the Gallery and at LMU for over 7 years, or participated in Bird LA Day year after year. No matter what project Dan and Susan put their minds and passions to, the result was always something fantastic that they shared with others. There was a magic to it. Not only were you immersed in nature, but you were immersed in nature with other like-minded folks. Dan and Susan had a knack of bringing people together in their charming home under the pretext of hosting a lunch or dinner party, and folks would drift in and out of the Garden while dining, marveling at the sights and sounds and smells of the Garden and the wildlife it attracted, and being inspired to do the same in their respective circles.
We at CURes have so many wonderful, lasting memories of the people we met and interacted with in the Garden setting. Our experiences went beyond merely being supported for our work by the Gottlieb Foundation, we became friends, and that friendship galvanized a synergy that was infectious, drawing others to the Garden, and we were part of that momentum, almost as a ripple effect, as more and more individuals and groups came together to celebrate nature in any way they could, building upon the excitement of being together in nature, in the Gottlieb Native Garden, ignited by the magic of the Garden to do the same in our respective settings across town. So many universities and non profits have benefited from that magic. Dan, we are so grateful for all that you set forth, for all that you made possible with your generosity of monetary support and personal spirit. You will be missed but your legacy lives on, in each of us, and in all that we do, inspired by the magic you and Susan created in the Gottlieb Native Garden. Thank you, partner.
