We return to monthly programming in September with a few one-time differences….the date, time and location will be different and this one will be a ticketed event with a $20 charge.
Why? We’ll be sharing this event with the Daniel Island News Authors Series.
“The life and legacy of Harry Guggenheim”
Guest Speaker: Veteran Forbes journalist, author Dirk Smillie
Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023
Daniel Island Club
6:30 to 8 p.m.
Harry Frank Guggenheim was a groundbreaking American icon with deep ties to the Charleston area. In his book “The Business of Tomorrow: The Visionary Life of Harry Guggenheim, From Aviation and Rocketry to the Creation of an Art Dynasty,” Smillie brings to light Guggenheim’s fascinating story in the first ever biography of the legendary entrepreneur, technologist, and social impact investor. Guggenheim launched businesses and foundations that would have a profound generational impact on this country and beyond. A flawed but brilliant man, he was the confidante to five U.S. presidents and a key financial force behind commercial aviation and space exploration, two innovations that catapulted the nation into the future.
Join Mr. Smillie as he shares the story of Harry Frank Guggenheim at this special event, to be held on September 21, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Drive, Daniel Island. Tickets are $20 each, which includes light hors d’oeuvres and non-alcoholic beverages. A cash bar will also be available. Tickets that include a copy of Mr. Smillie’s book “The Business of Tomorrow” are $45 each. DON’T WAIT…THE TICKETS ARE GOING FAST! CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS!
Smillie’s Guggenheim bio has garned rave reviews. See a few of them below…
Endorsements and Reviews
THE BUSINESS OF TOMORROW
The Visionary Life of Harry Guggenheim
“This is what biography should be…Dirk Smillie’s The Business of Tomorrow sheds important light on 20th-century American history.” The Wall Street Journal
“A good read.” Warren Buffett
“Impressively reported and brilliantly written. The Captain was worthy of such treatment.” Bill Moyers
“Former Forbes reporter Smillie masterfully captures Guggenheim’s colorful and turbulent life.” Newsday
“An engaging biography” The Times of Israel
“Jazz Age eccentric multimillionaire Harry Guggenheim comes to life in this deep dive from Smillie, a former senior reporter at Forbes magazine. Smillie covers his adventures in Mexico’s deserts, his subsequent ventures bankrolling promotional campaigns with Charles Lindbergh, his position as the U.S. ambassador to Cuba, and his investments in early aviation. But, Smillie shows, it was conquering the world of art that proved to be Guggenheim’s biggest challenge. Well-researched and breezy, Smillie successfully creates a page-turning look at the power of wealth set against the backdrop of political turmoil, prohibition-era parties, and groundbreaking technological developments. History buffs will enjoy this comprehensive account.” Publishers Weekly
“Smillie, a former senior reporter for Forbes who also served as chief content officer at Guggenheim Partners, offers a lively portrait of entrepreneur and philanthropist Harry Guggenheim—a man of impressive achievements and staggering wealth…A brisk, well-researched biography.” Kirkus
“Entrepreneur, investor, and technology buff, Harry was a sort of proto Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, a key financial driver behind innovation in commercial aviation and space exploration.” New York Post
“Dirk Smillie lays out the case for Guggenheim as the original space investor.”
POLITICO
“If the news media were covering Harry Guggenheim today, he’d be a cross between Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch. Dirk Smillie’s book is a superbly animated story about an aristocratic futurist from the past. The Business of Tomorrow takes the reader on a plane ride and then a rocket ship with one of the American Century’s most compelling, and lesser-known subjects.” Claire Atkinson, Chief Media Correspondent, Insider; former Senior Media Editor, NBC News
“Dirk Smillie’s deep and all-encompassing reporting has produced a nuanced portrait of The Captain, as he liked to be called. The Business of Tomorrow justly credits Harry for his underappreciated influence on journalism, art, business, racing, and flight.” Robert Keeler, Pulitzer Prize winning author
“Very interesting” Lord Christopher Robert Smith, former U.K. Labour Party Cabinet Minister
“The birth of the Guggenheim Museum comes alive through the pages of this well researched biography. Harry Guggenheim was able to fulfill the dream of Frank Lloyd Wright and Solomon Guggenheim while having the vision to build the collection into one of the most powerful and iconic museums in the world.” Lisa Immordino Vreeland, director, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict
“Without Harry Guggenheim’s leadership, it is doubtful Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece museum would have happened.” Richard Armstrong, director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
“A masterpiece” Mark Gandy, host, CFO Bookshelf
“A meticulously researched and beautifully written account of the life of Harry Frank Guggenheim, a modest yet absolutely critical figure in the development of aviation in this country. He was also a lifelong, steadfast friend to my parents, Charles and Anne Lindbergh, from the time of their earliest adventures as aviation pioneers throughout their long marriage and often complicated lives. Harry Guggenheim richly deserves this excellent biography. It is a real pleasure to read.” Reeve Lindbergh, author of Two Lives
“If you like adventures in capitalism…The Business of Tomorrow hits the sweet spot.” Dave Nemo Weekends, SiriusXM
“Fascinating…billionaires wouldn’t be going into space without Harry Guggenheim.” David Heurtel, host, Montreal Now
“Well written, enjoyable…Smillie finds an effective balance between background and narrative.” Daily Art Magazine
For an interesting look at the extended Guggenheim family and its influence on the Lowcountry, check out this entry on the Gibbes Museum website “Guggenheim comes to Charleston, Again” written by Wendy McNeil, great-grandaughter of Solomon R. Guggenheim, and guest blogger October 2016
For the website of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, CLICK HERE.