[2] He was remembered as an administrator who chose to keep a low profile, seeking to build consensus" and as a "modest man" who was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the performing arts, international cuisine, and the sports world."
The North China Herald praised "the little fellow's dexterity," and called him the "Hong Kong prodigy.
Among his classmates was Leon Kirchner[9] After graduation in 1944 he taught at UCLA for two years as a teaching assistant before taking a position at Oberlin in 1944.
[10] While at Oberlin he continued his concert career, touring as accompanist with the Metropolitan Opera basso Jerome Hines.
[13] Cowell included "Emil Danenberg" in his 1973 piano suite "Musa: Ancestral Streams".
His appointment came after a fifteen-month search following the resignation of his predecessor Robert Works Fuller, who had proposed radical reforms and challenged faculty power.
with the goal to shore up college finances, expand programs, increase faculty salaries, and add positions.