San Diego 120 Top Influential Pioneers

David Charles Collier (1871-1934) ("Colonel" was added while serving on the staff of California Gov. J. N. Gillette) contributed much to San Diego.

In 1908-09, he built the Point Loma railroad line from San Diego to Ocean Beach. In 1908, he was president of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, organized San Diego's reception for the U.S. Navy's Great White Fleet and gave the town of Ramona a 7.6-acre park. A year later, he built the Ocean Beach School. The same year, the city of San Diego established a 60-acre park near Ocean Beach after Collier agreed to pay for the landscaping.

Collier was the director-general of the Panama-California Exposition from 1909 to 1912, and president of the Exposition from 1912 to 1914. He gave $500,000 of his own money to the exposition, served without pay and paid his own travel expenses on promotional trips.