Penelope631
Former Member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2006
- Messages
- 355
- Reaction score
- 1
New York fixture Brooke Astor dies
Philanthropist, civic leader gave away nearly $200 million; she was 105
Brooke Astor won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.
NEW YORK - Brooke Astor, the civic leader, philanthropist and fixture of New York high society who gave away nearly $200 million to support the city's great cultural institutions and a host of humbler projects, died Monday at 105.
Astor, recently the center of a highly publicized legal dispute over her care, died of pneumonia at her suburban estate, family lawyer Kenneth Warner said.
Although a legendary figure in New York City and feted with a famous gala on her 100th birthday in March 2002, Astor was mostly interested in putting the fortune that husband, Vincent Astor, left to use where it would do the most to alleviate human misery.
Her efforts won her a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998.
"Money is like manure, it should be spread around," was her oft-quoted motto. There was a lot to spread: Vincent Astor's great-great-grandfather John Jacob Astor made a fortune in fur trading and New York real estate.
Brooke Astor gave millions of dollars to what she called the city's "crown jewels" — among them the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park and the Bronx Zoo.
Funded many small projects, too
But she also funded scores of smaller projects: Harlem's Apollo Theater; a new boiler for a youth center; beachside bungalow preservation; a church pipe organ; furniture for homeless families moving in to apartments.
It was a very personal sort of philanthropy.
"People just can't come up here and say, 'We're doing something marvelous, send a check,"' she said. "We say, 'Oh, yes, we'll come and see it."'
Astor's imprimatur on a program or project helped generate support from other philanthropists.
But papers filed in July 2006 alleged her final years were marred by neglect, and in a settlement three months later her son, Anthony Marshall, was replaced as her legal guardian with Annette De La Renta, wife of the fashion designer Oscar De La Renta.
Story continues
Philanthropist, civic leader gave away nearly $200 million; she was 105
Brooke Astor won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.
NEW YORK - Brooke Astor, the civic leader, philanthropist and fixture of New York high society who gave away nearly $200 million to support the city's great cultural institutions and a host of humbler projects, died Monday at 105.
Astor, recently the center of a highly publicized legal dispute over her care, died of pneumonia at her suburban estate, family lawyer Kenneth Warner said.
Although a legendary figure in New York City and feted with a famous gala on her 100th birthday in March 2002, Astor was mostly interested in putting the fortune that husband, Vincent Astor, left to use where it would do the most to alleviate human misery.
Her efforts won her a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998.
"Money is like manure, it should be spread around," was her oft-quoted motto. There was a lot to spread: Vincent Astor's great-great-grandfather John Jacob Astor made a fortune in fur trading and New York real estate.
Brooke Astor gave millions of dollars to what she called the city's "crown jewels" — among them the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park and the Bronx Zoo.
Funded many small projects, too
But she also funded scores of smaller projects: Harlem's Apollo Theater; a new boiler for a youth center; beachside bungalow preservation; a church pipe organ; furniture for homeless families moving in to apartments.
It was a very personal sort of philanthropy.
"People just can't come up here and say, 'We're doing something marvelous, send a check,"' she said. "We say, 'Oh, yes, we'll come and see it."'
Astor's imprimatur on a program or project helped generate support from other philanthropists.
But papers filed in July 2006 alleged her final years were marred by neglect, and in a settlement three months later her son, Anthony Marshall, was replaced as her legal guardian with Annette De La Renta, wife of the fashion designer Oscar De La Renta.
Story continues
