Flowers, Not Fanfare, for Brooke Astor’s 105th - New York Times

Flowers, Not Fanfare, for Brooke Astor’s 105th - New York Times: "This year’s birthday stands out not only as another milestone of Mrs. Astor’s extraordinary longevity, but also for the tumult that has recently engulfed the life and family of the legendary doyenne of philanthropy and high society.

Her only son, Anthony D. Marshall, 82, is no longer the steward of her financial and health matters, the consequence of a legal battle stemming from a court petition filed last July by his son Philip, 53, who accused him of neglecting Mrs. Astor’s care while enriching himself with her $131 million fortune. (In December, Justice John E. H. Stackhouse of State Supreme Court said that the claims of elder abuse were unsubstantiated.)"

Tags: NPMegaGivers, NPPhilanthropy