Jump to content

Billionaire philanthropist


desdemona

Recommended Posts

Billionaire philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller dies at 94

Sunday, July 11, 2004 Posted: 8:43 PM EDT (0043 GMT)

NEW YORK (AP) -- Laurance Rockefeller, a conservationist, philanthropist and leading figure in the field of venture capital, died in his sleep Sunday morning. He was 94.

The cause of death was pulmonary fibrosis, his spokesman Fraser Seitel said in a statement.

Rockefeller was No. 377 on this year's Forbes magazine list of 587 billionaires, with $1.5 billion. But he was perhaps best known for his environmental work: He served under five presidents in several capacities related to conservation and the outdoors.

He founded the American Conservation Association in 1958 and was head of Jackson Hole Preserve Inc., a conservation organization that played a major role in protecting parts of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming and redwood trees in California.

Rockefeller helped develop national parks in Wyoming, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Vermont, and chaired the White House Conference on Natural Beauty.

Rockefeller also was a pivotal developer of the economics field that became known as venture capital.

In 1938 he helped finance World War I pilot Eddie Rickenbacker's Eastern Airlines, and he later invested in McDonnell Aircraft Corp., Intel Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. He sought to fund ventures that would strengthen national security, welfare or the economy.

"As his younger brother, I always admired Laurance for his extraordinary business skills and often followed his lead by joining him in the field of venture capital, where he was a true pioneer," said David Rockefeller, the last remaining child of John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Laurance Spelman Rockefeller was born May 26, 1910, in New York, and was the fourth of six children of Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. He graduated from Princeton University in 1932 and studied law at Harvard for two years. In 1934, he married Mary French.

He served in the Navy during World War II and became a lieutenant commander.

Rockefeller served on the board of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and became the first recipient of the American Cancer Society's Alfred P. Sloan Memorial Award for his contributions to cancer research.

Rockefeller is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. His wife died in 1997.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/07/11/obit.rock...r.ap/index.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Laurance Rockefeller, a conservationist, philanthropist and leading figure in the field of venture capital, died in his sleep Sunday morning. He was 94.

The cause of death was pulmonary fibrosis, his spokesman Fraser Seitel said in a statement.

When he's 94, what difference does it make what he died from?

Sounds like he did some good stuff though. :Here's to you:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Our picks

    • Wait, Burning Man is going online-only? What does that even look like?
      You could have been forgiven for missing the announcement that actual physical Burning Man has been canceled for this year, if not next. Firstly, the nonprofit Burning Man organization, known affectionately to insiders as the Borg, posted it after 5 p.m. PT Friday. That, even in the COVID-19 era, is the traditional time to push out news when you don't want much media attention. 
      But secondly, you may have missed its cancellation because the Borg is being careful not to use the C-word. The announcement was neutrally titled "The Burning Man Multiverse in 2020." Even as it offers refunds to early ticket buyers, considers layoffs and other belt-tightening measures, and can't even commit to a physical event in 2021, the Borg is making lemonade by focusing on an online-only version of Black Rock City this coming August.    Read more...
      More about Burning Man, Tech, Web Culture, and Live EventsView the full article
      • 0 replies
    • Post in What Are You Listening To?
      Post in What Are You Listening To?
    • Post in What Are You Listening To?
      Post in What Are You Listening To?
    • Post in What Are You Listening To?
      Post in What Are You Listening To?
    • Post in What Are You Listening To?
      Post in What Are You Listening To?
×
×
  • Create New...