"It became glamorous and important to support what Brooke was supporting." -Paul LeClerc, President of New York Public Library -Story
At 98, she continued to write a column for Vanity Fair... And as a determined and energetic woman; she enriched a city, its institutions; and became the inspiration for many young Philanthropic hopefuls... :)
Her travels through Society were followed the World over, if not at the finest of New York galas; her style graced the pages of Town and Country. She leaves city institutions greater today; because she made this so...
"At night — almost every night, even into her 90s — she could be found surrounded by crystal and caviar, done up in her designer dresses and jewels, seated to the right of the host." (She was always seated to the right of the host.) #
A genius for both style and giving- From the Boston Globe:
"Hers was a hands-on approach, personally going over applications and then going out to meet the people who ran the programs."
Astor Foundation director Linda Gillies, several decades younger than Astor, once said Astor "wears us out."..."Often," Gillies said, "we can't keep up with her." read more
OF PHILANTHROPY ANNOUNCED
Clearly an inspiration to many...
Charities: New York Public Library, Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park, the Bronx Zoo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the flags were lowered to half-staff after her death. 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... and more. #
