Giving in the grand, old style

HER ERA was already over. But the death this week of Brooke Astor, 105, is a reminder of an old-style philanthropy.

By today's high financial standards, Astor seems quaint. Over four decades she gave away some $195 million to causes and organizations in New York City. But that's less than the annual earnings of top hedge fund managers. And it's dwarfed by the billions of charitable dollars being spread around the world by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to grapple with pressing global issues.

Still, it's easy to be nostalgic for Astor's personal touch.

"How can you build a new life if you don't have any furniture?" Mrs. Astor asked in The New York Times in 1996, explaining why she had funded a small program that helped homeless families get furniture. "To move into a place and just sit there with a bag and not even have a teacup is terrible."

She paid attention to teacups, it seemed, because she paid attention to individuals. She was said to have known both museum directors and museum guards by name. After her third husband, Vincent Astor, died in 1959, she became president of the Vincent Astor Foundation, which was set up to fund efforts to alleviate human misery.

"On her nightly rounds, she began to meet people who had pet causes they felt were in need of immediate attention," Frances Kiernan writes of Astor's role as foundation president in the biography "The Last Mrs. Astor."

"Sometimes she would make a commitment on the spot," the book continues. At other times, Astor passed ideas on to foundation staff so they could find out more.

She supported the Bronx Zoo, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and "outdoor living rooms." Today the term refers to the high-end makeovers that homeowners give their backyards, adding grills, pizza ovens, and comfortable furniture. But what Astor paid for was green spaces at two of New York City's housing projects.

Astor was born Roberta Brooke Russell in Portsmouth, N.H. Her father was a Marine and not wealthy. Her first marriage to John Dryden Kuser ended in divorce. Her second marriage ended with the death of her husband Charles Marshall.

In 1996, Astor announced that she would close the Vincent Astor Foundation and give away all its money. The Times reported that she had had a "wonderful time" as a philanthropist. Her reason for stopping was "age."

In 2006, Astor's story turned ugly when her son was accused of neglecting her care and enriching himself at her expense. Under a court settlement, he relinquished control of her affairs.

Fortunately, what stands untarnished is Astor's sweeping generosity, her affection for the city she lived in, and a grand sense of how much she enjoyed giving.