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Astor's Scary Place
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 26, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 26, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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"Her bedroom is so cold in the winter that my grandmother is forced to sleep in the TV room in torn nightgowns on a filthy couch that smells, probably from dog urine."
When you read something like that, the last thing you'd expect is that it would describe Brooke Astor, the millionaire philanthropist, but, in fact, it's an affidavit from her grandson about her current, terrible conditions. And what's more, Philip Marshall says his father is behind this treatment. The Daily News lists the different things that's been filed with a court as Marshall tries to remove his father, Anthony Marshall, as the 104 year old's guardian. Such as how nurses weren't allowed to buy Astor "hair bonnets and no-skid socks" (they ended up buying them on their own), Astor cannot see her dogs, and that Anthony Marshall "ordered the staff not to take her to an emergency room or call 911 if she is having a medical emergency without contacting him first." The elder Marshall "pays himself" $2.3 million for taking care of his mother, but his son wants JP Morgan Chase and Annette de la Renta, who bought Astor air purifiers because Marshall refused, to take over as guardian. There must be some other money at stake that's not being reported, but, really, being rich clearly doesn't make you smart or a better person.
Through her late husband's foundation, Brooke Astor has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the city's institutions, most notably the New York Public Library. Her favorite place in the city is Central Park. And on Mr. Beller's Neighborhood, there's a story about wrongly assuming Astor was dead.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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