1997; 260 pp. $25. Island Press.
Now and again a mind arises from the plutocracy that thinks beyond the preservation of wealth, and sees itself as integral to the whole, separated from others by nothing more than their net worth. Such a mind is Laurance S. Rockefeller?venture capitalist, conservationist, and philosopher?quietest but brightest of the four sons of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
He's been regarded by hard-headed businessmen as "far too Zen" for his own good, and chastized by enviros (myself among them) for building huge resorts in pristine wilderness. LSR's biography is nonetheless vital to anyone eager to fathom the conservationist mind. For conservation was his passion.
Rockefeller also "explored ways to move into a new area of philanthropy, to search for nature within the human spirit, and turn public attention away from 'the potato race of life' by breaking down the barriers between science and religion," writes historian Robin Winks, in this crisply written, though somewhat ingratiating profile of a unique and committed American.
