Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Rockefeller reflects on his own mortality and all the people he has lost, which includes nearly everyone from his younger days. At the same time, he sheds his inhibitions and becomes “positively ribald” (634), surrounding himself always with younger women. He talks to strangers and news reporters alike, and he gravitates toward the movie cameras. It is a complete transformation. Junior, meanwhile, battles headaches and checks into a sanitarium. After recovering, he and Abby double their efforts at historic preservation. Junior donates a million dollars for repairs to the Versailles palace near Paris. He also gives money to restore a library in Tokyo and excavate ancient ruins in Greece. In the 1920s, however, Junior becomes most passionate about the restoration of Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. Junior shows less enthusiasm for Abby’s beloved modern art, but he cannot bring himself to deny her funding for her patronage-related interests.

Rockefeller’s grandchildren by his daughters make poor decisions in their choices of marriage partners, at least from Rockefeller’s perspective. His beloved Margaret, Bessie’s daughter, receives special attention from her grandfather, as well as a large dispensation from what remains of his fortune.

Junior’s children, on the other hand, seem to fare better.