Laurance
S. Rockefeller: Catalyst for Conservation
by
Robin W. Winks
Despite
his status as a scion of one of the wealthiest and most famous families
in the United States and an enormously successful businessman in his
own right, Laurance S. Rockefeller is unknown to all but a small circle
of Americans. Yet while he has been neither Vice President nor Governor
nor chairman of the world's largest bank, his contribution to society
has been at least as great as that of his more famous brothers.
In
Laurance S. Rockefeller: Catalyst for Conservation, noted historian
Robin W. Winks brings Laurance to the forefront,offering an intimate
look at his life and accomplishments. While Rockefeller has played
a vital role in the business world as an astute venture capitalist
his driving passion throughout his life has been the environment.
In addition to the millions of dollars he has donated and the numerous
conservation organizations he has helped to found, he served under
five consecutive presidents in environmental advisory capacities.
Perhaps
most significantly, Rockefeller served under Presidents Eisenhower
and Kennedy as chairman of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review
Commission ORRRC), brilliantly orchestrating an assessment of the
recreation and conservation needs and wants of the American people
and the policies and programs required to meet those needs. The reports
issued by the Commission represent a groundbreaking achievement that
laid the framework for nearly all significant environmental legislation
of the following three decades.
Winks
uses a combination of historical insight and extensive access to Rockefeller
and government archives to present the first in-depth examination
of Laurance Rockefeller's life and work. His deftly argued and gracefully
written volume explains and explores Rockefeller's role in shaping
the transition from traditional land conservation to a more inclusive
environmentalism. It should compel broader interpretation of the history
of environmental protection, and is essential reading foranyone concerned
with the past or future of conservation in America.
Laurance
S. Rockefeller: Catalyst for Conservation Island Press (ISBN 1-55963-547-9)
is available for $25. Island Press (1718 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite
300, Washington, DC 20009) at 800-828-1302, or email at press@islandpress.org.
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