Twelve years after he outed his own father for neglecting and stealing from the multi-millionaire Astor, Philip Marshall has joined with other elder abuse activists and two New York legislators to urge an “Elder Abuse” postage stamp.
“Those two words should never be paired together,” Marshall said of elder abuse, a cause he now devotes himself to full time. “But they are. One in 10 seniors is victim of elder abuse, which has many forms,” including neglect and financial exploitation, he said.
In a case that got national attention, Marshall reluctantly took his father, Anthony Marshall, to court in 2006 for secluding the dementia-suffering Astor in her squalid Park Avenue apartment while looting tens of millions of dollars from her fortune.
The grandson mustered support from Astor’s A-list of powerful pals, including David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger and Annette de la Renta, and successfully had his father removed as Astor’s legal guardian — and prosecuted for grand larceny.
“I think the sad circumstance surrounding my grandmother informed a timely cause in elder justice, and increased awareness nationwide about elder abuse,” he told The Post.
Fundraising stamps must be approved by Congress, and have previously been issued to raise federal funding and awareness for Alzheimer’s and breast cancer.
The “Stamp out Elder Abuse Act of 2018” was introduced in both the House and Senate this week; among its bipartisan House sponsors were Reps. Peter King (R-Long Island) and Carolyn Maloney (D-Brooklyn).
Also pushing for the stamp is the Elder Justice Coalition.
“The EJC is proud to have worked closely on this legislation with the sponsors and advocates, including Philip C. Marshall, founder of Beyond Brooke, a cause-based campaign named to honor Philip’s late grandmother,” said the group’s national coordinator, Bob Blancato.
Under the bill, proceeds from the stamp would fund elder abuse efforts at the federal Administration on Aging and the Department of Justice.
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Brooke Astor’s grandson makes case for ‘Elder Abuse’ postage stamp
You are an inspiration, Mr. Marshall.
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