Regarding achievements, in 1972, on the 100 anniversary of the founding of Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy, the Carnegie Corporation, which has had a long association with the family and its institutions, released a public statement on the influence of the family on not just philanthropy but encompassing a much wider field. Summing up a predominant view amongst the international philanthropic world, although one poorly grasped by the public, one sentence of this statement read: ""The contributions of the Rockefeller family are staggering in their extraordinary range and in the scope of their contribution to humankind.""
John D. Rockefeller gave away US$540 million over his lifetime (in dollar terms of that time), and became the greatest lay benefactor of medicine in history. His son, "Junior" also gave away over $537 million over his lifetime, bringing the total philanthropy of just two generations of the family to over $1 billion from 1860 to 1960. Added to this, the "New York Times" declared in a report in November, 2006 that David Rockefeller's total charitable benefactions amount to about $900 million over his lifetime.
The combined personal and social connections of the various family members are very great, both in America and throughout the world. The family members know the most powerful politicians, royalty, public figures, and chief businessmen. Notable figures through Standard Oil alone have included Henry Flagler and Henry H. Rogers. Contemporary figures include Henry Kissinger, Nelson Mandela, Richard Parsons (Chairman and CEO of Time Warner), C. Fred Bergsten, Peter G. Peterson (Senior Chairman of the Blackstone Group), and Paul Volcker.
In 1991, the family was presented with the Honor Award from the National Building Museum for four generations worth of preserving and creating some of the U.S.'s most important buildings and places. David accepted the award on the family's behalf. The ceremony coincided with an exhibition on the family's contributions to the built environment, including John Sr.'s preservation efforts for the Hudson River Palisades, the restoration of Williamsburg, Virginia, construction of Rockefeller Center, and Governor Nelson's efforts to construct low- and middle-income housing in New York state.
The Rockefeller name is imprinted on numerous places throughout the United States, most notably in New York City, but also in Cleveland, where the family originates:
John D Junior, through his son Nelson, purchased and then donated the land upon which sits the UN headquarters, in New York, in 1946. Earlier, in the 1920s, he had also donated a substantial amount towards the restoration and rehabilitation of major buildings in France after World War I, such as the Rheims Cathedral, the Fontainebleau Palace and the Palace of Versailles, for which he was later (1936) awarded France's highest decoration, the Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur (subsequently also awarded decades later to his son, David Rockefeller).
He also funded the notable excavations at Luxor in Egypt, as well as establishing a Classical Studies School in Athens. In addition, he provided the funding for the construction of the Palestine Archaeological Museum in East Jerusalem - the Rockefeller Museum.
The family, with its far reaching philanthropy, as well as its oil, real estate, banking, and international institutions, remains a benchmark for extreme wealth ("as rich as Rockefeller"), as "Senior" is still regarded as the wealthiest man who has ever lived, worth over $300 billion in today's figures, easily surpassing Bill Gates, in terms adjusted by inflation indexing.
The members of the Rockefeller family are noted for their philanthropy; a "Rockefeller Archive Center" study in 2004 documents an incomplete list of 72 major institutions that the family has created and/or endowed up to the present day. Historically, the major focus of their benefactions have been in the educational, health and conservation areas.
Family leaders in both philanthropy and business have included John D. Sr., John D. Jr. ("Junior"), John D. III, Laurance Rockefeller and David Rockefeller, who is the family's current patriarch. Several family members have held high public office, including Vice President of the United States (Nelson Rockefeller), United States Senator (Jay Rockefeller), state governor (Nelson, Jay, and Winthrop Rockefeller), and lieutenant governor (Winthrop Paul Rockefeller). Another noted family member was Michael Rockefeller, son of Nelson Rockefeller, an anthropologist who came to media attention after he was presumed killed in New Guinea in 1961.
The corporate, financial and personal affairs of the family - numbering around 150 blood relatives of John D. Rockefeller - are run from the family office, "Room 5600", known officially as "Rockefeller Family and Associates". It comprises three floors of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center. All private family legal matters are handled by the family-associated New York law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. Room 5600 is also the base of the current family historian, "Peter J. Johnson", who assisted with David Rockefeller's "Memoirs", published in 2002.
To distinguish the generations and facilitate communication, the fourth generation is generically known as ""The Cousins"" (24 in all, with 21 still living) and the younger family members are known as the ""Fifth/Sixth"" generation. Many if not all of these family members are involved in institutionalized philanthropic pursuits. Family links are solidified through the practice of ritualized family meetings - which started with the regular "brothers' meetings" held in Room 5600 or in their respective private residences, beginning in 1945. Family get-togethers are held today at the ""Playhouse"", in the Westchester County family estate of "Pocantico", in June (the "cousins weekend") and December of each year (see Kykuit).
To the sixth-generation, with 21 still living in the fourth ("the Cousins"). The total number of blood relative descendants as of 2006 is about 150.
An article in the "New York Times" in 1937 stated that William Rockefeller had, at that time, exactly 28 great-grandchildren.
Mimasaka Province
The province had borders with Bitchū, Bizen, Harima, Hōki, and Inaba Provinces.
The ancient capital city of the province was Tsuyama.
In 713 ("Wadō 6, 3rd month"), the land of Mimasaka was separated from Bizen Province.
Mimasaka was the home of the samurai Miyamoto Musashi who is known for writing "The Book of Five Rings".
In the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures. The maps of Japan and Mimasaka Province were reformed in the 1870s.
"Nakayama jinja" was the chief Shinto shrine ("ichinomiya") of Mimasaka.
Nagato Province
, often called , was an old province of Japan in the area of Yamaguchi Prefecture on the island of Honshū.
The province had borders with Iwami and Suō Provinces.
The ancient capital city of the province was Shimonoseki.
In the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures. The maps of Japan and Nagato Province were reformed in the 1870s.
The Japanese battleship "Nagato" was named after this province.
"Sumiyoshi jinja" was the chief Shinto shrine ("ichinomiya") of Nagato.
Suō Province
The province had borders with Aki, Iwami, and Nagato Provinces.
The ancient capital city of the province was Hōfu.
In the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures. The maps of Japan and Suō Province were reformed in the 1870s.
"Tamanoya jinja" was the chief Shinto shrine ("ichinomiya") of Suō.
Alexander Zickler
Alexander "Alex" Zickler (born 28 February 1974 in Bad Salzungen, then German Democratic Republic) is a German football manager and former football player. He played as a striker. During his career he played for FC Bayern Munich.