Christopher was an archetypal Old Boy in the North Eastern terms of background, formation, education, profession, memberships, associations, friendships, travel experience, wife and numbers of offspring, social and business connections, taste, style and assumption of privilege. He was in fact a composite of several people, all self-assured, and all like himself, with belief both in his correctness of life and his uniqueness of character. He was by all means of opportunity, inheritance, skill at sports and parlor games, fluidity in French, graciousness toward older people and solicitude toward women, and remoteness from the ordinary. Surprisingly he wasn’t a snob, at least not a conspicuous one. He was too perfectly established to appear vain. He was in fact quite unself-conscious, a few in his circles thought him exceptionally humble for one in his position. He donated significant amounts of money to certain educational and social welfare institutions and organizations that he believed were worthy of support; and he did so without calling attention to himself. He was deferential to others on boards, preferring to avoid chairmanships, permitting those less established than himself to benefit from recognition of service. He had a predisposition and a belief in remaining hidden as a benefactor. He dressed down and preferred his wife and companion in many things to do the same. Despite the size and splendor of his homes in America, Europe and the Carribean, he remained virtually hidden and anonymous to the public at large. He moved about freely, inconspicuously wherever he wished to be. At age 50 his interests were managed by personal attorneys, bankers and confidants of various talents and sorts. He was their enterprise, though all the business cards were theirs without his name on any of them.
Even in his deliberate hiddenness our Christopher, however, remained simply too large to pass through the needle’s eye. HWM