Falmouth physician Richard Rockefeller is being remembered today as a philanthropist, conservationist and humanitarian who was dedicated to improving the world.
Rockefeller was killed when his small plane crashed just after takeoff this morning in Westchester County, New York. He was the sole occupant of the plane.
Tim Glidden, president of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, says Rockefeller had served on his group's board for several decades and helped conserve tens of thousands of acres in Maine.
But Glidden says Rockefeller was also involved with Doctors Without Borders, ocean conservation and, more recently, the treatment of traumatic stress disorder.
"His interests were broad," Glidden says. "His commitment and generosity were enormous and we've really - the world is a smaller place having lost him."
Rockefeller previously practiced and taught medicine in Portland and is the founder and former chair of Portland's Hour Exchange, a credit barter program designed to encourage civic engagement. He is the great grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller.
