She was never a big fan of his sexual partners, so she was absolutely thrilled when he started dating a girl named Sylvie. [8], From the summer of 1954 onward, with Antony aged eight, the Baekeland family led a nomadic seasonal existence, maintaining their home in New York while being mainly based in Europe. According to people onboard the ship, he later said that his great-grandfather was Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a Belgian immigrant and chemist famous for inventing the precursor to modern plastic in 1907. 1. Green then embarked on legal action against the film makers, which was still unresolved at the time of his death. Flying directly to New York City, Anthony stayed with his 87 year old maternal grandmother, Nina Daly. Instead, he ran away. Barbara Daly was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. [3] Her social status and beauty resulted in frequent invitations to high society parties, allowing her to date various wealthy admirers. Barbara dismissed the doctor's assertion. Baekeland attempted to "fix" her son by hiring prostitutes to have sex with him. After Brooks requested a divorce and Barbara subsequently tried to commit suicide, Brooks terminated the affair. Baekeland seemed like a throwback to [David] Livingstone, Mitsidis tells Rolling Stone, referring to the famous Victorian adventurer. Still, the headlines and news stories couldnt stop talking about the murder of a rich, beautiful, American socialite associated with one of the wealthiest and most powerful dynasties. George had 2 siblings: Jenny Baekeland and one other sibling. While the UN slices the globe into 193 member nations that form its legislative body, independent travel organizations make their own rules. Renting houses and villas from London, Paris and Zermatt, to Cap d'Antibes and many parts of Italy; they continued to party, entertain and both to have affairs. Dominique Laurent, a French national who spent the majority of his career working in the oil industry, met Baekeland on the Bouvet expedition and went on a trip organized by the young man to the Central African Republic. His grandmother brought him into her home with the genuine intention of helping him get his life back on track. Tony lived with his mother, who suffered from bouts of alcoholism and depression, while he explored sexual encounters with men. However, Leos grandson Brooks managed to dash the familys unilateral image of success. She was the ex-wife of Brooks Baekeland, who was the grandson of Leo Baekeland, inventor of Bakelite plastic. Radcliffe and Baekeland incorporated Atlas Travel and Expeditions last July. [7] Antony returned to his cell at 3:30 PM EST on March 20, 1981, and was found dead by suicide 30 minutes later, having suffocated himself with a plastic bag.[19]. She was the ex-wife of Brooks Baekeland, who was the grandson of Leo Baekeland, inventor of Bakelite plastic. Mitsidis remembers Baekeland well three years after their encounter on the Ortelius. George Washington Baekeland. 1941 CE) was a former U.S. Marine who in 1966 was responsible for the massacre at The University of Texas at Austin, becoming known as the " Texas Tower Sniper ". They had one child, a boy named Tony, who grew up surrounded by opulence, but always in close proximity to his parents toxic marriage. She introduced Barbara to her younger brother Brooks, a trainee pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He also boasted about his itinerant lifestyle in the TBT newsletter in 2016, saying that he had recently traveled on the Kapitan Khlebnikov icebreaker doing the Northeastern passage from Anadyr to Svalbard. (Quark Expeditions, the company that runs journeys on the Kapitan Khlebnikov, didnt reply to multiple email requests for comment.) son. Despite spending thousands of dollars to be there, the passengers were roughing it in cramped cabins cluttered with beds and luggage, while Baekeland stayed alone in a private room. Mitsidis wrote about it in his Nomad Mania newsletter, saying the other passengers on the ship, including some of his closest friends from the traveler community, try to comfort him as best they can in this hour of crisis., When the news broke, everyone rallied around Baekeland. Verifiable details concerning his upbringing are sparse, but according to interviews with extreme travelers who knew him, Gordons life has taken a shocking turn over the past few years. Fellow traveler Harry Mitsidis had a similar impression onboard the ship. Confused by Baekelands sudden disappearance, Mitsidis started to take Mike Kendall seriously. In fact, she loved showing her dinner guests Tonys drawings. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time After the film opened, Barbara Baekeland's former lover Samuel Adams Green wrote an article pointing out elements in the film, which were potentially misleading for those trying to read back to the reality inspiring it. In the Ortelius dining hall, he commanded attention, dropping obscure bits of geographical knowledge as the ship lumbered south. The brutal murder was the violent climax to an emotional rollercoaster ride for the beautiful socialite who was linked by marriage to the Bakelite empire - the world's first plastic. He was closing in on his goal of visiting all 193 countries (as defined by the United Nations), and planned to visit his final targetSerbiaalong with his mother, Lady Violette Baekeland, in October 2017 for an elite extreme traveler conference where they were set to become the first mother-son team to have visited every country in the world. I understand, to an extent, what Harry did but I think with hindsight it worsened the financial outlook for the creditors considerably., Radcliffe admits that Baekeland should harbor some of the blame for the issue. Ive never met such a good liar, he says. Brooks was sick of his wifes emotional issues and started sleeping with a young girl named Sylvie. But I don't believe she had sex with Tony. Nina wouldnt allow it, and when she refused to give him permission, she enraged her troubled grandson. The first Baekeland murder was made into the 2007 film Savage Grace, starring Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Dancy, Elena Anaya and Unax Ugalde. Barbara Daly Baekeland (September 28, 1921 - November 17, 1972) was a wealthy American socialite who was murdered by her son, Antony "Tony" Baekeland. It became an irreversible cycle of tension, suppressed anger, and grievances that eventually erupted into a deadly stabbing of a mother who doted on her only son too passionately. [11] After six weeks, Green broke off the relationship, although Barbara was still obsessed with him. He asserted himself as a travel fixer, the kind of guru who could coordinate trips to the most far-flung countries, territories, islands and atolls that seemingly no one could access. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "He will kill you: Shrink warned mother of Baekeland plastics heir", "DEATH OF A SOCIALITE: THE BARBARA BAEKELAND CASE", "Forbidden Fruit: Six Shocking Real Life Incest Stories Throughout History", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barbara_Daly_Baekeland&oldid=1152153406, American expatriates in the United Kingdom, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from December 2012, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Being murdered by her son with whom she allegedly had an incestuous relationship, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 14:57. The size of the traversable world varies according to different travel societies. Mike Kendall first noticed something wasnt right in 2011, when Gordon emailed him out of the blue, offering a luxury catamaran voyage from the Maldives to the Chagos Archipelago. Tony began hitting his mother before she ran into the kitchen. Around that time, Barbara fell for debonair Brooks Baekeland, a man the high-class people called the intellectual Errol Flynn. Since his grandfather invented plastic, lets just say he was sinking in money. From at least 2015 to 2017, his critics say, he gave the illusion of a well-heeled, globetrotting adventurer, offering to orchestrate travel to the kind of inaccessible domains that humans rarely go, for a price. Sadly, his grandmother Ninis misguided trust combined with a lack of responsibility by authorities on both sides of the Atlantic brought the damaged, disturbed, and schizophrenic Tony to New Yorks Upper East Side to live with an elderly woman. However, Sylvie started an affair with Brooks. She was dealing with a progressively out-of-control child who threatened her with knives, choked her, and even pushed her in front of cars outside of the familys penthouse. Barbara was tortured by heartbreak and mental issues, and it turned out to be a toxic combination. One of the only people to have a more compassionate view of Tonys troubles was his paternal grandmother. yearly orientation no Anthony, 1922 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, Nov 17 1972 - Chelsea, London, England, United Kingdom, "and ordered held in for a hearing next Monday Anthony, Sep 28 1922 - Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States, Francis James "Frank" Daly, Mrs. Nini Lillian Daly (born Fraser), Sep 28 1921 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, Estados Unidos de Amrica, Nov 11 1972 - London, Inglaterra, Reino Unido, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Grace. Many of Baekelands aggrieved former travel companions have filed complaints against him in several countries across Europe, although most have received little indication that law enforcement is moving quickly to bring charges. At 3:30 p.m., he was found lifeless with a plastic bag tightly wrapped around his head. At first, Brooks was everything Barbara wanted, but in the long run, this romance led to a gruesome bloodbath. The Baekeland family drama was chronicled in the 1985 book Savage Grace, a scrupulously reported expos that drew on interviews with the familys closest friends. . Six days after leaving Broadmoor prison, Tony got in a heated argument with grandma Nini over a phone call he wanted to make to England. . Harry Mitsidis claims the story isnt so simple. According to Last, part of Baekelands ploy was marking up the cost for journeys. Just days after landing in New York and moving into his grandmothers apartment, Tonys bizarre behavior turned chilling. Because of their fierce individualism and competitiveness, some extreme travelers can become easy marks.. William played to the ego, and theres a lot of ego out there, says Terry Last, a traveler who went on the expedition to Palmyra. According to Mitsidis, public records showed Jesse Gordons birthdate matched the one on Baekelands passport, which he had seen while organizing trips. He had killed himself via suffocation. Tony had no desire to see his father after he left him to live with a new partner (3rd marriage) and a young child. Sadly, her erratic behavior started to surface even before the wedding. Thanks to her beauty, Barbara began modeling with some of the most popular magazines of that era, from Harpers Bazaar to Vogue. Becoming a young socialite, Barbara was hailed as one of New York's ten most beautiful girls, gaining her regular modelling contracts with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and resultant invitations to high society parties, allowing her to date various wealthy admirers. By the time the journey to Bouvet ended in a circumnavigation of the island, the adventurers were wooed by the young mans prowess and charm. Her plan worked. Shockingly, though, his knowledge of world geography was immense hed claimed to have already visited most of the 193 countries recognized by the United Nations. My main purpose is I dont want to see anybody else scammed by this sonofabitch, Bob Bonifas says over the phone, his voice growing testy as he recounts his experiences with Baekeland. He learned through others in the travel community that Baekeland was planning a culmination party when he finally finished. Only six days after his release, on July 27, he attacked her with a kitchen knife, stabbing her eight times and breaking several bones. Brooks decided that he had had enough of Barbara's behavior and again, pursued a divorce. Everything went well until the year she turned 11, that is. The now-thirty-three-year-old was accompanied on the plane by a total stranger his grandmothers friend who happened to live near Broadmoor. On the day of his court appearance, Tony Baekeland, son of the glamorous socialite Barbara Day Baekeland, was found in his prison cell with a plastic bag over his head. Some friends described the tense environment of arguments. Tony admitted that on the night of Barbaras murder, the two had argued about a friend that Tony invited over, but his mom didnt want to see. Born and raised in Boston, her mother Nini had had a mental breakdown a few years before Barbara was born. He was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia; however, his father initially refused to allow him to be treated by psychiatrists, a profession he believed to be "amoral". But Brooks had left her for a. The violent attack ended a turbulent, toxic, and combative mother-son connection. Barbara Daly Baekeland (September 28, 1921 November 17, 1972)[1] was a wealthy American socialite who was murdered by her son, Antony "Tony" Baekeland. When Brooks was informed of his wife's death, he turned to his girlfriend and said, "She's again found a way to get at me." When a psychiatrist told Barbara Baekeland less than three weeks. His last country was going to be Serbia, and at one point he was going to rent out an entire resort and fly in 100 journalists to mark the completion of his journey, Gazarian says. Barbara, who wasnt even a teenager, had already endured tremendous trauma. An inveterate travel expert at 22 years old, with a scrawny build and neatly combed hair, he looked more like a high-school student than an explorer. In November of last year, the same month that allegations of his grifting emerged, Baekeland was removed from the companys list of shareholders. On the surface, Barbara had everything she could ever want: good looks, money, and status. Despite the tragedy, Baekeland was pressing on. Soon enough, these volcanic arguments turned physical, and Tony was seen trying to hurt or kill his mother on multiple occasions, like pushing her in front of moving cars. [citation needed], Returning to Spain, Barbara accepted the extent of her son's relationship with Cooper, but preferred his developing relationship with a young Spanish girl, Sylvie. After that, Brooks married Sylvie, and they had a kid. However, it hasnt been verified whether Tony Baekelands brutal death was a suicide or a murder; it remains a mystery. The 50 Worst Decisions in Music History His exploits certainly were believable, even in hindsight, given how they were documented on social media. Anthony undertook sessions with a psychiatrist while living at home; the doctor became so concerned about Anthony's condition that on October 30, he warned Barbara that he was capable of murder. She was terrified of losing him. According to his resume he gave the site, Baekeland had studied at an array of prestigious schools, including the Harrodian in London, Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland and the International School of Monaco. Kiss Paul Stanley Has 'Thoughts' About Parents Who Support Kids Gender Identities Anthony was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was the wife of Brooks Baekeland. At this point, with no assistance, it seemed as though the mentally disturbed former inmate was on an inevitable path of violence. But soon after, Baekeland disappeared. He claims the travel group was only on Palmyra for a few hours, but says he was charged $12,500 for the trip, and that Baekeland implored him and others to make a $10,000 donation to the Nature Conservancy, a non-profit that conducts scientific research on the atoll, as a gesture of goodwill. His socialite wife, Barbara (Julianne Moore), puts. It was based on the book of the same name. Barbara Baekeland was brought into the world with exceptionally good looks. He was then arrested by the New York City Police Department, charged with attempted murder[7] and sent to Rikers Island prison. Barbara Daly Baekeland (1922 - November 17, 1972) was a wealthy socialite who was murdered by her son, Anthony Baekeland. They had one child, a. In 1939, Leo sold the Bakelite Corporation to the chemical giant Union Carbide, solidifying his familys fortune. He later confessed and was charged with murder. He got out on the condition that he would live in New York under the care of his 87-year-old grandmother, Nini. [15], In late July 1972, Antony tried to throw his mother under the traffic outside her penthouse on Cadogan Square in Chelsea, London. This infuriated his mother, who literally drove a car to Spain to bring her son home. He had known Barbara Baekeland, the victim, and her son, Tony, who was convicted of stabbing his mother to death in their Cadogan Square flat in London and who later committed suicide. Kendall declined the overtures, but became curious about this unknown traveler, and began researching Gordons travels. Despite being a relative newcomer to the insular world of extreme travel a competitive subculture of people who journey to some of the most obscure and treacherous corners of the globe, often at great monetary cost Baekeland earned an astonishing amount of trust from the group in a matter of days. But what we do know is that minutes after a terrified Barbara ran into the kitchen, Tony followed her, grabbed a knife, and stabbed her with no hesitation. But it didnt take long for the marriage to self-destruct. In addition to shedding light on the familys grandiose lifestyle, Savage Grace chronicles how Brooks cheated on his wife, and eventually left the family for a much younger woman. Insufficient conditions were made for the release as it appeared no one in the U.K. or the U.S. understood the extent of Tonys instability. Do you think there was any way to help Tony? Barbara Daly Baekeland One mother who most certainly seduced her son was Barbara Daly Baekeland. Among them was William Baekeland, a young and unassuming outsider, who cut an intriguing figure. He was born on January 12, 1957, and has an estimated net worth of $100 million. The family owes its fame to the creation of Bakelite, but also a litany of scandals, from infidelity and incest to murder. As a young woman living in New York City, Barbara became a prominent socialite. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. The 29-day journey was long and arduous: Considered by some measurements the remotest landmass on the planet, the Norwegian territory lies in the middle of the south Atlantic Ocean, a forlorn speck between Antarctica and the bottom tip of South Africa. By 1946, Barbara was expecting a baby for real this time. She loved him and had no clue what she was really getting herself into; she never imagined that Tonys mental instability would cause him to go after her. Unfortunately, this heartbreaking story gets even sadder. The City of London Police confirmed two reports about Baekeland have been received by Action Fraud, the UKs cybercrime and fraud reporting agency. When you appear on a ship of this type and have a single cabin, no ones going to start questioning, Where did you get the money for this?'. She was only saved by his physical weakness, and the intervention of her friend Susan Guinness. The doctor became so concerned about Antony's condition that on October 30, he warned Barbara that he was capable of murder. Referring in particular to the menage-a-trois scene of Barbara, Antony, and Sam in bed together having sex, he wrote: It is true that almost 40 years ago I did have an affair with Barbara, but I certainly never slept with her sonNor am I bisexual. I dont know where he got my email at all.. When he asked for a divorce, Barbara. Then, while on a trip to Antarctica in February 2017, Baekeland said that his father died. Well jump back into this and all the juicy drama shortly. The first time Baekeland set eyes on the beautiful Barbara, he was smitten and within months they were married. [citation needed], After Barbara falsely told Brooks Baekeland that she was pregnant,[6] the couple quickly married in California. Charles Whitman (b. When Mrs. Baekeland was informed of this by her friend Barbara Curteis, she travelled by car to Spain to bring her son back to Switzerland. Although he was an adult, Tony didnt grow out of his childhood creepiness in fact, his problems got worse. Leo Baekeland, in full Leo Hendrik Baekeland, (born November 14, 1863, Ghent, Belgiumdied February 23, 1944, Beacon, New York, U.S.), U.S. industrial chemist who helped found the modern plastics industry through his invention of Bakelite, the first thermosetting plastic (a plastic that does not soften when heated). The argument escalated quickly and turned violent. ex-wife. When Barbara was barely an adult, she gained much attention from rich, powerful men. The 2007 film Savage Grace is based on the life of Barbara and Antony Baekeland, beginning with Antony's birth and following the family to the time of Antony's arrest for the murder of his mother. I felt she was controlling my mind.. A well read friend of mine who has known me for many years, and consequently knows my taste in books, loaned me a copy of Savage Grace, a nonfiction book which tells the story of the Baekelands; Brooks Baekeland, heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune, his wife Barbara Daly Baekeland and their son Antony Baekeland. The company hasnt carried out any trips as of yet, but Radcliffe says it has received significant interest from travelers in Japan. (Rolling Stone tried contacting Baekelands family via telephone, but the listed number was disconnected.) Mitsidis recalls never seeing him in jeans or a T-shirt during their travels together, only country club attire. Antony was subsequently admitted to The Priory private psychiatric hospital, but was released soon afterwards. At the time of the marriage, Barbara listed her profession as painter, while Brooks listed his as a writer. Antony and Cooper also allegedly began an affair at this time, though this is denied by Cooper. The 33-year-old came to terms with the fact he would be in the slammer for life; unfortunately for Tony, that wouldnt be as long as he thought. She was murdered at her London home when her son Antony stabbed her with a kitchen knife, killing her almost instantly. Brooks married Sylvie and had one son. By that November, the explorers were trusting Baekeland with facilitating travel arrangements for their own expeditions, wiring him thousands of dollars to navigate the bureaucratic maze of paperwork to obtain visas, charter private planes and haggle with foreign governments. Despite all the hype surrounding Baekeland, one man had long harbored suspicions that the young heir was actually Jesse Gordon, the kid supposedly from Birmingham. Just before Barbaras brutal death, she was out with a friend in London bragging about her extravagant, wonderful, fun-filled life that she had with her son Anthony whom she absolutely adored. The other explorers onboard the ship seasoned members of the Travelers Century Club, the Most Traveled People, and other exclusive societies perked up in the company of the curious stranger. No one had heard of Russell before; Mitsids suspects the missive had been sent by Baekeland himself, an attempt to bide time as a mountain of debts to the various travelers began to swell. Shortly afterward, travelers received an email from Baekelands assistant, David Russell, claiming the young heir was in the hospital, suffering from a debilitating illness. Brooks married the model Barbara Daly in 1942, and the couple quickly became prominent socialites who, up until the 1960s, hosted Manhattan soirees and traveled extensively. When the police arrived, they found Anthony, who was 25 years old at the time, ordering Chinese food over the phone. Described in a brochure as a unique adventure sailing trip to one of the most pristine ocean environments in the world, the adventure cost $5,000 for a single spot, payable directly to the young mans personal bank account. William was clever enough and shrewd enough to tap into that market., A post shared by William Baekeland (@williambaekeland) on Feb 10, 2017 at 4:57pm PST. Cooper introduced Antony to various hallucinogenic drugs, which they traveled to Morocco to obtain. A few years after she lost her father, she moved to New York City with her mother and stayed at the iconic Delmonico Hotel, and Barbara became the talk of the town almost overnight. After falsely telling Brooks that she was pregnant, the couple quickly married in California. Preparing to fly across New York City and Northern New Jersey #nyc #newyorkcity #nj #newjersey #privateplane #airplane #lightaircraft #ewr #newark #ppl, A post shared by William Baekeland (@williambaekeland) on Jan 10, 2017 at 9:33pm PST. Brooks decided that he had had enough of Barbara's behaviour, and decided to pursue a divorce. Sadly, Barbara couldnt flirt her way out of this one. After sleuthing around his online footprint, Kendall says he noticed Gordon was using the same picture on Linkedin that someone named William Simon Baekeland was using on The Best Traveled. On November 17, 1972 a 25 year old Antony Baekeland grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed 51 year old Barbara Baekeland. Extreme travelers are often vying against each other for various accolades, trying to chart more of the Earths yardage faster than their counterparts. [16], Antony then undertook sessions with a psychiatrist while living at home. Baekeland attempted to "fix" her son by having prostitutes have sex with him. From the summer of 1954 onwards, with Anthony aged eight, the couple led a nomadic seasonal existence, maintaining their home in New York while being mainly based in Europe. Tonys defense lawyer at the Old Bailey was the legendary John Mortimer author of Rumpole and the Bailey books. She Had Humble Beginnings Advertisement On September 28, 1921, Barbara Baekeland was born as Barbara Daly to a normal American family. Brooks Baekeland has had a successful career in the field of finance, working as a managing director at Bear Stearns and co-founding . Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, Cause of death: Murder - Nov 17 1972 - Chelsea, Hess did hearing next Mondav. Nobodys ever going to see five cents out of this, says Bonifas. Murdered at her London home, her son Anthony stabbed her with a kitchen knife, killing her almost instantly. In a sinister act of unintentional irony, his ultimate end was brought on by the same material that made his family wealthy decades before. Baekeland had a complex and allegedly incestuous relationship with her gay son, Anthony. Back in Britain, it turned out that Tonys Broadmoor consultant admitted that Tonys release was a faux pas and was perhaps aware that the lack of proper psychiatric care and supervision would eventually lead to tragedy. Yes, that same Sylvie. I will probably never really understand why [Baekeland] did this, why he took a skill and viable business organizing trips and ruined it for the sake of ego and greed., Landing with a small airplane, Dne Insel, Helgoland, A post shared by William Baekeland (@williambaekeland) on Feb 10, 2017 at 5:11pm PST.