What's a Getty?

"This is Paul’s ear. If we don’t get some money within 10 days, then the other ear will arrive. In other words, he will arrive in little bits." It was 1971 when I was fifteen that I first heard of a Getty. Some kid of a rich guy's ear had been delivered to his family by kidnappers. Yuk! I watched with horror as the story played out. J. Paul Getty the third, born November 4, 1956, one day before me, was the rebellious grandson of J. Paul Getty the oil tycoon and philanthropist that built the Getty museums to house and increase his art holdings. Recently expelled from school, when the demand for a $17 million ransom demand for Paul III came, they were reluctant to pay, thought it was a hoax (or Paul III) until the ear arrived. Eventually, grandpa Getty negotiated to pay $2.9 million which he loaned to his son for 4% interest. The kidnappers were never found. Today the J. Paul Getty Trust continues to provide ongoing funding for Getty's pet projects the Getty
center in Brentwood and the Getty Villa in Malibu. Photo, flowers at the Getty Malibu July 2010.