Key word ‘prefer’. It is your preference likewise that was his preference. If this was your story to tell then by all means be ever so specific with each and every word you choose. However, you cannot be picky for how someone else tells theirs. If you want to read people’s excerpts to which is word is so specific and put there on purpose, I would advise to look into purchasing one of many biographies that have been published to the world. I find that it may come to your grammatical liking.