Thornton W. Burgess wrote 170 books almost entirely about animals for children. He spent 50 years writing almost continually, from 1910 to 1960, teaching children about the importance of nature and wildlife. His writings included 15,000 daily newspaper articles on nature and animals. He was involved in many land conservation programs and wildlife protection programs during his life and received a number of important awards for his service. He gave many radio talks on conservation and the humane treatment of animals. As a young man he lived near a wildlife habitat in Sandwich, Massachusetts, which became the setting for many of his stories. Mr. Burgess passed away in 1965 at the age of 91. After his death the Massachusetts Audubon Society purchased his home and created the Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary at that location. A museum was also created under his name, which closed in 2012, and the Green Briar Nature Center in East Sandwich, Massachusetts is operated by the Thornton W. Burgess Society.