Hi, I've taken a considerable break from this blog for diverse reasons, some more valid than others, but never lost my original intention of writing consistently about 1) the research and writing that went into Nature's Ambassador: The Legacy of Thornton W. Burgess, a 320-page biography published in 2013; 2) reflections on the art and craft of writing which I've accumulated in 30 years of professional writing and college-level teaching; and 3) life as it finds me.
I look forward to any questions and comments from readers who share my endless love and appreciation for the written word. Let's talk.
I look forward to any questions and comments from readers who share my endless love and appreciation for the written word. Let's talk.
On October 23, 2014 the Boston Museum of Science
celebrates the 50th anniversary of the prestigious H. Bradford
Washburn, Jr. Award which honors its longtime director, a mountaineer,
cartographer, photographer and author. Recipients have included Jacques-Yves
Cousteau, Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. Isaac Asimov, Dr. Mary D. Leakey, Stephen
Jay Gould, and Walter Cronkite.
One particular aspect of the Bradford Washburn Award’s
history deserves a footnote.
Around 1964 a grateful trustee had proposed to
acknowledge Washburn’s distinguished accomplishments and service with an award
for individual contributions to science and science literacy. The
selection committee was comprised of Richard Borden, Mass Audubon Society
president; Erwin Canham, Christian Science Monitor editor-in-chief; and
Bradford Washburn. They selected Dr. Melville Bell Grosvenor, grandson of
Alexander Graham Bell, as the first recipient.
But Washburn realized that among proposed recipients were
people who had uniquely inspired his own dedication to science and nature. He
requested that a personal award be given, that year only, to three people:
Gilbert Grosvenor, founder and president of the National Geographic Society;
Kirtley Mather, Harvard geology professor; and naturalist and children’s author
Thornton W. Burgess who was also a member of the Museum of Science board of
trustees.
In researching Burgess’ biography Nature’s Ambassador,
I came across touching personal correspondence regarding that special award.
Burgess was 90 years old and recovering from a stroke in a Hampden,
Massachusetts nursing home when Bradford Washburn informed him of the award
that would be presented at the organization’s annual meeting: “Your
wonderful books had a tremendous effect on my love of nature as a youngster,”
Bradford wrote. “I read them avidly as the first English prose I ever tackled
alone... I don’t need to tell you what a tremendous debt of gratitude I owe you
for all that you have done for me and millions of other youngsters.”
Although Burgess’ failing health prevented him from
attending the 1964 presentation in Boston, Brad Washburn and his wife Barbara
hand-delivered the gold medal award to him at the Mary Lyon Nursing Home.
According to manager Louis Levine, Thornton Burgess had whispered to him: “This is the
highlight of my career.”
