“All children, except one, grow up.”

Today marks the 152nd birthday of Sir James Matthew Barrie, the Scottish dramatist and author best remembered for his 1904 play, Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, and his 1911 novel Peter and Wendy (or Peter Pan, as it’s more commonly known).  Though J.M. Barrie passed away in 1937, his timeless tale has touched hundreds of thousands of lives, and it seems like his birthday is the perfect time to reflect on his legacy.

I have to confess, I’ve always been a huge Peter Pan fan. I’m pretty sure I wore my “Wendy gown” every day until I was five, and used to sprinkle my friend Peter with pixie dust and make him jump off the couch because I thought anyone named “Peter” could fly. From the various movie adaptations to the Broadway musical, the Peter Pan-inspired films (like Finding Neverland and Hook) to the statues in NYC’s Central Park and London’s Kensington Gardens, Sir Barrie’s work has not only captured countless imaginations worldwide, but also benefited children’s health and education. Talk about leaving a lasting imprint!

In 1929, Barrie pledged that royalties from his Peter Pan works should go to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, and since then, the hospital has received royalties every time a production of the play is put on, as well as from the sale of Peter Pan books and other products. In honor of Barrie’s work, plans are underway in Scotland to transform the unofficial birthplace of Peter Pan into a national center for children’s literacy. I can’t think of anything more fitting. 152 years after Barrie’s birth, his stories live on, giving Barrie the very immortality he captured Peter Pan.