Stevenson University’s Psi Omicron chapter of Kappa Delta Pi will honor the life of Pearl S. Buck on March 22, 2016, in the Rockland Banquet Hall.
Pearl S. Buck is a literary icon who won a Nobel Peace Prize and a Pulitzer Prize. Growing up in China, Buck began writing about the culture there. Her writings were not well received in the United States due to the relationship between the United States and Asia.
Buck was a writer and a teacher. Writing during a time in which women did not have much freedom, she used a male penname. As a teacher in China during the Boxer Rebellion, she escaped with her family. Buck had one biological daughter who had Phenylketonuria (PKU), and because her daughter had so many needs, Buck brought attention to special education and education in general.
Buck established the International Welcome House, which allowed Chinese children to be adopted into the United States. Today, the Welcome House continues on her mission by helping children from across Asa be adopted by families in the United States. Buck herself adopted many children from other cultures.
The event will open with an audio-visual series of photographs and music depicting Buck’s life. Carole Watters, a former member of the board of directors for Pearl International, will be re-enacting Buck’s life. President and CEO of Pearl International, Janet Mintzer, will discuss Buck’s many contributions and explain the services Pearl International provides today. R. Lee Salkind Meliment, author of the historical fiction Pearl, will read excerpts from his book, connecting them to the present day.
The evening will include a dedication of the last manuscript written by Buck. Dr. Clotile Galbraith, Psi Omicron chapter sponsor, will donate a copy signed by Buck’s son to the library.
Galbraith said she is excited to “bring [Pearl] back in a sense, reignite, rekindle, this great literary woman, and she’ll be shared once again with a number of people in our school community.” She hopes the audience can make the connection tot his great author and that individuals might get curious about her. “They might want to go back and read something that she’s written,” added Galbraith.
Junior Ashley Zester said she hopes “that this event will lead to a tradition of celebrating women who had a large impact on education in relation to Women’s History Month.”
Those who would like to attend the event can contact Ashley Zester or Amanda Meskill to RSVP. Refreshments will be served at a reception prior to the event.
