Pearl S. Buck speaking informally with Wilson students in 1964.

Pearl S. Buck surrounded by eager students.

Visited Wilson in February 1964 to promote her adoption agency, “Welcome House”

Pearl S. Buck was a notable humanitarian, author, and social activist. Winner of the Nobel Prize in literature and tireless advocate for the adoption of Asian and mixed race children, her legacy lives on today.

Buck was born in West Virginia, but was raised in China by her parents who served as missionaries there. She was bilingual, and after attending college in the United States, she returned to China to work. 

Her first novel, one of 70 books she would later publish, was released in 1930. Arguably her most famous work, Good Earth followed in 1931. Most of her works, these included, focus on every-day life in China, and offer readers glimpses of Chinese tradition and modernity.

In 1938, Buck was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature, making her the first American woman to receive this honor. In 1949, she founded Welcome House, the first adoption agency of its kind, as it encouraged international and inter-racial adoption. Through Buck’s creation of this agency, over five thousand children have been placed in adoptive homes. She also established the Pearl S. Buck Foundation. 

In 1964, Buck made an impromptu visit to Chambersburg, Pa. This included a trip to Wilson College, where she spoke to students in Thomson Hall about her adoption agency, as well her thoughts on life, love, and the role of women. 

Her speech was followed by an informal tea, where she continued to answer students’ questions. 

Said one student, “All of us who heard her came away with a great feeling of comradeship, of pride in being women. She voiced thoughts which many of us have only half formulated, or have discussed with others in early-morning bull sessions. She was respected as a famous writer, but also as one of us. She forced us to examine our own opinions and ideals, she inspired confidence and hope for an exciting future for women in a world of men and women.” 

Sources: 

Billboard Volume 45 No. 16 February 28, 1964

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1938/buck/facts/

https://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/Buck/biography.html