Pearl S. Buck International: June 2012

Pearl S. Buck International is recognizing the 120th anniversary of the birth of Pearl S. Buck on June 26 and we think that is “Google-Doodle-worthy.”

We’ve all seen them…those great pieces of art that catch our eye as we launch our searches on Google. We are looking for Google to honor Pearl S. Buck on June 26 with a doodle.

As humanitarian, author, and child advocate, Pearl S. Buck touched the lives of two million. Pearl S. Buck International strives to uphold her legacy through adoption, child sponsorship and community cultural and writing programs.

Think about how many more lives we can touch if Google helps us build awareness through a Google Doodle. Hundreds of millions of searches are conducted on Google each day. A Google Doodle will put her name in front every person who does one from the Google search page.

The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace in Hillsboro, West Virginia has begun a rallying cry to reach out to Google. We are echoing that cry here and are asking for your help.

There is no formal process for proposing a Google Doodle, and suggestions can come from anywhere. Google only takes suggestions via email at proposals@google.com. We are sharing a template message below, drafted by Michael Toler, Ph. D from the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation, explaining why Pearl S. Buck is an important cultural figure. Feel free to cut and paste it, and to send it as is. Better yet, personalize it with your story, but keep it simple, polite and short. That way it is more likely to be read.

Time is of the essence, and we appreciate you sharing in our campaign to get a Google Doodle on June 26, honoring Pearl S. Buck on the occasion of the 120^th anniversary of her birth.
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Dear Google,

With hundreds of millions of searches performed every day, a global reach into even most remote corners of the world, and a reputation for accuracy and reliability, to be the subject of a Google Doodle on your birthday or some significant anniversary has become a great honor. The late author and humanitarian Pearl S. Buck deserves such an honor and I am writing to suggest you consider running a Google Doodle on the 120th anniversary of her birth, which will be June 26, 2012.

Pearl Buck is best known as a novelist. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932 for her novel The Good Earth, and became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. She wrote prolifically throughout her life, and her work did a great deal to demystify China and Asian culture for the West. But she was more than a novelist: She was a tireless advocate for peace and cultural understanding, and she was a political journalist who felt compelled to speak out on civil rights and women’s issues.

In all, Pearl Buck published more than eighty books, including novels, story collections, nonfiction, translations and children’s books. Many were translated into different languages and published around the world. Fifteen were Book of the Month selections, and most were best-sellers. The fact that her work was so widely read is part of what makes her so important. The empathy she brought to her characters, be they Chinese peasants or American housewives, shaped the way a whole generation of readers felt about other nations and cultures. No wonder she has been praised by the likes of modern-day writers Maxine Hong Kingston and Toni Morrison.

Though she is most remembered as a writer, Pearl Buck’s humanitarian endeavors should not be overlooked. She was generous with her time, labor and money in support of causes she believed in, and there were many, many such causes. Most notably, she set up The Welcome House, an agency for the adoption of Asian-American and other mixed race children who, at the time were considered “un-adoptable” by most orphanages and placement agencies. Indeed, few people have done as much to change attitudes on the rights of the child as Pearl Buck.

Please consider a Google Doodle honoring Pearl S. Buck for June 26, 2012. She certainly deserves it.

Sincerely,

___________

(Front L to R - Peter & Terry Conn, Janet Roberts
Back L to R - Steve Harnsberger, Janet Mintzer, Hilary Spurling)

I had a wonderful trip to Nanjing University for the opening of the Pearl S. Buck Memorial House in celebration of the 110th Anniversary of Nanjing University. What a wonderful way to celebrate the school's rich history by renovating the former home of Pearl S. Buck as a memorial to her.The University also conducted a Symposium on Pearl S. Buck's Years in Nanjing. It was so interesting to have authors Peter Conn and Hillary Spurling participating in the discussion as well as filmmaker Donn Rogosin and other important Chinese scholars such as Liu Haiping and Junwei Yao. I was truly humbled to be in their presence at such a momentous occasion.

What a wonderful experience it is to be continuing the legacy of Pearl S. Buck.

Janet L. Mintzer, President & CEO

Pearl S. Buck International

Monday, June 18, 2012

Bucks County Artist Aurelia Neives-Callwood Featured in Pearl Buck House in Nanjing

Friday, June 8, 2012

Pearl S. Buck Symposium in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China

Friday, June 1, 2012

Doodle This!

Nanjing University Grand Opening of the Pearl S. Buck Memorial House