The Inter-Mountain photos by Shannon Bennett Campbell Davis & Elkins College’s Halliehurst Hall hosted the Womans Club of Elkins’ presentation of Karen Vuranch portraying author Pearl Buck, a West Virginia native.

A large group of area residents experienced a visit from a History Alive! re-enactor performing as internationally renowned author Pearl Buck at Davis & Elkins College’s Halliehurst Hall recently.

Karen Vuranch portrayed the Hillsboro, West Virginia author and informed the group of many highlights of her life while in China with her missionary father.

Sponsored by the Womans Club of Elkins, the performance followed a splendid meal of Chinese cuisine prepared by D&E’s dining staff, and underscored the ongoing work of the local women to encourage youth to read books that inform them about world affairs.

Vuranch, who has spent several years with the Humanities Foundation to bring these important and memorable performance to public forums, did an impressive

job acting as Pearl Buck might have done had she been on our stage.

Chef Melanie Campbell, above, presented Chinese cuisine for the event, which featured information about Buck’s time in China.

Those attending from multiple destinations were extremely pleased with the more than 60-minute performance. One group member stated, “It was above and beyond what I was expecting and captured the genius of this talented lady.”

A large crowd turned out to enjoy the presentation focusing on the Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl Buck, who never forgot her West Virginia heritage.