The Debutante Club of New Orleans
In a multigenerational assembly that included grandparents, beaming mothers and fathers, and young adults enjoying the social swirl, The Debutante Club of New Orleans presented its new members at the New Orleans Country Club. Leading off the young ladies with perhaps the most buoyant song of the evening as her musical accompaniment was Miss Cameron Sinclair Andrews, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Todd Michael Andrews. “Fly Me to the Moon” was played by the Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra, led by Robert Maxwell. Continuing the ABC alphabetical sequence were Misses Emma Rose Baumer, Kate Faulkner Bensel and Eleanor Catherine Cowan, whose parents are Mr. and Mrs. Kristen Michael Baumer, Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Charles Bensel, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert William Cowan. “You” figured in each of their respective songs: “It Had to Be You,” “I Just Called To Say I Love You” and “If I Had You.”
Striding forward next were Misses Ashley Conner Ellis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Conner Ellis III, to “Just in Time”; Eliza Brandon Favrot, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Semmes Favrot, to “Unforgettable”; Kelsey Grace French, daughter of Mr. William Darwin French and Ms. Kara Van de Carr and stepdaughter of the latter’s husband, Mr. Daryl Glynn Byrd, Kelsey’s escort, to “Ice Castles”; Caroline LeBon Henry, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Edward Henry, to “Where or When”; Sarah Crusel Henry, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Edmund Ruffin Henry, to “Beyond the Sea”; and Lillian Lair Hooper, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andre von Kurnatowski Hooper, to “What I Did for Love.”
Holding bouquets of soft pink roses, they entered the country club’s ballroom from opposite doors of the Founder’s Room, where the same roses embellished the mantel piece. The stage in the ballroom was backed by royal blue drapery on which hung the crest of the Debutante Club. Floral arrangements added further accents. Credit for the lovely look went to Paul Lacour, the setting, and Dunn & Sonnier, the flowers.
Misses Caroline Grace LeBourgeois, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Claiborne LeBourgeois Jr.; Susan Anne Le Clercq, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Theodore Le Clercq; and Lucile McGlinchey Monsted, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Niels Monsted IV, were the subsequent trio. Their tunes were “Isn’t She Lovely,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and “If.”
The remaining new members were Misses Brooke Coleman Reiss, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Joseph Reiss III — all unable to be present; Elizabeth Kathleen Robert, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Kearny Quinn Robert III, to “On the Street Where You Live”; Lillian Margaret Roussel, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Scott Farrell Roussel, to “My Cherie Amour”; Elizabeth McLundie Bolton Schmidt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Justin Burton Schmidt, to “The Days of Wine and Roses”; Lucie Ellann Williamson, daughter of Mr. George Taylor Williamson Jr. and Mrs. James Russell Kelly Jr., to “The Way You Look Tonight”; and Charlotte Sydney Wirth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Roy Wirth, to “Traces.” After being processed around the ballroom by their fathers, the debutantes were led to a position on the stage by a committeeman.
The narrator announced the final club member, who appeared with her father to the song, “Linger Awhile.” Addressed was a debutante of the 2024-2025 season, Miss Sarah Butler Sumrall, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. William David Sumrall III, and the 2025 President of The Debutante Club of New Orleans. On Feb. 27, The Knights of Momus chose her as their queen.
In front of the seated assembly, Sarah Sumrall made a solo curtsy, which cued the new members to do likewise. Hearty applause occurred after the in-unison curtsies. A traditional footnote ensued as the dads partnered with the debs for “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.”
With alacrity, the floor was cleared of the audience’s chairs to welcome later dancing. Two large dining rooms flanking the ballroom had tables centered with topiaries set in small off-white urns and beribboned in silver. They were designed by Bunny Smith. Soon, places were filled at the tables as guests sat to savor breakfast foods. Throughout, the lure of the music invited one and all, but especially the new Debutante Club members, to boogie to the buoyant beat.
The Bachelors’ Club of New Orleans
Thirteen was a glad number for the Bachelors’ Club when it showcased that lovely lot at its annual Eve of Thanksgiving presentation in the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. “Costume de rigueur,” meaning white tie and tails for men and long, formal gowns for women, was the dress code.
The spotlight befell Misses Cecile Amanda Abbott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herschel Lee Abbott III, and Bachelors’ Club escort Paul Albert Bienvenue; Marche Marie Beals, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Willard Chester Beals, and escort Cooper Hughs Jordan, club vice president, entertainment; Lyden Henriette Bland, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clay Vallon Bland, and escort John Cella Caplan; Alice Lane Read Calhoun, daughter of Dr. Andrew Calhoun and Mrs. Charles J. Moll III and stepdaughter of Dr. Suzanne Hall Calhoun and Mr. Moll, and escort Sean Patrick O’Brien, club historian; Taylor Lee Elliott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sporl Elliott, and escort William Watson Ellinghausen, club treasurer; Piper Katherine Franks, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Zeljko Stephen Franks II, and escort William Christian Edwards, vice president, publicity; and Elizabeth Adlynn Johnston, daughter of Mr. Robert Reed Johnston and Ms. Michelle Kirtley Johnston, and escort David C.L. Gibbons III.
And, Misses Vivian Bryce Jones, daughter of Mr. James Rufus Jones III and Mrs. Samuel Wagner V and stepdaughter of Mr. Wagner, and escort Raymond Andrew Walker, club secretary; Samantha Jordan Knister, daughter of Mr. Terrence Kent Knister and Ms. Anne Pettigrew Birdsong, and escort John Roach Cook V; Madeleine Paige Morrison, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. deLesseps Story Morrison III, and escort Joseph Thomas Hamrick III; Sloane Alexandra Paysse, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rene Sylvain Paysse Jr., and escort Mr. Paysse III, her brother; Mason Elisabeth Poole, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Carter Poole, and escort Ashton Jansen Edwards, club sergeant-at-arms; and Taylor Alexis Stokes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Steven Stokes, and escort Charles William Walsten, vice president, membership. They held red floral nosegays with gold ribbons by florist Steve Baker.
In addition to the above, the club officers are president Blake Lawrence Ecuyer and master of ceremonies William Howard Thompson, past president, 1975-1977.
Prior to the presentation, a select few gathered in the Hilton hotel’s St. James Room for music by New Orleans Banjos + 2, appetizers, drinks and a Champagne toast to the young ladies, several of whom are related: Misses Abbott and Jones, and Misses Morrison and Poole.
Guests sat at tables that were adorned with gold glittered leaves in red vases and held trays of finger sandwiches. But almost no one sat for a long time after the presentation. “I’m so excited (and) looking forward to dancing,” said debutante Marche Beals, who, with her comely cohorts, eagerly anticipated the band by Emily Louise Entertainment LLC and its energetic vibes.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
