Tradition reigned supreme at the Stouffer Harborplace Hotel on the Friday evening after Thanksgiving, when 14 debutantes in elegant white gowns and elbow-length gloves were presented to members of the Bachelors Cotillon.
Dinner parties at clubs like the Mount Vernon and Maryland clubs preceded a gala evening at Stouffer's. The Stouffer's ballroom was transformed into a lovely garden of flowers, and "debs" and their partners danced to the music of the Lester Lanin Orchestra.
The Cotillon, founded in the 1790s, became a permanent Monday evening social event in 1871, and is the third oldest such social institution in the country, behind Charleston's Saint Cecilia Ball and the Philadelphia Assembly. In the early 1960s, the Monday German, as it was then called, changed to a Friday evening to accommodate debutantes attending distant schools.
Young ladies invited to make their debut this year were Augusta W. Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Owsley Brown II; Meghan Donnelly, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick J. B. Donnelly; Mary Donnell Gordon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William S. Gordon; Ashley Talbot Lanahan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. Wallace Lanahan III; Sarah Hillen Macsherry, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles O'Donnell Macsherry; Maeve Donnell McNelis, daughter
of Dr. and Mrs. Niall B. McNelis; Catherine Magruder Passano, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. Magruder Passano; Catherine S. Patterson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald H. Patterson Jr.; Susanna Claire Pitts, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Pitts; Melissa Prince Riepe, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George M. S. Riepe Jr.; Michele Campbell Sanger, daughter of Martha Frick Symington Sanger and Michael Sanger; Kathleen Kelso Slingluff, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Kernan Slingluff Jr.; Martha Kirkland Strachan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. Stephen Strachan; and Anastasia Colt Worcester, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert O. C. Worcester.
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Congratulations to Mitzi Perdue, who has been named one of "The 10 Most Caring People in America" by the Caring Institute in Washington. She's being honored for founding Youth Engaged in Service, YES, in 1990.
The YES program challenges high school students to study social needs in their communities, then to create fund-raising events that raise at least $1,000. If that is done, YES will match the money. Today, there are YES programs in 65 schools in 12 states.
Mrs. Perdue graduated from Harvard and holds a master's degree from George Washington University. Her father was the founder of the Sheraton hotel chain and she's married to poultry magnate Frank Perdue.
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Congratulations are also in order for Judy Esposito, founder and co-owner with her husband, Tom, of "Party in a Bag," based in Columbia. She recently won $10,000 from New Woman magazine and the National Association for Female Executives for launching such a creative business idea. "Party in a Bag" offers parents more than 30 themes from which to select their child's favorite activities. Then, a complete party is designed around those ideas, packed into a party bag and delivered to your home. The bag includes personalized invitations, thank-you notes, decorations, paper products, game materials, planning guide, food tips, etc.
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On Jan. 1, I plan to run a list of January, February and March events. If you would like your event to be considered for publication, send the information, including a phone number for inquiries, to me at 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278; fax, (410) 783-2519. I must receive your announcement by Dec. 16.