The Columbia Ball begins the 2008 debutante season
Drayton Chamblee Weston The first of the season's debutante balls, The Columbia Ball, was held Thanksgiving Eve, November 26, at the Columbia Marriott.
The festivities began at 7 pm with a reception, followed by the presentation of the debutantes, the debutante figure, dinner, and dancing in the ballroom. Music was provided by the Ross Holmes Band.
Mr. Robert Edward Kneece Jr., president of The Columbia Ball, and Mrs. Kneece, along with debutante daughters, their mothers and grandmothers, and the debutante granddaughters and grandmothers, received members and guests. The daughters and granddaughters making their formal bows to society were presented by their fathers and grandfathers and introduced by Mr. Thomas Charles Bryan II.
The debutante figure was led by Miss Drayton Chamblee Weston, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Christian Tucker Weston III and granddaughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. Christian Tucker Weston Jr., escorted by Mr. Tyler Phillip Whalen. Miss Weston was followed by Miss Frances Brunson Kneece, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Edward Kneece Jr. and granddaughter of Dr. George Washington Brunson and the late Mrs. Brunson, escorted by Mr. Robert Edward Kneece III; Miss Mary Rogers McMaster, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dargan McMaster and granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Gregg McMaster Jr., escorted by Mr. Bryan Ellis Ashley; Miss Caroline Mills Clark, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Emery Clark and granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Llewellyn Sumwalt Jr., escorted by Mr. Oliver Iselin Crawford Jr.; Miss Katherine Blakeney Spong, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Miles Spong and granddaughter of Dr. George Washington Brunson and the late Mrs. Brunson, escorted by Mr. Madison Eston Marchant; Miss Lauren Elizabeth McFadden, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Earl Boyd McFadden Jr. and granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs Barnwell Palmer McArthur and the late Mrs. Mary Lide McArthur, escorted by Mr. James Lucas McFadden; Miss Sarah Bryan Knowlton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Burkhead Brown Knowlton and granddaughter of Mrs. Charles Wilson Knowlton and the late Mr. Knowlton, escorted by Mr. Robert Yates Knowlton Jr.; Miss Austin Dargan Newman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Paul Newman Jr., escorted by Mr. Robert Lucas Lumpkin III; Miss Anna Flowers Price, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Porter Price III, escorted by Mr. Williams McIver Bryan IV; and Miss Mary Talbert McElveen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl DuBose McElveen Jr., escorted by Mr. Montgomery Rush Morris.
Frances Brunson Kneece Debutante granddaughters were Miss Grace Perry Daughtridge, granddaughter of Mr. Thomas English McCutchen Jr. and the late Mrs. McCutchen, presented by her grandfather, and escorted by Mr. Frank Taylor Brennecke; Miss Helen Wesley Kapp, granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert Parks Kapp, presented by her uncle, Mr. Lloyd McCrary Kapp, and escorted by Mr. Thomas Little Kapp Jr.; Miss Sallie Gilmore Marchant, granddaughter of Mrs. Trelawney Eston Marchant and the late General Marchant, presented by her uncle, Dr. Robert Bruce Borucki, and escorted by Mr. Reid Warren Tribble Jr.; Miss Alice Barron Stewart, granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Llewellyn Gregory Pearce, presented by her uncle, Mr. Llewellyn Gregory Pearce Jr., and escorted by Mr. Llewellyn Gregory Pearce III; and Miss Lillian Caldwell Wimberly, granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. William McNulty, presented by her uncle, Mr. William Coleman Hubbard, and escorted by Mr. William Coleman Hubbard Jr.
Mary Rogers McMaster Guest debutantes were Miss Harriette Cleveland Best, escorted by Mr. Paul Baxter Rodgers IV; Miss Elizabeth Heath Carter, escorted by Mr. William Haselden Ellerbe; Miss Sara Christiann Davis, escorted by Mr. Belton Townsend Zeigler Jr.; Miss Catherine Benson DeHart, escorted by Mr. Charles Connelly Prevost; Miss Georgia LeConte Gibbes, escorted by Mr. Dawson Craig Lucas; Miss Rebecca Truesdale Girndt, escorted by Mr. Raymond Emery Clark Jr.; Miss Bolling Epes Rainey Henderson, escorted by Mr. James Christopher Henderson Jr.; Miss Samantha Kline Johnston, escorted by Mr. William Tison Bowers Jr.; Miss Mary Margaret Kneece, escorted by Mr. William Camden Lewis; Miss Elizabeth Lucius Laffitte, escorted by Mr. Walter McNeel Keenan III; Miss Nell Lightsey Laffitte, escorted by Mr. Moses Tucker Laffitte IV; Miss Charlotte Manigault McElveen, escorted by Mr. Lana Hancock Sims IV; Miss Elizabeth Tennent McElveen, escorted by Mr. William Grayson Lambert; Miss Mary Catherine McElveen, escorted by Mr. Muldrow Burgess Mills III; Miss Anne Katherine Pindar Miller, escorted by Mr. David Crawford Prezioso Jr.; Miss Anna Gilreath Moorhead, escorted by Mr. Andrew Robert Dixon; Miss Ella Kathryn Salley, escorted by Mr. Charles Wallace Salley Jr.; and Miss Caroline Cordes Simpson, escorted by Mr. Benton DuBose Williamson.
Caroline Mills Clark The debutantes carried round bouquets of small to large exhibition stage roses in pink, blush, white and off- white with complementing greenery, short exposed stems, and short sheer streamers. The table arrangements were tall silver candelabras with varying shades of pale pink roses, white tulips and hydrangeas, variegated ivy, and flowing dendrobium orchids.
Katherine Blakeney Spong Sons and grandsons invited to attend their first Ball were Mr. Samuel Kemp Box, Mr. Williams McIver Bryan IV, Mr. Eugene Dewey Foxworth IV, Mr. Thomas Spotswood Glazebrook III, Mr. William Coleman Hubbard Jr., Mr. Robert Edward Kneece III, Mr. William Grayson Lambert, Mr. Madison Eston Marchant, Mr. Walter Bristow Marchant Jr., Mr. Montgomery Rush Morris, Mr. James Michael O'Keefe, and Mr. Eugene Hall Todd.
Lauren Elizabeth McFadden Seated at the President's table with Mr. and Mrs. Robert Edward Kneece Jr. were Mr. William Powers McElveen, president of the Columbia Cotillion and Mrs. McElveen; Mr. Christian Tucker Weston III, chairman of the Ball, and Mrs. Weston; Mr. Lana Hancock Sims Jr., hotel arrangements, and Mrs. Sims; Mr. Bruce Thomas Williams, hotel arrangements co-chairman and Mrs. Williams; Mr. James Judson Godbold, music chairman, and Mrs. Godbold; and Mr. John Bruce Guignard, past president, and Mrs. Guignard.
Committee chairmen were Mrs. Hamilton Osborne Jr., debutantes; Mrs. James Livingston Bruner, debutante figure; Mrs. Joe Earl Taylor Jr., decorations; Mrs. Andrew Graham Walker, coffee table and silver; Mr. Hunter Lang Clarkson, reception; Mrs. John Heslep Moorman Jr., house and seating; Mrs. Joseph Kershaw Spong, invitations; Mrs. John Fisher Beach, publicity; Mrs. Walter Weaver Roth III, stags; Mrs. Thomas Miles Spong, social; Mrs. John Asbill Cloyd, scrapbook; and Mrs. William Wallace Bruner Jr., executive secretary.
 Sarah Bryan Knowlton  Austin Dargan Newman  Anna Flowers Price  Mary Talbert McElveen  Grace Perry Daughtridge  Helen Wesley Kapp  Sallie Gilmore Marchant  Alice Barron Stewart  Lillian Caldwell Wimberly |
