The Assembly holds 120th ball December 22, 2008

Georgia LeConte Gibbes The Assembly, established in 1889, held its 120th annual ball Monday, December 22, 2008, at eight o'clock in the evening in the ballroom of the Columbia Marriott. Guests were received by Mrs. John Donald Dial Jr., president, and Mr. Dial; Mrs. Douglas McKay III, president- elect and Mr. McKay; and the debutante daughters and granddaughters.

The debutante daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters of the members were

Georgia LeConte Gibbes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Felder Gibbes, granddaughter of Mrs. Louis LeConte Gibbes, escorted by Mr. William Brantley Harvey IV;

Elise Gelzer Hensel, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Hastings Hensel, granddaughter of the late Mrs. John LeRoy Hensel escorted by Mr. William Hastings Hensel Jr.,

Caroline Coles Ide; daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hughes Ide, granddaughter of the late Mrs. Albert Rhett Heyward II, escorted by Mr. Church Carroll Heyward, Jr.;

Sarah Bryan Knowlton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Burkhead Brown Knowlton, granddaughter of Mrs. Charles Wilson Knowlton, escorted by Mr. Robert Yates Knowlton Jr.;

Elise Gelzer Hensel Sallie Gilmore Marchant, daughter of Judge and Mrs. Walter Bristow Marchant, granddaughter of Mrs. Trelawney Eston Marchant Jr., escorted by Mr. William Thomas Hamblin;

Anna Flowers Price, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Porter Price III, granddaughter of Mrs. John Heslep Moorman, escorted by Mr. William Tison Bowers Jr.;

Elizabeth Sanford Zeigler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Belton Townsend Zeigler, great granddaughter of Mrs. James Young Perry, escorted by Mr. Sanford Manning Zeigler;

Elizabeth Heath Carter, granddaughter of Mrs. John Cantey Heath, great granddaughter of the late Mrs. Stewart William Heath, escorted by Mr. Nelson Edings Seabrook;

Beverly Hammond Duvall, granddaughter of Mrs. Hugh Hammond DuBose, great granddaughter of the late Mrs. Theodore Marion DuBose Jr.,escorted by Mr. Bratton Wardlaw DuBose;

Sarah Ashley Robinson, granddaughter of Mrs. Garden Stuart Clarkson, great granddaughter of the late Mrs. Edmund Rhett Heyward, escorted by Mr. James Hoke Johnston; and

Caroline Coles Ide Louisa Chisolm Sperr, granddaughter of Mrs. William Elliott Wardlaw, great granddaughter of the late Mrs. Albert Lee Wardlaw, escorted by William Barre McLeod Butler.

The traditional debutante figure was led by Miss Elizabeth Sanford Zeigler, Mr. Belton Townsend Zeigler Jr., senior leaders, and Miss Georgia LeConte Gibbes, Mr. Bratton Wardlaw DuBose, junior leaders.

Sons and grandsons attending their first Assembly Ball were William Tison Bowers Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. William Tison Bowers, grandson of Mrs. Charles Beauregard Roman Jr.; Bratton Wardlaw DuBose, son of Mrs. Redding DuBose, grandson of Mrs. Hugh Hammond DuBose; Madison Eston Marchant, son of Judge and Mrs.Walter Bristow Marchant, grandson of Mrs. Trelawney Eston Marchant Jr.; and Walter Bristow Marchant Jr., son of Judge and Mrs. Walter Bristow Marchant, grandson of Mrs. Trelawney Eston Marchant Jr.

Guest debutantes attending The Assembly were Caroline Ruth Wyche Bartman, escorted by Mr. Richard Thomas Grange Armato; Caroline Mills Clark, escorted by Mr. William Coleman Hubbard Jr.; Sarah Elizabeth Hazlehurst, escorted by Mr. Adam Wesley Kuykendall; Samantha Kline Johnston, escorted by Mr. Frank Taylor Brennecke; Frances Brunson Kneece, escorted by Mr. Bryan Ellis Ashley; Nell Lightsey Laffitte, escorted by Mr. Daniel Keith Thompson Jr.; Mary Catherine McElveen, escorted by Mr. Carter Whaley Scott; Elizabeth Tennent McElveen, escorted by Mr. Muldrow Burgess Mills Jr.; Charlotte Manigault McElveen, escorted by Parkerson Carter Moore; Lauren Elizabeth McFadden, escorted by James Henry Fowles IV; Lucia Savage McWilliams, escorted by Martin Cadenhead McWilliams III; Austin Dargan Newman, escorted by Samuel Francis Crews IV; Anne Finch Owens, escorted by John Tucker Laurens; Caroline Cordes Simpson, escorted by William McIver Bryan IV; Katherine Blakeney Spong, escorted by Robert Edward Kneece III; and Drayton Chamblee Weston, escorted by Tyler Phillip Whalen.

Sarah Bryan Knowlton The brides and bridegrooms attending The Assembly were Mr. and Mrs. John Hardin Reading, Dr. and Mrs. Harry Sims Hardin IV, Mr. and Mrs. George Wrigley Schroder, Dr. and Mrs. William Lynan Otis III, Mr. and Mrs. John Robertson Legare, and Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Dean York.

Sallie Gilmore Marchant Out of town guests included Mr. and Mr. Thomas Robert Bartman of Washington, D.C.; Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Eugene Schroder of Greenville, South Carolina; Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Chapman Mann of Greenville, South Carolina; Mr. and Mrs. James Screven Simpson of Charleston, South Carolina; Mr. and Mrs. James Lamb Johnston of Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia; Mr. and Mrs. William Augustus Robinson of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; and Reverend and Mrs. Theodore Wannamaker Duvall of Greer, South Carolina.

Joining Mr. and Mrs. John Donald Dial Jr., at the president's table for dinner were members of the executive board and their husbands: Dr. and Mrs. Walter James Bristow III, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas McKay III, Mr. and Mrs. John Heslep Moorman Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Belton Townsend Zeigler, Mr. and Mrs. William Ray Weston Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Steve Allen Matthews, Mr. and Mrs. Francis William LaMotte Jr., Mr. and Mrs. William Tison Bowers, Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Harold Reading II, Mr. and Mrs. Michael McNulty Beal, Mr. and Mrs. Julius Walker McKay Jr., Mr. and Mrs. William Porter Price III, Mr. and Mrs. George Rivers Pinckney Walker III, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Yates Knowlton, Mr. and Mr. and Mrs. David Orion Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Brooks Owens, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Walter Taylor Jr., and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Marshall Falls.

Anna Flowers Price The Dick Goodwin Orchestra provided music for dancing and the debutante figure with Mr. Joseph Duffy Jones announcing the debutantes.

Following dinner, coffee was served from The Assembly's antique coffee service by Mrs. Walter James Bristow III, Mrs. Hugh Hammond Dubose, Mrs. Thomas Bryant Edmunds and Mrs. Angus Bird Lafaye, former presidents of The Assembly.

The floor committee members were Mr. William Ray Weston Jr., chairman; Mr. William Tison Bowers; Mr. Robert Yates Knowlton; Mr. Francis William LaMotte Jr.; Mr. Steve Allen Matthews; Mr. Douglas McKay III; Mr. John Heslep Moorman Jr.; Mr. William Porter Price III; and Mr. Benjamin Walter Taylor Jr.

Elizabeth Sanford Zeigler Elizabeth Heath Carter Beverly Hammond Duvall Sarah Ashley Robinson Louisa Chisolm Sperr