The Camellia Ball held its 55th annual ball on Saturday, December 18, 2021 at the Forest Lake Club. Sixteen debutante daughters and three granddaughters were presented. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ball did not hold its 54th annual ball in December 2020.
The Camellia Ball’s president, Mr. James Lawrence Best, and Mrs. Best received members and guests at a reception in the ballroom to music provided by harpist Mrs. Clarke Chandler McNair. Following the reception, Mr. Henry Spann Lafitte Jr. presented the 2020 debutantes, and Mr. John Thomas Lay Jr. presented the 2021 debutantes.
The 2020 debutante figure was led by Miss Francis Preston James, who was presented by her father, Mr. Mark McCutchen James. She was escorted by Mr. Joseph Duffy Beal, and she is also the granddaughter of Mr. Silas Calhoun McMeekin Jr. Next to make their debuts were Miss Katherine Lottie Cromer, who was presented by her father, Mr. Roy Bunyan Cromer III, and escorted by Mr. Banks Roy Cromer; Miss Anne Elizabeth Crosswell, presented by her father, Dr. Hal Holland Crosswell III, and escorted by Mr. Henry Reynolds McLeod, and she is also the granddaughter of Dr. Hal Holland Crosswell Jr; Miss Eliza Hudson Lay, presented by her father, Mr. John Thomas Lay Jr., and escorted by Mr. Michael Alexandre Webb; Miss Elizabeth Price Long, presented by her father, Mr. Kevin Ray Long, and escorted by Mr. John Steven Stoughton; Miss Anna Pressley Penland, presented by her father, Mr. Michael Eugene Penland, and escorted by Mr. Angus McKay Brabham V, and she is also the granddaughter of the late Mr. Virgil Whatley Duffie Jr.
The 2021 debutante figure was led by Miss Rebecca O’Neal Best, who was presented by her father, Mr. James Lawrence Best, and escorted by Mr. Patrick Noble Searcy. Next to make their debuts were Miss Nelle Frances Alexander, presented by her father, Dr. Milton Donald Alexander Jr., and escorted by Mr. Robert Jones Alexander; Miss Elizabeth McLanahan Bowie, presented by her stepfather, Mr. Walter Blakely Todd III, and escorted by Mr. John Franklin McCabe Jr., and she is also the granddaughter of the late Mr. James Kelly Nelson Jr.; Miss Anne Morrison Boyd, presented by her father, Dr. Scott Burton Boyd and escorted by Mr. Hamilton Page Jenkins; Miss Julia Adeline Cagle, presented by her father, Mr. Patrick Martin Cagle and escorted by Mr. Frank William Cureton Jr.; Miss Lowell Hundley Coleman, presented by her father, Dr. Alvin Atwell Coleman III, and escorted by Mr. Alvin Atwell Coleman IV; Miss Kathleen Hall Finlay, presented by her father, Mr. Kirkman Finlay III, and escorted by Mr. Stuart Montgomery Williams; Miss Virginia Dial Kitchens, presented by her father, Mr. Clifton Judy Kitchens, and escorted by Mr. Charles Thomas Richards, and she is also the granddaughter of Mr. William James Kitchens Sr.; Miss Sarah Grace Scraibman, presented by her father, Mr. Michael Clarke Scraibman, and escorted by Mr. Lucas McCain Prickett; and Miss Brooke Lea Tompkins, presented by her father, Mr. Jason Keith Tompkins, and escorted by Mr. Trent Jordan Tompkins.
The debutante granddaughters were Miss Elizabeth Anne Chamblin, granddaughter of the late Mr. William Watson Chamblin, who was presented by Mr. John Stuart Moore Jr. and escorted by Mr. Harrison Rhodes Sparks; Miss Helen London Stoever, presented by her grandfather, Mr. John Sessions Hill, and escorted by Mr. James Chapelle Hill IV; and Miss Olivia Douglas Wyman, granddaughter of the late Dr. Frank James Wyman, presented by Mr. Samuel Francis Crews and escorted by Mr. William Brian Taylor.
Each debutante carried a nosegay of debutante camellias, pink roses, white freesia, Queen Anne’s lace, white hydrangea, green trachelium, wax flowers, and pink bouvardia adorned with pink double-faced satin ribbons and streamers.
Dinner and dancing in the ballroom followed the presentation of the debutantes. Dick Goodwin played the figure and the first dance, and The Voltage Brothers provided music for the remainder of the evening. Following dinner, coffee was served in the foyer.
The Camellia Ball’s officers, in addition to President Best, are Mr. Silas Calhoun McMeekin III, secretary, and Mr. William James Kitchens Jr., treasurer. The board members are Dr. Victor Shaw Evans III, Mr. Henry Spann Laffitte Jr., Dr. Robert Middleton Malanuk, and Mr. Michael Eugene Penland. The chairmen of the 2021 ball are Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas Lay Jr., and the co-chairmen are Mr. and Mrs. Henry Spann Laffitte Jr.
The following chairmen assisted with the ball: Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Read Folline, beverage committee; Mr. and Mrs. Franklyn Deming Owen III, camellia cutting committee; Mr. and Mrs. Murray Arthur Baroody Jr., coffee table committee; Mr. and Mrs. Boyd Erwin Summers, debutante committee; Mr. Samuel Francis Crews III, Mr. and Mrs. George Lee Mikell, and Mr. and Mrs. William James Kitchens Jr., debutante figure committee; Mr. and Mrs. Roger Craig Augenstein, debutante flower committee; Mr. and Mrs. Carmelo Barone Sammataro, decorations committee; Mr. and Mrs. Richard Barry Lockwood, house and seating committee; Mr. and Mrs. John Stuart Moore, invitations committee; Dr. and Mrs. Rudolph Mitchell Newman, menu committee; Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas Lay Jr., music committee; Mr. and Mrs. George William Owen, photography committee; Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan McLean Robinson, publicity committee; Mr. and Mrs. Roy Bunyan Cromer, scrapbook committee; and Mr. and Mrs. Shannon Nelson Weston, stags committee.
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