Yuletide Ball from the 1955 Brooklyn Blue Book






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    BLUE  BOOK  OF  BROOKLYN   1955

               YULETIDE  BALL

      Sixteen young ladies, daughters of Brooklyn's most eligible families,
were formally introduced to their peers during the 1953 season at the
thirty-fifth annual Yuletide Ball held in the grand ballroom of the Hotel
St;. George. This was the eighth consecutive year the ball was held at the
Hotel St. George.

       The Yuletide Ball, held on December 26th, is sponsored by the
Brooklyn Kindergarten Society and has been the means of officially
presenting the Brooklyn Debutantes since the discontinuance of the Debutante
Ball which was held for many years at the Heights Casino on Thanksgiving
Eve. Proceeds are used for the day care centers whicha the society maintains
in the Red Hook and Fort Greene areas.

       Following an hour of receiving in the foyer of the ballroom, during
which time over a thousand guests passed down the line, the debutantes were
officially introduced to Brooklyn Society by Dr. Miles M. Kastendeick,
president of the Kindergarten Society. The young ladies came down the
ballroom state at the north end of the ballroom where they were met by their
fathers for the debutante waltz. The formal presentation began at midnight.

      According to custom, the debutantes wore long white gowns, elbow
length white gloves, and carried bouquets of various white flowers. Lester
Lanin and his orchestra played for dancing which lasted until three o'clock.

Mrs. Godwin M. Castleman, Chairman.
Mrs. Godwin M. Castleman of 1 Grace Court was chairman of the Ball, with
Mrs. Valentine K. Raymond as co-chairman.

      Other members of the committee were Mrs. Samuel P. Bailey, Mrs. H.
Haughton Bell, Mrs. John J. Blust, Mrs. Robert A. Burdick, Mrs. Robert
Burns, Mrs. Felix N. Charlton, Mrs. Lewis C. Clapp,  Mrs. Carroll J.
Dickson, Mrs. Edmond T. Drewsen, Mrs. John A. Fitz Randolph, Mrs. Merrill N.
Foote, Mrs. Edward M. Fuller, Mrs. Horatio K. Gray, Mrs. Carl H. Greene,
Mrs. Stanley C. Hall,  Mrs. W. Wilson Holden, Mrs. Russell S. Hume, Mrs.
Darwin R. James, Mrs. William G. James, Mrs. John Van Pelt Lassoe, Mrs.
Freeman D. Love, Mrs. Robert  B. Magnus, Mrs. Jerald H. Melum, Mrs. Cyril J.
Redmond, Mrs. Paul D. Shafer, Mrs. David W. Swanson, Mrs. Donald E. Swift,
Mrs. John D. Talmage, Mrs. Hollis K. Thayer, Mrs. Gilbert H. Thirkield,
Mrs.Charles F. Warren, Mrs. Robert F. Warren, Mrs. Travis H. Whitney, Mrs.
Fosdick Zabriskie and Mrs.Littleon H. Fitch, Honorary member.

      A floor committee of 53 young men were under the chairmanship of
Robert B. Magnus Jr.

      PRECEDING THE BALL the majority of the debutantes had dinner with
their escorts at the Heights Casino. Debutante Anne Charlton was hostess to
19 guests. Others who were hosts were Mr. and Mrs. Elias J. Audi, Dr. and
Mrs. Stanley C. Hall, Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Swift, Mr. and Mrs. Barth F.
Dillon and Dr. and Mrs. Frank Hamm.

      The floor committee, with Mr. Robert B. Magnus as chairman, included
the following young men home from schools for the Christmas vacation; Robert
B. Magnus Jr., chairman, David Armstrong, John Bartels Jr., Malcom Bell, H.
Kennedy Bell Jr., Richard Bell, Robert Berg, Peter Bergen, William Bierds,
James S. Brown 3rd, John Burdick, John W. Chapman, Edward P. Cypiot Jr.,
Bruce Dayton, Donald A. Delaporte, Frank Dineen, James Dineen, Edmond T.
Drewsen Jr., John R. Dunlop, Philip Eagan, John Everson, Frank J. Exline
Jr., H. Dana Fearon 3rd, Ralph W. Fouse Jr., David M. Gray, John Gurley,
Edward Hall, Crawford Hawkins, Donald Higgins, Hume Horan, John P. Howes,
Ronald K. Howie, Warner T. James, William G. James Jr., John W. King, Peter
P. Lassoe, Terry W. Lassoe, P. Edward Magnuson Jr., William McCreery, John
McCurrach, John R. McDonald, James Mihalke, William Moorhead Jr., Quentin
Moyles, Hugh H. Murphy, Raymond  Nelson, John North, Carlton W.J. Roll Jr.,
Donald Ross, Horace F. Scharges, Joseph Y. Smith, Gilbert H. Thirkield Jr.,
William Umpleby 3rd, Jack W. White.

HEIGHTS  CASINO  DINNER
      Mr. and Mrs. Felix N. Charlton of 200 Hicks Street, entertained at a
large champagne party at the Heights Casino in honor of their daughter, Miss
Anne M. Charlton, preceding the debutante dinner which most of the
debutantes attended. Mrs. Frank C. Hamm was chairman of the dinner.

This completes the total transcribing of the Yuletide Ball from the 1955
Blue Book of Brooklyn.

Transcribed by Miriam Medina
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