News Release

The Governing Board of the Southern Debutante Assembly introduced the 2019 honorees at a garden party in the late afternoon on May 24 at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in downtown Greenwood.

The garden party is among the first events of the “little season.” The debutantes, pages and page escorts will be presented formally in December at the Assembly’s White and Gold Presentation and Ball.

In the center of the parish hall was an imposing arrangement of white hydrangeas, pink larkspur, stargazer lilies, pink and white snapdragons, light pink and hot pink garden roses, fuchsia liatrice, hot pink miniature dianthus and white daisies with variegated pittosporum, leatherleaf fern and lunaria silver dollar greenery.

Throughout the parish hall and the courtyard, guest tables skirted in cream linen with pink linen overlays were centered with compact complementary arrangements in silver vases. Beds and planters in the courtyard held a variety of colorful spring perennials.   

While pianist Paul Brown of Greenwood played time-honored favorites for the gathering, guests were received by Mrs. Richard Cunliffe McBee III of Starkville, advisor to the Assembly, along with board member Mrs. William Webster Franklin of Greenwood.

Wearing long afternoon dresses in pastel shades, the debutantes received carrying the traditional white wicker garden baskets of white daisies and plumosa fern, accented with white satin ribbon. Each of the Assembly pages, similarly dressed, carried a single Gerardo gerbera daisy with leatherleaf fern, hand-tied with a white satin ribbon streamer.

  

Included in the 2019 Debutante class is Leslie Anne Bell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Alden Bell III of Duncan

One of the Pages for the Debutantes is Anne Warner Finke, daughter of Mr. Christian Wailes Finke of Cascilla and Mrs. Brady Wells Smith of Sardis

Several events surrounding the Southern Debutante Assembly’s garden party honored debutantes, pages, and page escorts during its “little season” at the end of May.

Following the garden party on May 24, a pool party and cookout was held for the pages and page escorts at the Greenwood Country Club, where a tall water slide added to the fun in the pool, and custom sound equipment blared out current favorites from Spotify playlists.

Guests enjoyed a hamburger and hot dog buffet that included fruit skewers and mini-cupcakes. Table centerpieces were brightly colored flowers casually arranged in julep cups and vases. The pages and page escorts each received a monogrammed stainless steel water bottle as a memento of the occasion.

Pages honored with the party were Anne Warner Finke of Sardis; Kryn Elizabeth Fortune of Gloucester, Mass.; Bailey McLaurin Hunt of Mandeville, La.; Mary Frances McBee of Memphis; and Ann Gerard Mohamed and Campbell Lampton Williams, both of Greenwood.

Page escort honorees included Benjamin Gregory Goldbeck of Starkville; Charles Warfield Robbins and Charles Dudley Stewart, both of Greenwood; and Patton Brady Whicker of Little Rock.

Parents honoring their sons and daughters with the event were Mrs. Brady Wells Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Patrick Fortune, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Kingsley Hunt Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Ward Kimbrough McBee, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Dudley Stewart IV, Mr. and Mrs. Steven Canada Williams, Mrs. Dale Goldbeck, Mr. and Mrs. James Steele Robbins IV and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lenieu Whicker Jr.

Photo 1:      Honored with the garden party in downtown Greenwood were (from left)  debutantes Leslie Anne Bell of Duncan, Margaret Pepper Adams of Oxford, Olivia O’Mara Noble of Jackson, Sara Baylee Geier of Madisonville, La., Lucy Jane Atkins of Madison, Abigail Fairfax Beard of Madison, and Mary Katherine Reed of Belzoni. Not pictured are Margaret Allen Brumfield of Ridgeland and Elizabeth Noble Turner of Belzoni. (Contributed)

Photo 2 :   Pages to the debutantes at the garden party included (from left) Bailey McLaurin Hunt of Mandeville, La., Anne Warner Finke of Sardis, Mary Frances McBee of Memphis, Emma Lewis Mattox, Ann Gerard Mohamed, Ava Elizabeth Scott,  Emma Josephine Hodges, and Campbell Lampton Williams, all of Greenwood. (Contributed)