special to The Star



The Governing Board of the Southern Debutante Assembly introduced the honorees for 2008 at a garden party on May 30 at Equen Plantation, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cunliffe McBee III of Minter City. The twilight garden party is among the first courtesies of the “little season,” which will continue through the summer.

The debutantes, pages and page escorts will be presented formally at the Assembly’s White and Gold Ball in December.

Oak trees lined the allée leading to the entrance to Equen House. Flanking the brick walkway were black wrought-iron urns containing gold lantana. Wrought-iron garden chairs and tables centered with fuchsia geraniums in terra cotta pots were arranged for guests on the veranda. Complementary arrangements centered the skirted tables situated on the manicured lawn, and umbrellas offered shade over wrought-iron garden tables.

Greeting the guests on their arrival were Mr. and Mrs. Micajah Purnell Sturdivant of Glendora. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lorrain Tindall and Mr. and Mrs. Roy Rodgers Brashier, all of Indianola, assisted guests at the skirted registry tables, which were placed before stately magnolia trees in full bloom. The tables, overlaid with white linen cloths, were centered with arrangements of red roses in julep cups.

Receiving with Mr. and Mrs. McBee was Mrs. Dennis Ford Bouchard of Starkville, whose daughter, Christine Jonté Bouchard, is one of this year’s debutantes. Also greeting the guests were Mr. and Mrs. Paul Scott Zimmerman of Starkville, Mr. and Mrs. Ward Kimbrough McBee of Memphis, Tenn., and Mr. Richard Cunliffe McBee IV of Tunica.

Near the plantation’s guest house, the Hon. William Webster Franklin and Mrs. Franklin of Greenwood welcomed those in attendance from cities throughout Mississippi and other states.

Wearing afternoon dresses in pastel shades and carrying the traditional wicker baskets of white Shasta daisies, the debutantes received along the banks of a cypress brake, shaded by Equen’s ancient oak trees.

The Assembly pages also wore afternoon dresses, and each held a single cream-colored gerbera daisy hand-tied with ivory satin ribbon.

Morris Hubbard of Grenada and Alfonso Sanders of Cleveland provided background music during the appointed hours.

Debutantes for 2008 include: Emily Scott Cady, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. James Donald Cady Jr. of Meridian

Pages to the debutantes include: Lallie Elise Bennett, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Wesley Stewart Bennett of Bailey, Mary Elizabeth Barrett Tucker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Howard Tucker III of Meridian; and Savannah Layne Ward, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Granberry Holland Ward III of Meridian

Among those serving as escorts to the pages was: William Robert Billups, son of Dr. and Mrs. William Alonzo Billups III of Meridian



Assembly’s ‘little season’ continues with parties



After the garden party on May 30, the Cavaliers honored the debutantes for 2008 with a buffet supper at Webster’s in Greenwood. The Cavaliers is an organization of young bachelors associated with the Southern Debutante Assembly.

The young men were assisted at the party by Mr. and Mrs. Mark Anthony Kimmel of Greenwood.

Guests were seated at tables overlaid with white linen cloths and centered with saucer-shaped glass containers rimmed with multicolored circles, each saucer holding a single gerbera daisy and aspidistra leaves.

Following the supper, the debutantes and their guests spent the evening dancing at Webster’s. The “After After Party” honored Helen Elizabeth Gwin and Karen Keyes Lambdin of Greenwood, Noelle Elizabeth Barrett of Itta Bena, Christine Jonté Bouchard of Starkville, Hannie Quay Parker Capps of Sunflower, Berry Kathryn Fedric of Clinton and Sara Elizabeth Ratcliff of Canton.

Both indoors and on the patio, tables covered with white linen cloths offered guests opportunities to visit as they listened to Duff Dorrough of Ruleville, who furnished music for dancing. The tables on the patio were centered with casual arrangements of multicolored gerbera daisies, aspidistra leaves and sparkling red foil stars in crimson glass vases.

Hosting the dance were Mr. and Mrs. Solon Alexander Scott Jr., Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Hopkins Lambdin III, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson Noel Barrett II, Mrs. Dennis Ford Bouchard, Mrs. John Sydney Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Radford Jones Fedric and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Davis Ratcliff.

Earlier on the day of the garden party, the pages attended a pool and spa party held at the home of Dr. and Mrs. David Basinger in Grenada.

The girls were invited to swim and then were served hamburgers, ice cream and frozen drinks. Professional manicures and pedicures were offered in the richly landscaped pool area as the guests enjoyed “surround-sound” music. Each girl received as a memento a brightly colored beach bag containing a cosmetic kit.

Honorees included Meredith Lacy Basinger and Rachel Faylynn McCool of Grenada, Elizabeth Herron Battle and Margaret Montgomery Gannaway of Tunica, Alexandra Ines Brasher of Holcomb and Mary Helen Kenyon Williams of Clarksdale.

Hosting the party with Mrs. Basinger were Mrs. Walter Allen McCool Jr., Mrs. William Houston Battle, Mrs. Jeff Montgomery Gannaway, Mrs. Brenton Saunders Brasher and Mrs. Peter Fairley Williams III.

Following the garden party, the pages and page escorts were invited to a poolside luau at the Greenwood Country Club. Hamburgers were cooked and served to the guests at tables centered with colorful Japanese lanterns.

After the supper, Johnny Jennings spun records for dancing. Gifts for the occasion, reflecting the tropical theme, were Hawaiian flip-flops in turquoise for the girls and black for the boys.

Sharing honors were Amanda Josephine Ashcraft Austin of Ridgeland, Chloe Lane Bush and Guerring Faith Mapp of Greenwood, Carson Sturdivant Creasy of Lynchburg, Va., Emma Kathleen Haynes of Marks, Lillian Moore Hines of Madison, Mary Stewart Hurst of Jackson, Maribeth Morgan of Cleveland, Holly Ruth Pitts and Mary Madaline Timbs of Indianola, Molly Elizabeth Warren of Tupelo, Laura Hamilton Williams of Yazoo City and Barrett Elizabeth Wright of Inverness.

Hosts for the luau and dance were Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Bryant Austin, Mrs. Carpenter Bush, Mr. John Miller Bush II, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton McKee Guenther, Mr. and Mrs. Alexis Verbeke Richards, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Hubert Haynes, Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Kirkland Hines, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Albert Hurst III, Mr. and Mrs. Rex Allen Morgan Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Mark Jackson Cowart, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler Timothy Timbs III, Mr. and Mrs. Tyrone Devon Warren, Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Cocks Williams and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Young Wright III.

On the Saturday morning following the garden party, the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood was the site of a hands-on French brunch for the pages. Working in small groups, they prepared the meal they later enjoyed. As keepsakes from the party, the girls received white Viking aprons, personalized with their names at the top, which everyone autographed.

The pages honored with the brunch were Lallie Elise Bennett of Bailey and Caroline Janne Thomas, Mary Elizabeth Barrett Tucker and Savannah Layne Ward, all of Meridian.

Hosting the brunch were Mrs. Wesley Stewart Bennett, Mrs. Anthony Lee Thomas, Mrs. Frank Howard Tucker III, Mrs. Granberry Holland Ward III and Mrs. William Robert Billups.