51st Denver Debutante Ball

The women who put on the Denver Debutante Ball take pride in the fact it’s a family affair; always has been and always will be. That the committee has never sought corporate support is a particular joy for founding chairwoman Katie Stapleton, who delights in reporting that the $10 million that the ball has raised for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra over the past 50 years came from sources other than business sponsorships.
Not many other fund-raisers can lay claim to that, she points out.
The 51st edition of this winter tradition took place Dec. 22 at the Brown Palace Hotel, the only venue it has ever had. Thirty-three debutantes were presented, executing their curtseys before a receiving line made up of ball chair Ginny Freyer and her husband, John Evans Freyer; Lise Bellmar, the chair for 2008 and 2009, and her husband, Richard Kent Bellmar; honorary chairwoman Barbara Eckhart Knight and her son, Roger Davis Knight IV; and Gene and Walter Alfred Koelbel, whose granddaughter, Kari Koelbel, was among the 2007 debs.
By happy coincidence, the ball was held on the same day as Gene Koelbel’s birthday.
Of the 33 debs, 24 were legacies, the daughters, sisters, cousins or nieces of former debutantes. Two of the 2007 debs, Julia Ann Finch and Tessa Caroline Caudle, had sisters in the post-deb lineup: Claire Elyse Finch and Madeline Elaine Caudle.
In addition, 23 of the debutantes included a brother and/or cousin as a first or second escort.
The traditional trumpet fanfare signalled the party’s start; the post-debs, wearing crimson gowns from ABS by Allen Schwartz, and their escorts filed in to their places along the curve of thegrand staircase. Then the debutante escorts, walking four abreast, moved to their waiting area.
As master of ceremonies Arthur Gordon Rippey III called her name, each debutante descended the staircase on the arm of her father (or, in one instance, her grandfather) to proceed across the rotunda lobby and curtsy to the receiving line.
The Class of 2007, their parents, escorts, schools — and some interesting factoids — are:
Taylor Alexandra Adams, daughter of Colorado Symphony President Douglas Wayne Adams and his wife, Pamela, and escorted by Tyler Douglas Adams and John Warren Wood. Taylor attends Southern Methodist University.
Leigh Taylor Armstrong, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Dean Armstrong and escorted by John Martin Armstrong and Christopher Andrew Carrick. Leigh attends Southern Methodist University.
Rebecca Elisse Puckett Bauer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Manson Wolfe and David Lawson Bauer, and escorted by Zachary Lawson Bauer and Alexander Jordan Bauer. Rebecca studies entrepreneurship and political science at Baylor University.
Logan Louise Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Mackintosh Bown, and escorted by William Horsley Sipf and Jay Diamond Roberts. Logan wore the same gown that her sister had worn for her presentation. She also went to the NCAA Division III field hockey finals with Middlebury College.
Elizabeth Card, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ross Biggers and Gregory Hopkins Card, she was escorted by Austin Nichols Card and Luke Carroll Cunningham. Elizabeth’s gown was made from an Adolfo skirt that was her grandmother’s and a top that was custom-designed for the occasion. Elizabeth attends the University of Puget Sound, where she is involved in a business leadership program and serves as a student ambassador.
Tessa Caroline Caudle, daughter of Jones Richard Caudle III and Louise Alice Hurlbut, was escorted by Tucker Jerome Larson and Nathaniel Lawrence Hedman. She attends Johns Hopkins University; the day after the ball she and her family departed on a two-week trip to India.
Remy Sharp Dikeou, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Panayes John Dikeou, was escorted by Panayes Marshall Dikeou and David John Deline. John Deline’s grandmother, Kay Braun Deline, was presented at the first Denver Debutante Ball, in 1956. Remy is an international studies major at Brown University.
Jamie Boynton Douglas, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Clow Douglas Jr., was escorted by James Whitney Childs and Benjamin Daniel Hock. She attends the University of Southern California.
Sydney Marguerite Paez Duncan is the daughter of Colorado Symphony board chair Kevin Duncan and his wife, Leanne. Sydney plans to enroll at Colorado College in the fall of 2008, after completing a gap year spent in Barcelona, studying language and culture and working on a community service project. Her escorts were Michael Forrest McGrath and Bradley Joel Morse.
Julia Ann Finch, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard R Finch, is pre-med at Duke University and plays for the school’s rugby team. She’s the third Finch sister to debut in four years; her escorts were Duncan Stross Kenney and Charles Baldwin Procknow.
LauraJean Gerber is the ninth on her mother’s side of the family to debut at the Denver Debutante Ball. In addition to her mom, Ann Brinkerhoff, the others were Susie Mammel, Katherine Bearry, Aimee Beatty, Lindsey Mammel, Jordan Mammel, Juliette Brinkerhoff and Christina Brinkerhoff. LauraJean was presented by her father, William Frederick Gerber Jr., and escorted by William Joris Brinkerhoff Jr. and Andrew David Raney. She studies mathematics and education at Belmont University.
Morgan Harrison Griffin is descended from Presidents William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison and is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Lloyd Griffin. She attends the University of Colorado at Boulder and was escorted by Marcus Harrison Griffin and Alexander Harrison Griffin.
Anna Marie Hackstaff, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Allan Hackstaff III, was escorted by Callan Joseph Hackstaff and Jesse Allan Hackstaff. She also attends CU-Boulder.
Emma Harrington is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Gilbert Harrington and the granddaughter of Nancy and the late Nick Petry. She attends Colby College andd was escorted by Thomas Eaton Stagg Harrington and William Eaton Phelps III.
Kelly Grace Hopley is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Preston Hopley. Her mother, the former Grace Wilfley, was presented at the 1973 ball and her dad was her mother’s first escort. Kelly’s first escort was Tyler Morton, whose mom, Eileen Honnen Morton, made her debut with Kelly’s mother in 1973. Kelly’s second escort was her brother, Charles Wilfley Hopley. She was recruited by Dartmouth to play on its Division I lacrosse team and is studying languages and international affairs there.
Elizabeth Blair Jones is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Lloyd Jones and was escorted by Christopher Francis Smith Jr. and Douglas Matthew Jones. She wore the same gown that her sister had worn for her presentation. Elizabeth is studying business at Southern Methodist University and working on the college yearbook.
Lucy Brosius Jones, who also chose a gown worn by a sister who’d been presented before her, is the daughter of Charles Pownall Jones and Jill Taussig Cowperthwaite and a student at Elon University in North Carolina. Her escorts were Benjamin Froeb Gardner and Andrew Pownall Jones.
Margaret Villaume Koch is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Karl Frederick Koch III and was escorted by Karl Frederick Koch IV and Kyle Vincent Rajaniemi. She attends Bucknell University.
Kari Gene Koelbel is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Alan Koelbel and was escorted by Dyle Douglas Koelbel and Kevin Robert Koelbel. She attends CU-Boulder.
Rachel Ilene Loeb is the daughter of state Court of Appeals Judge Alan Loeb and Dr. Karen Cohen Loeb. She studies studio art and graphic design at Skidmore, where she is on the varsity tennis team and was twice named Rookie of the Week and Performer of the Week. She also helped lead the team to its current Top 10 ranking. Her escorts were Austin Barry Foote and David Benjamin Cosel.
Kathryn Regina Lorenzen is the daughter of Realtor Gina Lorenzen and her husband, James Arthur Lorenzen. She attends Tulane University and was escorted by Thomas Donahue Lorenzen and Charles Tucker Sayre.
Emily Lord Mandelson is taking a gap year before starting college, and is spending it in Thailand and India doing community service work. Her parents are Mr. and Mrs. Richard Saul Mandelson and her escorts were Paul Winslow Mandelson and Carver Haentyens Stone.
Greta Christine Meyer is a freshman at Dartmouth and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Robert Meyer. Her escorts were Michael McDaniel Atkins and Frederick Malcolm Meyer.
Kylie Currigan Powell is a freshman at CU-Boulder and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Martin Powell. Her escorts were Samuel Sterling Powell and Charles Jordan Powell.
Anna Kathryn Ryan, who wore her sister’s presentation gown, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Martin Ryan and is studying international relations and French at St. Andrews in Scotland. Her escorts were John Arthur Ryan and David Milton O’Neill Jr.
Claire Moyer Sanderson, a freshman at Southern Methodist University, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James William Sanderson. Her escorts were Timothy Colden Hoffman and Gabriel Joseph Mann.
Hillary Anne Schoelzel’s father, Scott Wayne Schoelzel, is preparing to step down as manager of the $10 billion Janus 20 Fund. Her mother is Katie Philpott Schoelzel and her escorts were Kevin Phillip Schoelzel and Brian Philpott Schoelzel. Hillary is a competitive equestrian and studies creative writing and English at Vanderbilt where she has designed costumes and sets for theatrical department productions. She also volunteers for the Boys and Girls Clubs in Nashville.
Sydney Elizabeth Emery Schwindt is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Mark Alan Schwindt and was escorted by Michael Edward Turvey and Daniel Thomas Mateer. A freshman at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School for Performing Arts, where she is studying theater and acting, she wore a gown designed and made by her mother, Sloan, a professional costumer and expert in heirloom sewing techniques. In her first semester, Sydney served as assistant director for the college musical, “Muriel.”
Lara Emily Silversmith is a freshman at Washington University of St. Louis and an accomplished mountain climber. Last year, she summited Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise $10,000 for three children’s charities. Lara is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Alan Silversmith and her escorts were Ethan Ross Demby and Alexander Whitney Stevens.
Mikele Alexandra Smith, a freshman at the University of Denver, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marlis Earl Smith Jr. Her escorts were Michael McKenzie Roddy and Parker Prescott Danneberg.
Clare Louise Steninger’s lifelong love of ballet led her to select a presentation gown that reminded her of a ballerina’s tutu. An engineering student at Loyola Marymount University’s Seaver School of Science and Engineering, Clare is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Andrew Steninger. Her escorts were Matthew John Steninger and David McCabe Steninger.
Alana Pate Wilson is the daughter of former debutante Andrea Wilson and her husband, Eric Lathrop Wilson. Alana attends Wake Forest University; her escorts were Alexander Pate Guyott and Scott Lawrence Wert.
Megan Emily Wollenweber is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Edward Wollenweber and the niece of 2004 and 2005 ball chair Amy Walen. The opera gloves that she wore belong to her grandmother, Frannie Wollenweber; her gown had been worn by her sister for her presentation. Megan is studying elementary education at the University of Oregon; her escorts were Louis Hamilton Wollenweber and Garrett Thomas LaCouture.