Inception and Subsequent History
Other cities' established debutante festivities, such as St. Louis's annual Veiled Prophet Ball, however, lived on. By the 1950s, many prominent Kansas Citians believed that Kansas City again needed some sort of debutante festivities. In 1954, Clara Hockaday and Enid Kemper, prominent Kansas City social matrons, founded the Jewel Ball with help from local businessman Alfred Lighton.
Since its inception, the ball has benefited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kansas City Symphony. From 1954 until 2000, the ball was held in the main hall of the Nelson-Atkins. A large construction project at the museum forced a temporary move to Swope Park's Starlight Theatre (Kansas City). The Jewel Ball returned to the museum in 2008.
The debutantes, or debs, are freshmen in college and come from some of the most prominent Kansas City families. A person can only debut if a family member has debuted before them, or if the family makes a large donation.
Read more about this topic: Jewel Ball
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