Twenty-three young women in long white dresses carried red roses and smiled in the spotlight as the St. Petersburg Debutante Club recognized them at its time-honored ball. There were three changes, however, in the usual traditions of the celebration at the Coliseum. Former St.
Petersburg mayor Bob Ulrich , who has served as master of ceremonies, announcing the debutantes for the past 20 years, was under the weather and unable to make it. He hated to miss it," his daughter Trish Ulrich said at the Wednesday night ball. Her brother, Kurt Ulrich, stepped in on his father's behalf. The other change in the program was a welcomed one. After a buffet of hot hors d'oeuvres ended, the chafing dishes were filled once more around 10 p. Neely attends the University of Cincinnati.
Carolyn Cureton did something no other deb before her has done. She got permission to have two escorts instead of just one because she has twin brothers. After each debutante and parents are announced, the girls dance with their father. Then they dance with their escort.
That's when age and rank came into play for the Curetons. Carolyn danced with brother Casey Cureton first because he is two minutes older than Corey Cureton. That dance was one of the most daunting parts of being an escort, according to several of the young men, mostly brothers and friends of the debutantes. It was less complicated than at the dance class. Beyond dancing, talking to a lot of parents and other adults during a series of parties over the holidays is one of the other primary duties of escorts.
I asked several of them what tips they would offer in the art of multi-generational conversing. Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Mixner said being an escort also meant making sure Molly, who attends Furman University, had fun and he offered her some tips after the rehearsal. So I told her she needed to pick up the pace and smile, smile, smile," he laughed. Easy for someone wearing pants and flat shoes to say to a girl navigating stairs in a long skirt and heels with the video of Jennifer Lawrence falling at the Oscars playing in her mind.
