History of Our Debutante Ball

 

In April of 1967, Zoya Miller one of the founding members of the Colorado Springs Debutante Ball, received a letter from the Chairman of the Denver Debutante Ball Committee, informing her that they could no longer invite young ladies from Colorado Springs to be presented at their annual December ball. This had been a tradition for approximately ten years and the young ladies who were invited from our community were thrilled because Colorado Springs did not have its own Debutante Ball. Upon receiving this news, Mrs. Miller decided that perhaps the time had come to establish a lovely Debutante ball in our own city.

 

The very next day she telephoned her dear friend, Henrietta Hart to discuss whether or not Colorado Springs was large enough to support an annual Debutante Ball.

 

The following day Zoya made an appointment with Karl Eitel, President of The Broadmoor Hotel, to discuss the possibility of using the hotel’s lovely traditional ballroom for a Debutante presentation evening. Karl Eitel shared her enthusiasm about this exciting affair, but he informed her that the grand ballroom would not accommodate the presentation of the Debutantes, nor would there be adequate space for a seated dinner and dancing.

 

After touring the hotel facilities, Mr. Eitel suggested that The International Center be considered for this event. Zoya was shocked, because to her the Center was like a large, unattractive, empty barn. However, she accompanied him to this setting and pondered how this room could be decorated so that it would have a gracious ambiance for this potential festive gala.

 

Within two weeks Zoya and Henrietta put together a committee and held their first meeting, at which time they discussed the criteria for selecting Debutantes. They knew from the beginning that it would be wonderful to invite young ladies from all of our high schools because

this would result in the Debutantes making new friends from other areas of our community. The prospective Debutantes were to be active in their school programs, good students, and respected by their teachers and their peers. The committee was hopeful that their parents were recognized as outstanding citizens and generous with their time in some way, for the betterment of Colorado Springs. The proceeds, if any, would be contributed to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, to be used solely for the acquisition of objects of art.

 

The five founders, each pledged to contribute $250 of their family grocery funds to help with ongoing expenses if needed!

 

Finally, December 22, 1967, the date of the first Debutante Ball, was upon them and the committee was very busy creating the perfect setting. They were very uncertain about how the new Colorado Springs Debutante Ball would be received by the community. Believe it or not, that first year, every table in the ballroom was sold out, and there were twenty-two people on the waiting list. Yes, they even made some money to give to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. To date, we have contributed over $710,000 to the Fine Arts Center Foundation. The FAC has used our donations to acquire some very beautiful objects of art for their permanent collection.

 

The Colorado Springs Debutante Ball has proven through the years to be a wonderful experience for outstanding young women in our community. In many ways, The Ball has prepared them for potential opportunities in the future, in both their working and social environments. Last but not least, it is a glorious family affair. Fathers and grandfathers dancing with their Debutante, mothers and grandmothers dancing with their sons, surrounded by escorts and friends, are all part of creating a memory that will never be forgotten by those who are involved in this wonderful traditional evening.