C L A S S Y C L U B B E R S : (Left) Slipper Club officers Susan Conway, Erika Bender, and Madeline Littrell. { PHOTO: DON JOHNSON } (Top) Officers of the Terpsichorean Club pose with the 2015 debutantes. { COURTESY PHOTO } | Deb Dorothy Connor Thomas and Idlewild president Charlie Cullum make their procession at the club’s annual ball in November. { PHOTO: LAURA BUCKMAN }
C OV E R STO RY
CLUBS MORE THAN TRADITION FOR LADIES & GENTS 6 | SO CI ET Y M AG A ZIN E // S P R I N G 2 0 1 5
By Sarah Bennett
F
or Dallas’ finest young professionals, the fun doesn’t end after graduating college. It only revs up with the opportunity to join the city’s premiere social clubs for young adults: Slipper and Cotillion clubs for the ladies, and Calyx, Dervish, Terpsichorean, and Idlewild clubs for the men. Sure, some of the men’s clubs offer lifetime membership — such as Idlewild and Calyx — but generally speaking, these clubs are for the city’s young and vibrant. However, that doesn’t mean they lack a strong history. “We were founded in 1898 as a club for single men who decided they needed to learn the two-step and waltz,” Terpsichorean Club president-elect Alex
Jodry said. “Our club name is derived from Terpsichore, the Greek mythological muse of dance and creative motion.” Typically, each club hosts a slew of casual to semi-formal events throughout the year, from crawfish boils to cocktail mixers. Yet each one ends the formal season with a black-tie event in the winter. “I’ve lived a lot of places, and Slipper’s reputation held water,” Slipper Club board member Madeline Littrell said. “I’ve never met such a group of welleducated, classy, philanthropic women.” Philanthropy, as it turns out, is a key element for many of the organizations. “These days it is so easy for people to get wrapped up in their own world that we often forget to be mindful of the needs of others who are less fortunate,” Cotillion Club gala chair Katlin
Beecherl said. But that’s just the goal. Cotillion focuses on Jonathan’s Place, which provides a home for abused or neglected children, while Slipper Club votes on a new beneficiary annually. “My favorite part is being able to support Jonathan’s Place and spend time directly with the kids through activities like movie nights and decorating cookies at Christmas,” Cotillion Club president Jordan Kragen said. All the while, the city’s young adults are building new relationships and creating a network for life. “I’ve stayed on the board for four years because of the girls,” Slipper Club president Susan Conway said. “It forced me to meet new people and branch out, and it just stuck.”