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The 131st Philadelphia Charity Ball, chaired by the ball's board president, Peter F. Cooke Jr., was held Friday at the Union League.

Gretchen and Stephen Burke of Comcast with their son, Dan, and daughter, Kelly at the 131st Philadelphia Charity Ball. (MICHAEL S. WIRTZ / Staff Photographer)
Gretchen and Stephen Burke of Comcast with their son, Dan, and daughter, Kelly at the 131st Philadelphia Charity Ball. (MICHAEL S. WIRTZ / Staff Photographer)Read more
    by By Caroline Stewart, For The Inquirer
    Published 

Belles of the ball

The 131st Philadelphia Charity Ball, chaired by the ball's board president, Peter F. Cooke Jr., was held Friday at the Union League. The ball's debutantes, resplendent in their long white gowns and gloves, were Carter Barnhart, Ashley Catalano-Leckerman, Olivia Glass, Lainie Justi, Lucy Mahoney, and Jessica Stokes. Debutante Katherine Hollander was unable to attend.

The white-tie evening for 400 began with a cocktail reception in the Grant Room and continued with dinner, dancing to Peter Duchin and his Orchestra until the wee hours, the presentation of the debutantes, and a midnight breakfast. After dinner and before the presentation, 16 Gesu School students and alums showed off their ballroom dancing skills in tango, merengue, and cha-cha. Following the presentation, the students took to the dance floor again to perform a swing number with the debutantes and members of the Young Ladies' and Young Men's committees.

Founded in 1881 to benefit local charities, the ball raised funds for Gesu.

Laying down the law

Nearly 400 lawyers, judges, and business leaders attended the Philadelphia Bar Foundation's 32d annual Andrew Hamilton Benefit, held Nov. 6 at Lincoln Financial Field. The gala featured a reception for sponsors in the Eagles locker room and a buffet dinner and dancing to the 11-piece Janis Nowlan Band in the Club Level Lounge. The gala, which raised $275,000, honored Ourania Papademetriou of Philadelphia VIP and the law firms Gay Chacker & Mittin P.C. and Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin for their pro bono work. Proceeds will benefit the foundation, which supports 33 public-interest legal organizations.

Going for the gold

University of Pennsylvania president Amy Gutmann received the Philadelphia Public Relations Association's Gold Medal Award at a luncheon held Nov. 9 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The event featured a performance by the Penn Glee Club and remarks by David Cohen, chair of Penn's board of trustees. Attended by 150 guests, the luncheon was chaired by Penn alum Bonnie Squires, president of Squires Consulting, and David Brown, executive vice president and general manager of WURD-AM.