Sara Kelly, Famous Rye Debutante

Sara Kelly of Rye is famous.

On December 29, Kelly was one of 47 young women who were ushered into formal high society at the International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City. Kelly's photo, along with the following caption, ran with an Associated Press story by Karen Matthews on the event:

"Sara Kelly, center, of Rye, N.Y., speaks to her sister Courtney, left, and friend Alliston Parr in the ladies room during the 54th International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008 in New York. The debutantes included European aristocrats and scions of American families from the Social Register."

Matthews reported: "Forty-seven young women donned white gowns and greeted guests Monday at the International Debutante Ball, a holdover from an era when the daughters of the upper crust were presented to society as a preface to meeting suitable mates... The debutantes at The Waldorf-Astoria hotel included European aristocrats and scions of American families from the Social Register... A debutante's family pays $14,000 for a table as well as thousands of dollars for couture gowns, hairdressers and related expenses."

Comments

[Bucky]

hear hear scooter

Bucky

[scooter]

Wow - lots of vitriol from a variety of people. Sounds like some are jealous that there are still some people out there capable of injecting some much needed money into our economy. Good for the Kellys - the hospitality business needs more like them.
The fact that Ms. Kelly opted to debut has led to all sorts of snide comments from others about motivations of both her and her parents. And somehow this gets to the problems of Hen Island? Get a life, people - how others chose to spend their time and their money is their business, not yours. I'm sure that Ms. Kelly chose freely to partake in the ceremonies, instead of being forced into it like what may have happened in the late 40's. She's also free to pursue the "modern women's" dream of pursuing a career and forgoing the marriage to pursue self-fulfillment. Again, NOT YOUR BUSINESS!
Would you prefer that people who have the means stop spending their money? If they do, you certainly won't like the impact on your 401-k, brokerage statements, IRA, job prospects and business opportunities.

[Bucky]

you not only try to steal good names, you also seem to "HIGHJACK"
other peoples threads for your own
obsessive narrow selfish interests.
FOR Shame Mr. Floatie.

[Michael Johnson]

acacia.....YIKES x 2 !!!
"End of story"/ not.
At age 63 I'm not looking to you for fashion sense...what "works" for me is being comfortable. I've been wearing "Hawaiian" shirts for 40 years....I don't think I'll be getting fashion advice from a self-absorbed, ego-maniac, who "creates looks for others to follow"....
Ever heard of Alfred Shaheen?
http://www.stylelist.com/blog/2009/01/09/inventor-of-the-hawaiian-shirt-dies-at-86/

mike

Thanks MyRye for providing this wonderful format.....allowing Ryeites their say..

[Acacia]

mike -
I work in the fashion industry and I get paid to analyze what people wear and carry. I'm one of those people that creates the look for others to follow. If it wasn't for people like me or my coworkers, everyone would still be stuck in the 80's with stone washed jeans and a mullet.

Most people can't handle blunt feedback. You're not a bad looking guy - do yourself a favor and get a haircut and buy youself a nice black button down shirt. You'll thank me for it... Eggshell colored Miami style floral shirts aren't really working for you -- Actually no man should be wearing shirts with floral prints. End of story.

[Mrs. Frank Reynolds]

To Mr. Michael Johnson and Mr. Acacia:

I wish you two would simmer down and stop the nonsense. Why can't we all just get along? We're headed into The Great Depression Part II, we need to focus on bigger issues.

Thank you. And God Bless.

[The Wry Record]

Mr. Tartaglione:

That was a nice article in the NY Times.

Your mom obviously did a good job of fostering honesty, integrity and accountability into your life. Unfortunately, in the City of Rye, honesty and integrity have taken a back seat to incompetence, no accountability and covering all of this up no matter what the cost and collateral damage to good Rye people.

Otis, Shew, Connors and Plunkett all need to go in 2009.

[Michael Johnson]

acacia.......commenting on people's looks alone is quite easy...anyone can do it....my experience has been that folks who make fun of others' appearances are usually lacking in some inner strength...perhaps lacking confidence....perhaps they think of themselves as unattractive....come on, prickley, thorny acacia...post a pic...let's all take a look....
And, if you can't tell which one is the woman in the photo I posted, perhaps commenting on people's looks is not something you should be spending your time doing...perhaps you should take a break from the computer screen and get an eye exam....mike

[Ray Tartaglione]

Mike,
Once again you are telling half truths and speaking on matters that you have not fully investigated. I didn’t have a problem telling the story to the New York Times in 2001, and I will be happy to retell the story now. It was a story chosen from hundreds submitted. Believe it or not, it even plays a small part in the pollution and code avoidance taking place on Hen Island. Below you will find the full story, which I happen to be very proud to have penned in November of 2001. It is a heart warming story about a teacher that takes the time to go the extra mile and make a difference in the life of a student headed in the wrong direction. I was eight years old when my parents divorced, and my mother needed to work full time in order to support the family that she loved so dearly. She cared for her family with a passion that she instilled in her children. I do not believe that you have ever met my mother Mike, but I believe your wife Margaret, my moms namesake, has met mom several times on Hen Island. My mother loved the water and the outdoors just as I do. She fell in love with Hen Island the first time stepped foot on it. She spent many afternoons and weekends there before she passed away from cancer. She loved the sunshine on her face and the reflection off the water. Mom was our precious matriarch, a member of the family you once stated (on this site), that I didn’t have, or you had never seen. Many other family members have visited Hen Island on more than one occasion and some of them are there on a weekly basis. I guess I didn’t know that they had to check-in with you as soon as they stepped foot on island.
Although I did stray from a lack of supervision, my mom did teach me a number of things that still echo in my ear on a daily basis. Honesty and Integrity were two of her biggest lessons. Another was that if you make a mistake, take responsibility for your actions and don’t lose the lesson in the process. I assume yourself and the Mayor never learned those lessons. She also taught me that persistence was a virtue.
Now getting back to the New York Times article in 2001, the article was about an educator that was most influential in my life. That educator’s name was Andy Spano. Andy and his wife Brenda, have been to my home on Hen Island and we are still friends to this day. When I asked him about the Hen Island controversy, I was told that “he could not discuss it with me”. This was the first time he has ever let me down. I try not to get involved in politics and respect his wishes, even though I have been in his company several times since, we have never spoken a word about Hen Island. Andy has known me for years and I am sure he knows that I will do everything in my power to rectify the problems and he has given me his blessing in doing so.
The link to the complete NYT article follows.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B03E1DF1E39F932A25752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2
Michael I didn’t realize that you had a degree in Psychology. If you do, you had better get back quick for a refresher course because your teacher obviously didn‘t go the extra mile with you.

Ray Tartaglione

[jill]

Amen Sister.