The brainchild of Naomi Edinburgh Murray in 1952, The Washington Rhinestone Club has presented nearly 1,100 débutantes and recognized them for their achievements and their plans to reach their career goals. Murray founded the organization along with Evelyn Smith Robinson, Laura Taylor, Mertildia Lee, and Frances Oxnard Stephens to promote positive educational and social values in the community. The First Débutante Ball was held in 1953 at the Smith Tower in downtown Seattle, where five young women were presented and recognized for their academic achievement. Since its inception, the organization has provided over $150,000 in scholarships to help débutantes pursue education beyond high school.

The second annual Rhinestone Ball was held at the Norway Center in Queen Anne and honored the five débutantes pictured here. Seated in front is Wilma Ruth Harris, Queen of the Ball. The other débutantes, left to right, are Shirley Mae Johnson, Gearline Draper, Vivian Lorraine Chatman, and Lorna Prim. All of the young women were University of Washington students except for Ms. Chatman, who attended Seattle University.

Caption by Chris B. Bennett, "Washington Rhinestone Club Continues Legacy Of Encouraging Young Women To Pursue Their Dreams," on the Seattle Medium website at http://seattlemedium.com/washington-rhinestone-club-continues-legacy-of-encouraging-young-women-to-pursue-their-dreams
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.