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Gilded Age tradition boosts hightech hospital.

2019-07-07 -

Page 8

“I’ve grown up with all the debutantes; it’s cool to see so many friends here and reconnect. I’ve never attended a ball before but I’ve been working on my dance moves, the waltz, fox trot. They’re coming along; hopefully I’m going to keep the party alive tonight on the dance floor.”

With the 2018-19 opening of two state-of-the-art California Pacific Medical Center facilities (the $2.1 billion Cathedral Hill campus on Van Ness and $538 million Mission Bernal campus), the center has entered a new, high-tech era of health care in the heart of San Francisco.

Yet it made news most recently with a Gilded Age tradition — its 55th San Francisco Debutante Ball, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, where 28 young women, swathed in opera-length gloves and white ball gowns adorned with spun sugar-like tulle or ruched silk rosettes, expertly nailed their curtsies in a round of quadrilles as they took a formal bow to society.

But these young ladies, unlike a hapless Edith Wharton character on the hunt for a wealthy husband (who, in Wharton’s world, often turn out hapless, too), will soon matriculate to top universities around the nation. The event raises big bucks to benefit CPMC, this year its pediatric intensive-care unit and the innovative research of department chairman Dr. Lorry Frankel.

Led by ball chairwoman Meagan Levitan (with assists from assistant chair Kathryn Brown, emcee Allison Eisenhardt,

Women’s Board President Pamela Healy and CPMC CEO Dr. Warren Browner), the evening was both elegant (and bravo to designer J. Riccardo Benavides) and lively — like an endof-school pep rally as maestro Dick Bright and his orchestra kept toes tapping late into the night.

“We couldn't be more thrilled with the new hospital,” enthused CPMC Foundation Board chairman Sloan Barnett. “It’s so gorgeous and amazing work is happening there: Babies are being born, transplants and surgeries are happening left and right. Tonight is an old-line San Francisco tradition honoring and supporting the hospital, which makes it even more special.”

It was also special for her son, Spencer Barnett, a rising musician who just released his first EP (“Reckless”) and is taking a gap year to work on his music before attending Brown University. And this ball was his inaugural turn as an escort to debutante Clara Dossetter.

“Clara is a super close friend and it’s awesome to support her tonight,” beamed Barnett. “It’s also like a big reunion, with friends from preschool and middle school who I haven’t seen in years.”

Among this debutante class was also one of my favorite familial confluences: twins!

Annabel Mack and Sophie Mack along with Ashley Castellino and Alexis Castellino, whose late great-grandmother, Lily Cuneo, was a founding member of the CPMC Women’s Board.

Though they were young when she died, the twins recalled her strong leadership within the family and on the board, and her devotion to the hospital.

“We’re from the Peninsula so we didn’t know any of the girls in this group. We were scared,” admitted the Burlingame High School graduates, in unison. “But everyone was so welcoming and we’ve made so many new friends. Learning about CPMC programs was really uplifting.”

Many of the debutantes were born at CPMC, including Evelyn Plam, who said that raising funds for “her” hospital was special. Yet the ball concept was new to her escort, Mario Hermann, and their pal Charlie Perkins, all of whom graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory.

“I was born at CPMC, too, and it’s great to give back to our community,” enthused Perkins. Catherine Bigelow is The San Francisco Chronicle’s society correspondent. Email: missbigelow@sfgate.com Instagram: @missbigelow

The debutantes

Natalie Barnes

Sarena Berg

Brenna Bortner

Grace Boudreau

Molly Brown

Caitlin Buono

Rebecca Cami

Alexis Castellino

Ashley Castellino

Mary Conner

Clara Dossetter