For anyone trying to put together a last-minute Halloween costume, the Maidstone Club's 75th anniversary costume party in 1966, featuring 1890s attire, offers some procrastination-friendly inspiration. In this photograph taken by William Boone, we see members dressed in Victorian-era golfing, swimming, and tennis outfits.
From left to right, the photo shows: Isabelle Robertson (1901-1986) with Julian Myrick (1880-1969) in tennis costumes, Andrew (Peter) Connick (1930-2011) and Emma Pattison Skidmore (1900-1978) in bathing costumes, and Mary Lewis Hopkinson (1901-1986) and William N. Beebe (1903-1985) in old-fashioned golf attire.
It is worth noting that Myrick's obituary mentioned his efforts to increase both the competitive nature of tennis and the Maidstone Club's stature in competitions. It is likely his costume reflected his passion for tennis.
The party took place in the Maidstone Club's ballroom on July 23, 1966, and was such a draw that the 400 plates for dinner sold out, and an additional 100 attendees came for the dancing alone. Not shown here but quite memorable was an old-fashioned waltz performed by Russell Hopkinson and Jane Alcott Holmes, who appeared in a sequined black gown with a bird of paradise headdress. Also memorable were the 75 birthday cakes paraded through the ballroom.
W. Dickinson Wilson acted as master of ceremonies, briefly honoring the eight Maidstone Club presidents (past and present) in attendance, along with Kenneth E. Davis, the longtime club manager. Rosalie Boalt chaired the event committee, which included William Beebe, Susannah Wood Amory, Mary Lewis Hopkinson, and Dorothy Sykes.
Members danced to music by the Joe Carroll Orchestra, and the singer Conrad Thibault led a group through several numbers, including the club's "Maidstone's a Silver Lining," followed by Myrick singing his "standby" tune, "And Let the Rest of the World Go Dry."
Andrea Meyer, a librarian and archivist, is the head of the East Hampton Library's Long Island Collection.
