Owl Club Scholar Fund 75th Anniversary Cotillion

The Owl Club has presented over 1,600 debutantes in 74 years from the Denver metropolitan area.   In 1979, member William Kirk and Owlette Ruby Kirk-Gray founded the Owl Club Scholarship Fund and was chartered in 1994 by members Mr. Penfield Tate III and Mr. Skip Riley, to provide academic scholarships to the debutantes and help young women overcome financial barriers.   The scholarship fund has awarded over $130,000 in scholarship funds to these debutantes to help alleviate post-secondary educational expenses.

The Owl Club has helped create opportunities for Black youth, primarily, but not exclusively, through the Debutante Cotillion, a formal event that introduces young women to society. The Debutante Cotillion began in 1951, the first recorded in the City of Denver. It was the first event in the city solely dedicated to providing high-achieving young African American women with the opportunity to showcase their talent.

This significant tradition, the Debutante Cotillion, provides young high academic-achieving women who have displayed excellence through pride, character, leadership and community service, an opportunity to showcase their talent. Former debutantes report that the event provided them with the tools for success at a pivotal time in their lives