1960: Two Legends Join the Queen: Helen Hayes and Perle Mesta
The woman at left is Broadway and film star Helen Hayes who was known as "the First Lady of the American stage." Helen, a native of Washington, DC, was asked to spin the wheel of fortune and the wheel stopped on New Jersey.
In the middle is the 1960 Cherry Blossom Queen Roberta Bretthaver who was from Princeton, New Jersey and was a nursing student at Catholic University.
On the right is Perle Mesta, the legendary hostess and leader of Washington, DC's top social circles in the post-war era. Perle was Co-Chair of this 1960 ball along with John Logan. Perle was appointed Ambassador to Luxembourg by President Truman. She was also the inspiration for an Irving Berlin musical starring Ehel Merman titled "Call Me Madam." Becuase so many top officials and press attended parties at the home of Perle Mesta, newspapers called her Washington's "hostess with the mostest," a title that was also attributed to her rival hostess Elsa Maxwell in New York and Hollywood.
