What happens when three women arrive at a posh country club gala wearing the identical gown?
If they happen to be June Johnson, Wanda Pate Jones and Barbara Johnson — who are as talented as they are lovely — they celebrate each other’s good taste by becoming a part of the entertainment at White on the Green, a dinner-dance marking the end of another successful year for Denver chapter of The Links Inc.
While other guests enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails on the terrace overlooking Cherry Hills Country Club’s championship golf course, the three adjourned to a private room where they invoked executive privilege (event host June Johnson is a past president of the chapter) and appointed themselves the opening act for the entertainment and dance party that would round out the evening.
They checked out the deejay’s playlist, spotted a couple of tunes by the Supremes and quickly choreographed the dance and lip-sync routine that earned them a standing ovation from a crowd that included chapter president LaDawn Sullivan; Warren Washington, a distinguished scholar specializing in climate change at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder; and retired TimeWarner executive Gayle Greer.
“We had no idea each of us would turn up in the same dress,” June Johnson said. “So what else could we do but have some fun with it?”
The Denver chapter of The Links was founded in 1952 by Fairfax Holmes, Edith Hawkins and Geraldine Lightner. Today, the 58 members continue their legacy of community service by contributing some 5,000 volunteer hours annually to programs that include tutoring and mentoring students at Hallett Fundamental Academy; the Walk for Healthy Living fitness challenge and introducing young people of color to the arts.
In 2017, Denver chapter will host the organization’s area conference, welcoming Links members from throughout the region.
Others taking part in White on the Green included federal Judge Wiley Daniel and his wife, Ida, a past president of Denver chapter; Linda Williams, director of human resources for TimeWarner Cable, and her husband, attorney Larry Williams; the Rev. Timothy Tyler and fiancee Nita Mosby Henry, the senior vice president of human resources at Children’s Hospital Colorado; Sandra Roberts-Taylor and her husband, Tracy Taylor; Gaylene Harris of the Thomas Bean Foundation; Public Realty owner Verne Harris and his wife, Fabulous Functions principal Carla Long-Harris; Niki Gill and sportscaster Justin Adams; Burgess Services president Denise Burgess; Dr. Rosemarie Allen and husband Don Carlos Allen; Walter and Charlette Fleming; Janet and Eula Adams; Andria and Eddie Koen, the regional executive director of College Track; his wife, Mary; Dr. Janette Andrews and fiance Rick Johnson; Toni DePass Baruti, senior business intelligence consultant for University Physicians Inc.; LaDawn Sullivan’s mother and stepfather, Denver County Judge Dianne Briscoe and the Rev. Gilbert McKenzie; and Carl and Jane Pigford with their daughter, Kaarin.
