Evening star., 1961-02-25
Cabinet Tea
Draws Biz
Turnout
~ FRANCES LIDE
star staff Writer

mekuperS OF tne CousTeSs
sional Club and their guests
queued up for an hour-and-
a-quarter yesterday to well
come wives Of the new cab
met to Washington.
With the weather cooper.
ating for Q change. Q tea IN
their honor brought between
400 and 500 TO the clubs first
large party Of the new season.
An innovation this year
beginning the Friday teas at
2:30--proved to be o great
success. The early starting
time enabled mothers Of
young children to hurry
home to their broods. And
IL was o special boon for
Virginians who headed across
the Potomac bridges before
the rush hour.
Despite the large turnout,
the crowd had thinned out
to only q few q little after
4 O'Clock.
Receiving Line
Wearing q gay colored
flowered hat. Mrs. Wallace
F. Bennett, the new presi-
dent, stood ct the head Of
the receiving line, next to the
ranking cabinet hostess. Mrs.
Dean Rusk, who chose q trim
gray tweed suit.
Next, In the order Of proper
protocol, came Mrs. Robert s.
MacNamara, wife Of the De-
tense Secretary: Mrs. Stew
art Lee Udall, wife Of the
Secretary Of Interior: Mrs.
Luther H. Hodges. wife Of
the Commerce Secretary;
Mrs. Arthur J. Goldberg, wife
Of the Secretary Of Labor,
and Mrs. Abraham Ribicoff,
wife Of the Secretary Of
Health. Education and Wei
fare.
Two Of the four absentees
Mrs. Orville Freeman and
Mrs. J. Edward Day-haven't
moved their families to
Washington, and Mrs. Rob-
ert r. Kennedy regretted be.
cause Of q previous engage
ment. Mrs. Douglas Dillon
was In New York attending
Q relatives wedding.
Mrs. johnson Absent
Mrs. Lyndon johnson, wife
Of the Vice President, gave
UP plans to be present after
her husbands plane crashed
In Texas. She phoned Mrs.
Bennett that she was re-
naming there to attend serv-
ices for the two pilots who
lost their lives.
Mrs. Oscar Chapman, wife
Of the former Secretary Of
Interior. also received with
the honor guests, but hurried
off to the airport immedi-
ately afterward to meet Mr..
Chapman who has been In
Mexico for o month. Yester-
day was their wedding ami
versary. she confided, before
making her departure.
Mrs. Edward GudeFnan,
wife Of the UndeFsecretary Of
Commerce, also stood in the
line wearing q bright rose
dress which was similar to
the camellia red suit chosen
by Mrs. Ribicoff.
Others glimpsed from the
little cabinet" circle includ.
ed Mrs. Henry H. Fowler.
wife Of the Undersecre.
tary Of the Treasury: Mrs.
H. w. Brawley, wife Of the
Deputy Postmaster General;
Mrs. Charles 8. Murphy, wife
Of the Undersecretary of Ag-
riculture, and two from State
Mrs. Chester BowleS and
Mrs. George w. Ball.
Greets Neishbor.
Mrs. Carroll Kearns, wife
Of the Representative from
Pennsylvania, took the OPP
portunity to extend o well
come to Mrs. Rusk who is
living across the corridor
from her. at the Sheraton
Park. The Rusks have the
apartment the Kearnses oc-
cupied until recently. but this
was the first time Mrs.
Kearns had met her new
neighbor.
Mrs. Rusk watched the
photographers with interest
and chatted with one after.
ward, telling him he should
write his memoirs-she was
sure his point Of view would
make good readinga
Mrs. Gerald Ford, wife Of
the Representative from
Michigan, was chairman Of
the tea and the flower arr
rangements were the joint eff
fort Of Mrs. Thor Tollefson
and Mrs. A. Sydney Herlong,
jr. In addition to floral CEN
terpieces. there were several
bouquets Of green's which
Mrs. Herlong had brought
back from q recent visit to