The Owl Club of Denver is a Black social organization in Denver, Colorado. It was founded in 1941, and is known for its community organizing. Every year, the Owl Club hosts a cotillion to present young female debutantes selected from among Denver’s Black community for scholastic achievement and community service.

Origin

The Owl Club originated as an informal gathering of ten Black men who lived in Denver in the late 1930s. These men met most Saturday nights to play cards, and were referred to by their wives as “night owls.” The group embraced the name and began to call themselves “Owls.”

By 1941, the group organized more formally as the Owl Club, based out of the University Club building in Denver. Seeing a need for safe spaces in the environment of racism and prejudice that surrounded their community, the Owls wanted to extend their small social gathering beyond their circle of friends and formally invite other Black Denverites to join in creating a safe space by and for the Black citizens of Colorado. Early membership transcended social class and extended to include women, known then as Owlettes, who played a prominent role in organizing the club’s activities. On March 24, 1949, the Owl Club received its charter as a non-profit organization from the state of Colorado.

Activities

From its inception, the Owl Club emphasized the importance of recognizing the achievements of youth and encouraging them to grow into the next generation of community leaders. The Club’s events often focused on celebrating and supporting Denver’s accomplished Black youths.

When the US Air Force Academy relocated from Denver’s Lowry Air Force Base to Colorado Springs in 1958, club member Colonel Hubert “Hooks” Jones invited Black cadets to continue attending social events at the Owl Clubhouse. The cadets became “Junior Owls” and assisted with the presentation of debutantes during the yearly cotillion.

In 1964, the organization formed the Owl Club Youth Incentive, Athletic, & Scholarship Association under the direction of Omar Blair. This organization worked to help youngsters in East Denver develop their sportsmanship and athletic skills ahead of high school. Blair and the association’s committee convinced the NBA to play two pre-season games in Denver to help demonstrate for Denver youth, and proceeds financed the Owls’ little league football team.

Debutante Cotillions

Cotillions, also known as Presentations or Debuts, are traditional events rooted in Western European traditions, in which young women (called Debutantes) officially enter into polite society. Traditionally, these events were announcements of the young women’s coming-of-age. In Black American circles Cotillions were increasingly adopted in the early 20th century to acknowledge the accomplishments of young women, to combat negative stereotypes, and to foster professionalism, etiquette, and community bonds. 

The Owl Club began hosting its yearly Cotillion in 1951. At this first event, ten young women were selected from Manual and East High Schools in Denver to be honored as Debutantes. They were chosen for their academic accomplishments and community leadership, no matter their socioeconomic status. This began a tradition that continues today.

Debutantes of the Owl Club have gone on to be leaders in society, serving as entrepreneurs, corporate executives, educators, physicians, city and state representatives, and in many other prominent roles. 

Spanning more than seven decades, the Owl Club has presented approximately 1,600 young women. The organization has the oldest active African American Debutante Cotillion in the state, and celebrated its seventieth Cotillion in 2021.

Headquarters

The Owl Club purchased their own building in 1960 at 2815 Madison Street, Denver, Colorado. At the time of the purchase, the building was located in the predominantly white middle-class Skyland neighborhood, a defiance of Denver’s unofficial redlining policies that separated white communities from communities of color. The building is still owned and operated by the Owl Club and serves as an active meeting space for the club and other community members.

Notable Members

• Condoleezza Rice, political scientist, educator, and entrepreneur. Rice was an Owl Club Debutante in 1971, and went on to become the first Black woman to serve as the U.S. Secretary of State. She is now a part-owner of the Denver Broncos.
• Allegra Haynes, former Denver Deputy Mayor and Executive Director of Parks & Recreation for the city.
• Omar Blair, Captain in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, when he served with the Tuskegee Airmen. After the war Blair returned to Denver and became a member of the Denver County School Board, and became that board’s first Black president in 1977.
• Elvin R. Caldwell Sr., Denver business owner, activist, and politician. Caldwell was the first Black member of Denver City Council.
• Dr. Bernard Gibson, the first Black board-certified surgeon in Colorado.
• Dr. Terri Richardson, Denver doctor and political activist affiliated with Colorado Black Health Alliance.
• Cleo Parker Robinson, award-winning dancer and choreographer and founder of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.