EVENT

Four generations
celebrate Bessie
Spector's 101st
birthday.

REASONS To CELEBRATE

Four generations fete a family matriarch.

BY ANNABEL COHEN

■

he year Bessie Spector
was born, the Wright
brothers flew for the
first time at Kitty
Hawk, Pierre and Marie Curie
shared the Nobel Prize for physics,
the first World Series ball was
thrown in Boston and the United
States and Panama signed the
treaty for the creation of the
Panama Canal.
This year, 101 years later, Bessie
celebrated her milestone birthday
with her children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren at the
Birmingham home of daughter and
son-in-law Betty and Louis
Chernoff. With co-hosts Florence
and Paul Davidson, and 27 guests,
four generations brunched and toast-
ed the birthday girl. "We are so for-
tunate to have her," said Betty.

"And she's lovely and in good
health."
Bessie has lived with a century
of celebrations. "My mother always
loved going to parties," said Betty.
"My father owned the Very Best
Candy company on Hamilton in
Detroit, and he would bring home
the best candy, and go to Carl's
Chophouse to buy meat."
"We've been making parties for
53 years ... as long as we've been
married," added Louis. And Bessie
was included at every party the
Chernoffs ever threw. "Big or small,
I don't care if I had 1,000 friends,
Mother and Daddy were invited to
every party I ever made in my life,"
said Betty.
It comes as no surprise that the
Chernoffs have entertaining down
to a science. Avid collectors of art

T

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER IVEY

and antiques, the early 1900s home
they've owned for 25 years is pure
eye candy. Floor-to-ceiling patterns
and textures combine for an all-
over look of fun. Animal-print
upholstery, leopard-spotted and
zebra-striped room-sized rugs, din-
ing room walls of brilliant blue with
lofty, gathered fabric draping the
ceiling, seem ever party-ready and a
perfect milieu for Betty and Louis'
collections.
In fact, many of the Chernoffs'
party decorations have been pur-
chased over the years at seasonal
sales. "One of our favorite hobbies
is going to Bloomingdale's and
Bergdorf Goodman on Christmas
day and buying their holiday dis-
plays — and sometimes buying
whole window displays," said
Louis.

For Bessie's birthday, Betty
draped tables with black-and-white
striped cloths, topped with pastel
floral tablecloths and tied at the cor-
ners with checkered ribbon. Each
table featured Betty's collection of
china patterns. Lavender-toned silk
napkins were layered over white
Battenberg lace napkins, tied with
ribbons and pearl-encrusted heart
ornaments. Bessie's place at the
table was distinguished with lace
fabric wrapped around the chair and
tied with baby's breath. Nothing
matches yet everything somehow
goes together flawlessly, in designer
Mackenzie-Childs-like fashion.
Betty's collection of empty per-
fume bottles filled with red roses
was scattered among the tables.
The main table even included an
elaborately dressed "cat per-