1946 Jubilee Banquet

The 1946 Jubilee Banquet was a celebratory dinner held at Municipal Auditorium on Tuesday November 26, 1946 in honor of the city's 75th anniversary. It was organized by the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce for 2,500 guests. Though it took place two days before Thanksgiving, the event was also publicized as a "Christmas banquet".

A cocktail party at the Tutwiler Hotel preceded the dinner. Guests were urged to take buses to the Auditorium rather than try to make the drive, "to avoid traffic congestion".

Principal speaker at the event was Irving Olds, chairman of United States Steel. He was joined by company president Benjamin Fairless. In response to a formal invitation from Mayor Cooper Green to send, "a young lady over 18 as representative," Birmingham, England's Lord Mayor dispatched secretarial staffer Eileen McKenna to make the trip to Birmingham by airliner via London and New York City.

The banquet marked the first public appearance of King Cheer XII and Queen Joy XII, as named by the Junior Chamber of Commerce. Students from three Birmingham high schools served as ushers.

Erskine Ramsay donated a 2-pound box of candy from Mary Ball Candies for each of the banquet's 150 tables.

References

• "Erskine Ramsay Will Provide Sweetening For Birmingham's Jubilee Birthday Dinner." (November 22, 1946) Birmingham Post