The Debutante Master Commission" was inaugurated as a Christian rite of passage by the A.M.E. Church in 1952. The CDMC originated by Dr. Julma Crawford under the division of Christian Education. The first Debutante-Master Dedication was held May 18, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois at the seat of the 34th General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The DMC became an official commission by elected legislation enacted at the 39th session of the A.M.E. General Conference held in June, 1972 in Dallas, Texas.
On July 1, 1972, Mrs. Crawford was elected Administrator of this commission with the rank of General Officer. In 1976, Mrs. Crawford became a connectional officer as the administrator of the newly legislated Debutante Master Commission.
Dr. Julma Crawford retired in 1992. In July 1992 Mrs. Loretta Fields Hill of Austin, Texas was elected the 2nd Connectional General Administrator of the Christian Debutante-Master Dedication Commission. During her 16 years of leadership she created the CDMC Manual and handbook. She also established the Julma Crawford Scholarship as well as the current organizational structure for the program. She is a retired public health educator and an active lifetime member of Grant AME Worship Center, Austin, TX.
In July 2008 during the General Board meeting at the General Conference in St. Louis, Mo., Mrs. Gloria Massey Ward of Memphis, TN was appointed to serve as the 3rd Connectional General Administrator of the Christian Debutante-Master Commission. She is a retired teacher and an active lifetime member at St. Andrew AMEC in Memphis, TN. Mrs. Ward is no stranger to the CDMC Commission. She has served as chairperson of the Julma Crawford Scholarship Committee, coordinator of the Christian Debutante-Master Dedication Ceremony held at the General Conference in 2008 as well as having held the positions of conference and district commissioner in her district (13th).
