By Norman Cain, June 6, 2020 — This is a story about the 4 or 5 times that I’ve been a groomsman in weddings. In late July of 1964, I was a groomsman in the wedding of my best friend at the time, Sam Jenkins. The wedding took place in Wilmington, Delaware. Several years later I ventured to Rock Hill, South Carolina to be a groomsman in the wedding of a guy named Dave; I have forgotten his last name. He was from North Jersey. In the Fall of 1971, I was the groomsman in the wedding of a dear friend we called Hooks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the early Summer of 1973, I was in the wedding of my best friend in college, Matt Wood, in West Virginia. He resided in Cleveland, Ohio where he met his bride-to-be, a Philadelphian. The groomsmen and bridesmaids consisted of members of my 1964 graduating class at Bluefield State College in Bluefield, West Virginia. The last wedding I participated in was that of my childhood buddy Andrew White. That wedding was held in Philadelphia. The weddings I mentioned were hectic, yet enjoyable. They were all great affairs and were the stuff of great memories.
However, the memorable and best wedding I’ve ever been involved in was my own which took place in the Republic of Panama in June of 1967. There was no church service but rather a quaint ceremony presided over by a judge. There was no fabulous country club where the reception took place but rather the humble home of my in-laws, and the humble village people were the guests.
My wife was from the Republic of Panama, actually the canal zone. Her father worked on the Panama Canal. So, if you were a government employee over there, life was just a little better. They were not rich but life was better with the housing and the government schools and whatnot. I was over in Panama as a military policeman for 2 years. It was a beautiful experience. Luckily, I was there during the Vietnam era. We had no problems in Panama because right before I came there were a lot of riots from the kids from the University of Panama. But luckily we didn’t have to be involved with that. It turned out to be very, very well in this experience that I can’t forget.
I’ve been throughout various sections of the United States as a groomsman in weddings going through all of the changes and the frustrations and whatnot, and all of the weddings with the exception of mine were held in large halls and were great affairs. But the wedding that I had took place in a City Hall in the Republic of Panama and the reception took place in my in-laws’ home in Panama which was not a large home at all but it was packed with community folk, and with the house dresses on and whatnot it was a great affair. That was the best wedding that I’ve been involved in.