The Wedding II

The festivities started with the reception dinner Friday night at The Bushnell, Great Hall in Hartford, Connecticut. The dinner was hosted by the groom's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Courtney. Mr. Courtney is famed for winning 2 gold medals in the 1956 Olympics in the 800 and 400 meter races at Melbourne and later set a world record of 1:46:8 in the 880.

The usual toasts were given to the bride and groom. Being the only representative from Illinois, I decided I must give a toast to them as well. I did not have a speech planned but managed to tell a story about her visits to Illinois as a little girl. I also asked if anyone knew where Minonk was at and, of course, no one but my brother and his family knew.

Observing the elegance around me I wanted to mention how great it is for a boy from Minonk (my brother Dean) to be able to rise from the humbleness of attending a one room country school house to become a successful neuro-pathologist, and with his wife Ann, raise 2 beautiful daughters who both married a very successful man. I did not mention it, however, because I knew that my brother Dean would be embarrassed by this praise. It was his daughter's night, not his.

The wedding the next day was beautiful. It was performed in St. John's Episcopal Church in West Hartford. I have to admit that emotions caused a few tears to come to my eyes as I watched Elizabeth walk down the aisle with her father. I noticed that brother Dean's eyes were tear filled as well.

While the formal events for the wedding went great and the wedding was written up in the New York Times, what also impressed me was the informal luncheons and the friendliness of the people from both families. Showers and luncheons began weeks before. Upon our arrival at our hotel, Judy and I were the recipient of a gift basket made up by my brother's wife Ann Uphoff. Their friends, Jan and Curt, also gave us a gift basket when we went to their house for lunch. Finally, we attended a luncheon the day after the wedding hosted by three other friends of my brother and his wife.

My brother and his wife are fortunate to have very close friends who provide the support and socialization that is often provided only by the family. They also are fortunate to have their daughter marry into a family that is close knit and loving - a family that realizes the importance of strong family ties. As a life long bachelor, I jokingly told Peter and Elizabeth during my toast to them that I never made the same mistake the first time. In reality, I think the committment of two people to each other for the rest of their lives is the greatest thing that can happen to them. I am happy for them and wish them well.