Groomsmen
Sean Fields (Best Man)
I met Sean on our 1st day at Prep for Prep, more than 16 years ago. You see that look on his face in the picture? That’s probably the same expression he had on his face the day we met. It’s also probably the same expression he had on his face at some point yesterday……….and right now. In high school we probably walked half of Manhattan from the Village to the Upper West Side at one point or another. I’ve also been able to experience firsthand the many, many hairstyles he’s tried out since we were kids. Name shaved in his head? Check. Shaved sides and twists on the top? Check. Halfway jheri curl? Double-check. He’s been in Vegas the past couple of years and now he’s planning the bachelor party, which will probably be in Vegas. I can’t say I’m not a little nervous about that.
Shaka King
So the first month after I started attending Poly Prep back in 1992, I ran into this tall skinny kid who was walking around saying the lyrics to this song that he claimed he wrote (“1988/Senior year at Garvey High/Where all the guys were corny/but the girls were mad fly”). This young liar had quite a few people fooled. Not me though. Apparently I was the only other person around there that listened to A Tribe Called Quest and could call Shaka out. If Al, Sean, and I hadn’t arrived in 8th grade, who knows where this burgeoning young delinquent would have ended up. From stairwell basketball and dribbling on hoopless courts to almost getting me robbed near Kings Plaza and getting studio sessions interrupted at Vassar, there’s never a dull moment around this guy.
Jason Forde
I don’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t have a Wesleyan release valve every time New Haven started to get on my nerves. I had the best spring break of my four years when I just took the bus to Middletown and stayed for a week, playing ball, Wrestlemania, and the best game of Monopoly I have ever played (what can I say, I was too broke to take any of those nice spring break trips other college kids take). Come to think of it, we tend to have a knack for brilliant board game knockoffs like “Let’s Make A Deal Monopoly©” and “Phonetic Scrabble©,” which are sure to catch on soon. Although always blunt with his true feelings about a situation, Eek is helpful even when he knows he is on a sinking ship, allowing his friends to “have their dessert before eating their dinner” even when he knows it will cost both of us in the end.
Alfred Cazeau
Although Al and I were both dedicated lacrosse players, somehow when practice started, coach would always manage to find us on the basketball court, 50 feet away from the practice field, playing 21. As long as I’ve known him, no matter what sport Al played, his style was impetuous, his defense was impregnable, and he was just ferocious. Even if it meant he was playing soccer on the roof of Trinity with some ashy ankles, socks, and sandals. Now he’s evolved into being the most stylish person I know, but I still have plenty of dirt on him from before he started hitting the gym. Al, be happy I didn’t put up the picture from Poko McCrady (I think you know which one I’m talking about *cough*garbagebagoutfits*cough*).
Akobe Sandy
Nothing lets you know Akobe is sleeping in the same building as you better than the rumble of his sinuses. Actually, I’m not sure what’s louder, his snoring or his alarm clock from freshman year, which you could hear as soon as you walked into his dorm since he would never get out of bed to turn it off. It’s amazing to me that his roommates never tried to strangle him. I can’t even begin to count up the hours we spent playing Bond and Mariokart in his room during our freshman year. You would think from that angelic smile that Akobe was always the good one, warning us away from trouble. Don’t let him fool you though, he has his own stories about Yale-Harvard Weekend and throwing stuff into Ugo’s garden just to let us know he was still alive.
Xavier Cobham/Dwayne Cobham (Ringbearer/Father of Ringbearer, Brother of Groom)
Ok, yeah, I admit, I really just wanted to find a way to have my brother up there with me. When I gave a toast at his wedding a few years ago, I said that we didn’t stop fighting until Dwayne went away to college, we didn’t start getting along well until I went away to college, and we didn’t start to actually be friends until I graduated from college. It took me a long time before I realized that we aren’t really opposites, we complement each other much more than I thought. As for my nephew, that boy is adorable and I’m proud to have given him his nickname.