14.101: Youth tour delegates; happy pigs; more

WINNERS: Jackson EMC’s 2015 Washington Youth Tour Delegates, from left: Gwinnett County High School students Chris Larkins, Dacula; Kristen Gomez, Mill Creek; Kirtan Parekh, North Gwinnett; and Emily Bauer, Brookwood. See Today’s Focus for more details.

Issue 14.101 | March 27, 2015

IN THIS EDITION

TODAY’S FOCUS: Four from Gwinnett Win EMC 2015 Washington Youth Tour
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Happy Pigs Make For Better Tasting Pork
FEEDBACK: On Hillary Clinton and When the Legislature Meets
UPCOMING: AARP and Gwinnett Tech Team Up for Tax Preparation Services
NOTABLE: Firm Providing Gwinnett Tech Scholarships; ARC Recognizes Gwinnett Programs
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Architect Creates Long List of Impressive Atlanta Buildings
TODAY’S QUOTE: Ever Consider What In Life Is Your Best Teacher?
MYSTERY PHOTO: Just Where Was That Cowboy Located?
LAGNIAPPE: Duluth L.E.A.D. Program Has New Graduates

TODAY’S FOCUS

Four Gwinnett high school students to make 2015 Washington youth tour

By Kay Parks

 JEFFERSON, Ga., March 27, 2015 — Gwinnett County High School students Kristen Gomez, Mill Creek; Emily Bauer, Brookwood; Chris Larkins, Dacula; and Kirtan Parekh, North Gwinnett have been selected as Jackson EMC delegates for the 2015 Washington Youth Tour (WYT).

Commemorating its 50th year, the WYT will take place June 11-18 when high school students from across the nation will meet in Washington D.C. to learn about leadership, teamwork, democracy and public service. The annual tour is the longest-running leadership program for teens and is sponsored by 38 electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) in Georgia, including Jackson EMC.

Delegates Gomez, daughter of Jorge and Marianne of Dacula; Bauer, daughter of Charles and Janice of Snellville; Larkins, son of Alan and Rosanne of Dacula; and Parekh, son of Mehul and Nita of Suwanee will be part of Georgia’s largest contingent to date – 112 students representing 155 counties in Georgia.

Gale Cutler, Jackson EMC Washington Youth Tour director, says: “For many of these teens, it’s a series of firsts; their first trip away from home, first plane ride, first time to D.C. and the first time to meet and create a personal network with others who have similar goals and plans in life.”

The Tour kicks-off in Atlanta with keynote speaker Rep. Brooks Coleman, chairman of the House Education Committee and Duluth resident. Rep. Coleman served 32 years with Gwinnett County Schools as a teacher, principal, curriculum director and assistant superintendent.

Paying tribute to those whose vision and sacrifice secured a free and open society is another key component of the WYT. The delegation will visit historic landmarks in the Nation’s Capital including Arlington National Cemetery, the Smithsonian museums, Holocaust Museum, Mount Vernon, Supreme Court, Capitol, Washington Monument, and the MLK, FDR, Jefferson, World War II and Lincoln memorials.

Also in D.C., the Georgia delegation will join nearly 1,600 Youth Tour participants from co-ops across the country, providing an opportunity to meet and learn from a diverse group of peers representing nearly every state.

Mountain View High School’s Michael Smith, a 2014 delegate from Jackson EMC , says: “When you don’t personally know everyone, you have the opportunity to make friends fast. Fast-made friends aren’t always longstanding friendships, but with the WYT, somehow they are. It’s the common experience that creates those strong bonds.”

According to Chip Jakins, Jackson EMC president/CEO, the Youth Tour is an opportunity for “exceptional students to personally interact with members of Georgia’s congressional delegation and visit important landmarks. The trip provides a history lesson that can’t be learned from textbooks and classrooms,” he said.

The WYT was inspired by former president Lyndon Johnson who, in 1957, encouraged electric cooperatives “to send youngsters to the nation’s capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”

Jackson EMC is a consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to more than 216,000 members in portions of 10 counties including Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Franklin, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison and Oglethorpe counties.

• Learn more about youth programs and opportunities at jacksonemc.com/youth.

EEB PERSPECTIVE

You get better tasting pork from happier pigs on this farm

DIXIE, Ga., March 27, 2015 — The premise is simple: pigs raised on the ground instead of concrete pens are happier pigs and produce better and tastier meat. That’s the theory at Thompson Farms here in Dixie, Ga., where Andrew Thompson produces pork, selling almost all his production to Whole Foods stores throughout most of the South. There’s a local connection: he is the brother of Mike Thompson, an attorney in Technology Park/Atlanta at Peachtree Corners.

For the last several years, Thompson Farms has taken the middle man out, selling directly to Whole Foods, which pays a premium price for the high quality and more expensive-to-produce meat. And yes, all you have to do is taste his pork, and you’ll know it’s of a better quality.

Thompson Farms is on 250 acres in deepest South Georgia in Brooks County, and it also rents another 300 acres. The work force of 14 do everything from grind the feed, tend the hogs, slaughter and package the meat. “Farrow to finish,” they call it, with the live animals never leaving the farm.

Thompson

Anderson

Andrew’s sister, Donna Anderson, works alongside him as the corporate secretary, while his wife, Jennifer, helps out when needed, and cooks a hot lunch for the workers three days a week. (On the other days, they grill hot dogs or hamburgers, or even pork!)

The operation started with Andrew’s grandfather in 1930, and were continued by his father, Raymond, until his recent death. Now Andrew, 51, anticipates that their son, Bayly, a high school senior, will join him once he finishes college. The couple also have a daughter, Abby, now in college at Milledgeville.

Thompson’s pigs are raised on land that has been chemical and fertilizer free for 14 years. The sows live, give birth and nurse for 8-9 weeks within electric-fenced areas, while the pigs can scoot under the wires and roam and eat on acorns, supplemented by grain. The sows average producing eight to a litter, though some produce 12-13 offspring.

At one time, the Thompsons raised pigs on concrete. Andrew says: “But this way, when one got sick, all got sick within that pen. And the meat was tougher, and not as tasty. It was too lean. All the pigs did was sleep, eat, drink and defecate with no exercise. We had to medicate them more, and the area smelled awful.

“Now we let the pigs wander around, and keep the sows within electric pens, and rotate them often. We have shading to keep them cool, plus water from two wells and 68 nozzles create mud holes. And we seldom have to medicate.”

Presently the farm has four boars for breeding, and plans to get several more soon. Thompson raises meat from several breeds, Brookshire, Duroc, Yorkshire and Hampshire. The boars are kept active for about five years, then destroyed on site, “For by then, their meat is not as tasty.”

A Georgia Department of Agriculture gathering two years ago put Thompson in touch with Whole Foods, which buys the entire carcass, which is cut up at Thompson Farms. “Those stores run out of bacon and loins the quickest,” he says.

Next for the farm will be another processing and packaging building. “We’re just running out of room right now.” Another goal is that Thompson is anticipating to be free of genetically modified feed, with Whole Foods encouragement, by the year 2018. “We’re working on it.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Thompson anticipates continuing to produce pork that “puts the taste back in the meat.” After all, his meat comes from “happy pigs.”

• To learn more, go to http://thompsonfarms.com, or see a three-minute video.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Gwinnett Medical Center

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• To learn more about how GMC is transforming healthcare, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org or follow us at facebook.com/gwinnettmedical, twitter.com/gwinnettmedical or youtube.com/gwinnettmedical.
• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: https://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.

FEEDBACK

Enjoys good wording of Houston’s article on Hillary

Editor, the Forum:

Just finished reading Debra Houston’s article on Hillary.  She is “spot on” about the woman, and I am surprised that you printed it.

Houston’s article brings to mind Barbara Olsen’s book, Hell To Pay, about Hillary, the “Co-President, ” when our impeached President (but not found guilty—eeb) was in power.  Another book on Hillary, Rewriting History, by Dick Morris, brings up a lot about the woman’s personality and what drives her.

Can’t wait to read your next issue and see what your writer Wilson has to say!

— David Earl Tyre, Jesup

Count your blessings:  Pennsylvania legislature meets year-round

Editor, the Forum:

I agree that the legislature should meet every two years.  When I live in North Carolina in the 70s, their legislature met every two years.  We are lucky; in Pennsylvania, they meet year round.

— Gerald Cagle, Lawrenceville

Dear Gerald: North Carolina law still says: “Legislature meets biennially beginning with odd-numbered years.” — eeb

Rant.  Rave.  Send your opinion:  Our policy: We encourage readers to submit feedback (or letters to the editor). Send your thoughts to the editor at elliott@brack.net. We will edit for length and clarity. Make sure to include your name and the city where you live. Submission of a comment grants permission for us to reprint. Please keep your comments to 300 words or less. However, we will consider longer articles (no more than 500 words) for featuring in Today’s Issue as space allows.

UPCOMING

AARP, Gwinnett Tech team up to aid in tax preparation services

The free AARP Tax-Aide available at Gwinnett Technical College this tax season will now be available on Saturdays, in addition to weekday hours.

Volunteers with AARP Tax-Aide will be available for tax preparation each Saturday through April 11 along with their weekday hours. Counseling and assistance will be available until April 15 in the Busbee Center, Building 700, Room 2.104. Assistance will be offered Mondays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Each year, Gwinnett Tech partners with AARP Tax-Aide to provide free income tax preparation and tax counseling for community residents, including Gwinnett Tech students and college team members.

Those seeking help are encouraged to register in person to reserve a specific day and time with the AARP counselors to reduce the waiting time. Clients are asked to bring last year’s income tax return, proper identification and all necessary documents for this tax year.  Electronic filing will be available through this free service at Gwinnett Tech.

So far this year, the tax team of approximately 17 volunteers has served over 700 clients. Last year, the team entered 921 clients into the system for 2013 tax returns. Overall, the team saved their clients roughly $142,000.

• For more information about free income tax preparation and tax counseling available at Gwinnett Tech, call 770-962-7580.

NOTABLE

IT consulting firm donates data center specialist scholarships

Implementation and Consulting Services (ICS), an IT consulting firm with offices in Alpharetta, has donated $10,000 to Gwinnett Tech to establish a fund for data center specialist scholarships.

From left are Mary Beth Byerly of Gwinnett Tech; Gail Peterson, Liz Siegrist,; and Rita Patel, dean of computer science, Gwinnett Tech.

The donation came from Liz Siegrist, ICS president, and Gail Peterson, senior consultant.

ICS is a multi-disciplined IT consulting company specializing in data center strategic planning, service management, process improvement and technical implementation. ICS is headquartered in Philadelphia with offices also in Alpharetta.

Mary Beth Byerly, vice president of institutional advancement, says: “We’re very grateful to ICS for their support of our Computer Sciences Division and the Data Center Specialist program. Our region is rich with technology firms and partnerships with companies like ICS which helps ensure that our programs and courses are relevant to the hiring needs of business and industry. We appreciate ICS’s support of our students, and look forward to their continued involvement with the college,” said Byerly.

Four scholarships of $1,250 each will be awarded for summer and fall terms this year to students enrolled in Gwinnett Tech’s Data Center Specialist Certificate program. Learn more at www.GwinnettTech.edu/scholarships.

ARC recognizes 2 Gwinnett programs as CREATE winners

Each year, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) recognizes local governments for their innovation and creative efforts to make the Atlanta region a better place through its CREATE Community Local Government Awards program. And by announcing the winners publicly, ARC also helps local governments in the 10-county area exchange ideas that help them all succeed.

Two local governments were recognized at ARC’s board meeting on March 25. ARC’s 2014 CREATE Community winners are:

Arts & Culture: Red Clay Music Foundry, City of Duluth: The Red Clay Music Foundry teaches the business of music from creation and  production, to ticketing and ushering. It also provides a performance and learning venue to aspiring and touring singer songwriters. Eddie Owen, founder of the legendary Eddie’s Attic, Eddie Owen Presents and the Gwinnett School of Music, partner with the city, led by Mayor Nancy Harris. Using eight new state of the art music education sound rooms, the venue aims to transform budding artists into professional performers.

Educational Excellence: Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services F.A.C.T. Program: Gwinnett County’s Fire and Emergency Services developed its Firefighters and Communities Together (F.A.C.T.) program after several fire-related fatalities in 2009. F.A.C.T. improves interactions with residents while targeting at-risk neighborhoods based on incident reports and needs assessments. The program includes fire safety instruction, free long-life smoke alarms and in-home education. Teaming up with community members, partnering agencies and volunteers, the program provides door-to-door visits in identified high-risk areas.

A FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant of $78,000 paid for 4,000 long-life smoke alarms and educational materials used by fire educators.

Duluth DAR presents medals to essay contest winners

Duluth’s William Day Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, awarded bronze medals on February 8 to three American History Essay Contest winners, from left, Vani Senthil, Duluth Middle School Eighth-grader; Eli Shoaf, Crews Middle School Seventh-grader; and Nuha Omar, Winn Holt Elementary Fifth-grader. The theme was “A Child’s Journey Through Ellis Island.” These three students received framed certificates with their medals and enjoyed refreshments, including a patriotic cake in their honor. Vani and Eli are repeat winners. The NSDAR American History Essay Contest is held annually and is open to public, private, or home schooled students in grades 5-12. The William Day Chapter serves primarily the Duluth school clusters.

RECOMMENDED READ

An invitation:  What books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. — eeb

GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBIT

Architect creates long list of impressive Atlanta buildings

(Continued from previous edition)

After the Atlanta Terminal Station was completed, P. Thornton Marye established his office in the Equitable Building, a noted skyscraper built in the Chicago style during the early 1890s by Burnham and Root. In association with A. Ten Eyck Brown, Marye built St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta (1906), one of the fine Gothic revival churches of the early twentieth century in Georgia. The church is notable for its altar mural of the Good Shepherd by Edwin H. Blashfield, as well as for its stained glass by Franz Mayer of Munich, Germany; Heaton, Butler, and Bayne of England; and Willet Studios of Philadelphia, Pa.

Fox Theatre

Three years later, Marye built the expressive domed Highlands Methodist Church (1909) in Birmingham. That same year he moved his offices to the Candler Building, the tallest building in Atlanta at the time of its opening in 1906.

In 1910 Marye built the Walton Building in the Fairlie Poplar district of Atlanta, where he later maintained his practice with Barrett Alger and his son Richard Alger in various partnerships. Marye built his home (1913-14) on Lafayette Drive in the newly developed Ansley Park suburb, and at the same time he designed the Gentry-McClinton House on East Lake Drive, now considered an Atlanta landmark. Soon after World War I, he designed an Italian palazzo (ca. 1918) on West Paces Ferry Drive for T. B. Dillard, a house originally surrounded by thirty acres that still stands somewhat aloof from the no-longer rural road beyond its ample front lawn.

During the 1920s the firm of Marye, Alger, and Alger built the Joseph E. Brown Junior High School (1922-24) and the Georgian revival Randolph-Lucas House (1924), one of the few surviving great houses of Peachtree Street. Marye’s son John Nisbet Marye, an engineer, worked in the office from 1926 to 1935, the year Marye died.

In 1926 Olivier Vinour arrived in Atlanta, and the firm of Marye, Alger, and Vinour was formed. Following a competition that attracted major Atlanta firms, Marye’s firm won the commission to build the structure that began as the Yaarab Temple but ended up as the Fox Theatre, with Vinour serving as project architect.

The Fox Theatre opened at the end of 1929. In 1916 Marye had designed a terra cotta–clad palazzo for Southern Bell’s New North Exchange (razed), and during the late 1920s the firm won another major telephone commission, to build the downtown Southern Bell Telephone Building (later the AT&T Building). The building was advertised as Atlanta’s “first modernistic skyscraper,” and it displayed the firm’s mastery of the new ornamental style of art deco.

Marye also played an important role in historic preservation in Georgia, serving as district officer of the Historic American Buildings Survey and as consultant to the American Institute of Architects Commission for the Preservation of Historic Buildings in America. He traveled statewide to photograph and sketch Georgia landmarks of note, and his work provided an important archive documenting the state’s historic buildings during the 1930s.

 MYSTERY PHOTO

A walk on a path

CLUE: Soon this area in this photograph will be happily transformed as these graceful trees bud. But where is this photograph from? Imagine you are walking along this path, where you could easily be thinking deeply about the issues of the world. Tell us where this is by sending an email to elliott@brack.net. Be sure to include your hometown.

First-time answerer Mandy McManus, Lilburn, was the first to identify last edition’s Mystery Photo. She said: “I think I finally know one! This statue is at the Booth Museum in Cartersville.” She is right. Mike Sweigert of Duluth got the place right: “This is a photo of a cowboy statue located outside the Booth Museum in Cartersville,” as did Bob Foreman of Grayson and Philomena Robertson of Duluth.

By the way, if you haven’t visited the Booth Museum, it’s only an hour from Gwinnett, and makes a great place to see really good art, and learn more about our Western United States. Kids will love it!

LAGNIAPPE

New grads

The graduation of the City of Duluth’s seventh class of L.E.A.D. (Learn, Engage, Advance Duluth) participants was held at Kurt’s Bistro on March 19. Participants were presented certificates and T shirts from Mayor Nancy Harris. L.E.A.D. offers an avenue for citizens to become knowledgeable about City operations, services, and the overall essential functions of City government.  The L.E.A.D. Academy is held once a year and is currently a seven week program. Anyone wanting more information about the program may call Alisa Williams at 678-475-3506 or email awilliams@duluthga.net. Graduates seated, from left, are Eva Kuhn, Jeannie Masterson, Daniel Luh, Jermaine Shakespeare, Farida Nurani and Amy Schmidt Brooks. Standing from left are Margie Pozin, John Howard, Kristen Hill, Taiwo Jaiyeoba, Sandi Strickland, Nicole Lester, Erich Kimmel and Bruno Taillefer. Graduates not pictured are Louis Tseng and Charles Kim.

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