LET’S PLAY: It’s waiting for you to play a concert. This donated piano, sitting in the open at Town Center Park in Suwanee, is just waiting for someone to tickle its ivories. Donated by the North Gwinnett Arts Association, it’s open for anyone to come and enjoy. For more details, see Upcoming below. Register online at www.peachtreecornersba.com.
IN THIS EDITION
TODAY’S FOCUS: Suwanee’s Ga-PCOM Observes 10th Anniversary in Gwinnett
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Contributed Column Highlights Book by Former Gwinnettian
ANOTHER VIEW: Remembering Lawrenceville Attorney and Judge Gene Reeves
FEEDBACK: Both Parties Fudge on Their Historical Accomplishments
UPCOMING: Lilburn Woman’s Club Planning Seminar on Suicide Prevention
NOTABLE: Ivy Prep Names Recognized Education Leader as Director
RECOMMENDED READ: Andrew’s Brain by E. L. Doctorow
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia’s Fall Line Important in Transportation Efforts
TODAY’S QUOTE: How Groucho Marx Might Have Been President
MYSTERY PHOTO: Nearby Falls Easily Recognized by Several People
LAGNIAPPE: Snellville Re-bidding Veteran’s Memorial at Towne Center
TODAY’S FOCUS
Ga-PCOM observes 10th year as medical school in Gwinnett
By Barbara Myers
SUWANEE, Ga., Aug. 11, 2015 — Ten years ago in August 2005, Georgia Campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Ga-PCOM) welcomed its first class of 75 osteopathic medical students. Now the campus is celebrating this milestone by reflecting on its impact in Gwinnett County and the state of Georgia.
The lobby at the Ga-PCOM campus in Suwanee.
Founded in Suwanee in 2005 as the only branch campus of the century-old Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, Penn., Georgia Campus is home to more than 1,000 students and close to 140 faculty and staff members. The campus offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine and pharmacy and the master’s degree in biomedical sciences with plans to expand its program offerings.
Based on a study commissioned by Tripp Umbach, a national leader in independent economic analysis, it was found that in 2014 alone, Georgia Campus directly and indirectly generated $107.7 million of economic impact in the state. And, an additional 800 jobs are created or supported indirectly as a result of Ga-PCOM’s operational, employee and student spending across Georgia, the report noted.
In its ten years, Ga-PCOM has conferred more than 900 doctorate and masters’ degrees and more than 300 certificates, including 584 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees, 149 Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, 176 Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degrees, and 14 Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership degrees. The college has also granted 340 Certificates in Biomedical Sciences.
With more than 7,000 student volunteer hours contributed last year, the college’s impact is felt in the community. Chief Campus Officer Bryan Ginn says: “Our students are focused, motivated and fully committed to service, as are our partners in this community and across Georgia. Hundreds of practitioners who allow our students to work with them to gain clinical skills, along with hospitals and health systems which actively engage in teaching future healthcare providers, deserve our thanks.”
Denise Kornegay, executive director of the Georgia Statewide Area Health Education Network, says: “The establishment of Georgia Campus PCOM ten years ago was a critical development in the face of Georgia’s extreme physician shortages. Each year, large numbers of Ga-PCOM graduates are choosing both residency opportunities and practice opportunities in our state. Ga-PCOM is truly a part of our state’s ‘solutions,’” she adds.
The 20-acre campus is located at 625 Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee in two buildings. One includes the 150,000-square-foot Old Peachtree building which features large and small classrooms, conference areas and study spaces. The Old Peachtree building also includes pharmacy research and teaching laboratories, a high-tech anatomy laboratory, a clinical learning laboratory, research and multi-use basic science laboratories, three pharmacy practice labs and a large osteopathic manipulative medicine practice suite.
A second campus building, the 21,000-square-foot Northlake building, houses offices for administrative personnel, admissions, marketing and communications, human resources and alumni relations. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment.
In total, PCOM has invested $37.6 million in property, plant and equipment into its southern campus during the past decade with improvements and physical plant expansion in the works.
David Shafer, Georgia State Senate President ProTempore, notes: “Ga-PCOM has fulfilled a critical need to educate talented medical professionals in our state. I look forward to seeing the campus grow, both in student population and programs, over the next several years to better serve the medical needs of all Georgians.” During the 2015 session of the Georgia General Assembly, the House and Senate passed resolutions honoring Ga-PCOM and its service to Georgia.
EEB PERSPECTIVESubject of forgiveness captured in book by former Gwinnettian
(Editor’s Note: Today we turn this space to our son, Andy, who writes of a new book by a former Gwinnettian now living in Asheville, N.C. –eeb)
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher, Charleston Currents
CHARLESTON, S.C., Aug. 11, 2015 — The whole notion of forgiveness has been in the front of many people’s minds in the weeks since the massacre at Emanuel AME Church. Just how, they wonder, could family members of the victims, one after another, forgive the accused shooter so quickly after such a reprehensible deed?
One pastor explains forgiving is the natural, almost instinctive reaction of people whose lives are based on a deep faith in God. Because of faith, they already feel forgiven for the sins they confess to their maker. When an evil was done to members of their family, forgiveness was the way for the faithful person to cope and react.
The act of forgiving, this pastor said, allows those who mourn to feel free of hatred, free of anger, free of bitterness. Instead of spiraling down and succumbing to the evil, they stare it in the face and find solace in what they’ve learned for generations from their families and their churches — to feel free to love, not hate.
It’s pure New Testament. Jesus Christ taught love and forgiveness, observes the Rev. Joseph Darby, presiding elder of the local AME churches. It’s part of what blacks, often powerless in a patriarchal, plantation society, had to do to survive.
“Black people had to coexist with people who owned them, who could rape, kill or sell them, and the black people couldn’t strike back,” says Darby, a longtime civil rights activist. “Black folk in South Carolina learned to forgive.”
A new novel by Asheville author Vally Sharpe may offer some help and warmth to those struggling with faith, reality and forgiveness.
The Gospel According to Emily is a tender, touching story of a Georgia family with two sons, one of whom is a little different. This son helps people, does good deeds and changes lives as he tries to unburden people of their troubles. The parallels to the story of Christ are familiar and comfortable.
In a key passage, Sharpe examines how people can interpret the same incident in different ways, which is instructive for those seeking to better understand forgiveness.
Consider how a guy stuck in rush-hour traffic might react if he were cut off by another driver who slid ahead of him. The enraged driver could speed up — even bump the rear of the driver’s car to get him to pull off the road, which could then escalate into a fight, or even worse — one of them would pull a gun on the other.
Sharpe
But what if, Sharpe wondered, the guy who slid ahead of the other car was lost or made an honest mistake. He might not have even realized that he did something wrong because of the error. If the second guy knew that — instead of assuming malice — the reaction might have been different. Sharpe writes:
“We do it all the time. We focus on scarcity where there is none and by hoarding whatever we think is scarce for ourselves against the day we imagine it will all run out, we bring bona fide scarcity into existence.
“If you buy into that definition of power, then the only way you can contain your fear is by destroying those you think are out to take it away from you — by influencing others to perceive them as dangerous to them, too. But real power can’t be taken away.”
Forgiving, as Sharpe suggests in the novel that she calls “an imagining,” offers real power that strips away hate and feelings that will destroy. Isn’t that how victims’ families reacted to the Emanuel Nine tragedy? You can purchase Sharpe’s book at Amazon.com.
ANOTHER VIEWReeves served county as defense lawyer and judge
By Warren Davis, judge, Superior Court of Gwinnett County
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., Aug. 11, 2015 — A legend within the Gwinnett Bar Association recently passed away. His name, Clarence “Gene” Reeves Jr.
Reeves
I worked with Judge Reeves for 17 years. Judge Reeves was renowned for giving young offenders a “second chance.” He would say, “…use it to change your life…it changed mine.”
Here’s that story. Gene was born in Meridian, Miss. during the Depression. Gene’s first “second chance” was his own adoption by a loving family. Then, after high school, Gene enlisted in the Air Force. His unit was deployed to Korea. His base was overrun. Gene was wounded.
Gene returned from war, moving to Gwinnett. He joined the Gwinnett Sheriff’s Department. He was the first Gwinnett officer to complete the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy. He attended John Marshall Law School at night. Gene was admitted to practice law and joined the Georgia Bar in 1964.
Gene’s specialty was that of a trial lawyer. At the time, Georgia’s electric chair seldom collected dust. Death penalty trials were common, often held on short notice. Sometimes Gene had only a week or two to prepare his defense. Gene won more than 50 murder trials….while not a single one of his clients was ever executed.
It could be said that Gene was ahead of his time when it came to publicly-funded indigent defense. Gene would take a felony case for no fee, simply because the accused needed a lawyer and didn’t have any money. Or sometimes, the family of the jailed client needed help. Gene paid their late payments from his own pocket.
When Hustler Publisher Larry Flynt needed a local lawyer, he met with Gene. Flynt asked Gene what he thought of his magazine. Gene replied, “It is filth, but you have a constitutional right to publish it.” Flynt laughed, saying Gene was the first honest lawyer he ever met. Gene was hired.
As the criminal trial was underway, both Flynt and Gene were gunned down by a sniper. Flynt lay paralyzed on the sidewalk. A .44 magnum bullet ripped through Gene’s chest and arm. Gene lay in critical condition, again near death. After many operations, Gene recovered. Without ever being asked, Larry Flynt paid all medical expenses.
When the movie The People v. Larry Flynt was released, Gene received a call from The New York Times. Judge Joe Iannazzone recalls that conversation, which went like this:
“Judge Reeves, have you seen the new Larry Flynt movie?”
“No.”
“Are you going to?”
“No.”
“Can you tell me why?”
“I didn’t like how the story ended the first time. I doubt if I would like it any better now.”
Gene married a second time to his wife, Brenda, who survives him. Both described their marriage “as a honeymoon that lasted for over 37 years.” He loved Brenda and she loved him.
At age 64, when others retire, Gene began a judicial career, as a magistrate court judge, continuing for 17 years, until he was 81. He was fair to all. And, when Gene sentenced that young offender who just might deserve “a second chance,” he spoke from the heart when he said, “I’ve had a few second chances myself… they changed my life… they can change yours too.”
IN THE SPOTLIGHTMTI Baths Inc.
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Both parties fudge when touting their historical accomplishments
Editor, the Forum:
Alex Ortolado is quite correct in pointing out that the Civil Rights Act, initiated by and pushed by a Democratic president, would not have passed without Republican support.
But, both Democrats and Republicans should be careful about touting the historical accomplishments of their respective parties. Political parties change over time, especially regionally, as has happened in the South. Most of the Southern Democrats who opposed the Civil Rights Bill soon became Southern Republicans, and the Republicans who were responsible for getting it through, probably would not be able to be elected as Republicans in today’s Party.
The likes of Democrat Robert C. Byrd and Republican Everett McKinley Dirksen would no doubt be anathema to their respective parties today. Some have argued the same for Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. I’m sure there are plenty of Democrats back in the day who would be drummed out of the party today. Even the terms “liberal” and “conservative” have changed greatly over time.
— James D’Angelo, Lawrenceville
Teddy created more national parks than any other president
Editor, the Forum:
Contrary to what a reader said about my comment on national parks, I did NOT say that Teddy Roosevelt created the national park system. I said that he created MORE national parks than any other president.
— Jim Nelems, Bluffton, S.C.
Republican debate with “gotcha” questions tended to serve Democrats
Editor, the Forum:
If you aren’t convinced that the GOP establishment is scared to death of Trump, just watching the debate moderators throwing him “gotcha ” questions certainly proved it. I almost believe CNN would have been more fair and balanced than Fox last week.
They knew Ben Carson was the smartest person on the stage so they totally ignored him for the first 45 minutes of the debate.
The Fox “news” team was so obvious of only wanting their establishment candidate that it was painful to watch. Their Facebook page had over 17,000 negative comments within two hours of the debate about how badly all three moderators did, but especially Megyn Kelly.
Social media comments seem to believe Fox was trying so hard to prove they can be tougher on Republican candidates than Democratic ones.
Democratic leaders have to be delighted with the GOP tonight. Trump is going off the reservation because the GOP establishment is forcing him out. Third party will once again give Democratic presidential nominee the election.
Either way they totally failed last night in my opinion. Seems that the majority of others on social media agree. God save our country.
— Steve Rausch, Peachtree Corners
UPCOMINGLilburn Woman’s Club offers suicide prevention seminar Aug. 29
The Lilburn Woman’s Club is sponsoring a seminar to help increase awareness, decrease misinformation and provide resources for support of the survivors of suicide. The event will take place on Saturday, August 29, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Harmony Grove United Methodist Church, 50 Harmony Grove Rd, Lilburn. This event is free but registration is required. Register by emailing each name and phone number to: tellingthetruthaboutsuicide@gmail.com (space is limited).
Speakers will include Rev. Dr. George Grant, MDiv, PhD, executive director of the Emory Center for Pastoral Services; Celia R. Brown, MA, CCHP Health Services administrator, Corizon Health at Gwinnett County Detention Center, chair of the Gwinnett Suicide Prevention Coalition; Captain Mike Johnson, operations division commander, Lilburn City Police; Roland Behm, board chair, Georgia Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; Lane Pease, MS, NCC, program director at Kate’s Club; and Mireille (MiMi) Etienne, NCC, LPC, LMHC, CCHP, director of Mental Health Services, Corizon Health at Gwinnett County QPR Training (Question, Persuade and Refer).
A few facts about suicide:
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for all ages; homicides is 16th;
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death for males 15 to 24 years old. (The first is accidents.)
- Suicide is the fourth-leading cause of death for people 18 to 65. The number of all suicide deaths in Georgia in 2013 was 1,212.
Suwanee installs open-air piano for anyone to enjoy
As part of its growing public art program, the City of Suwanee has installed a temporary interactive public art experience — a street piano — at Town Center Park. The donated piano, painted with a colorful tree theme by the North Gwinnett Arts Association, is located at the back of the park (along Town Center Avenue close to Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road) in the area where the Farmers Market is held each Saturday.
Area residents are invited to view and especially play the piano and then post photos or video to the City of Suwanee’s Facebook and/or Instagram pages. Use the hashtag #letsplaysuwanee.
The project was coordinated by Suwanee’s Public Art Commission, a six-member board appointed by City Council that manages Suwanee’s public art initiatives, including SculpTour and working with developers to include public art as part of their new construction projects. Over the past seven years, more than 60 temporary artworks and more than 20 permanent pieces have been displayed throughout Suwanee.
Suwanee’s street piano project is inspired by British artist Luke Jerram’s Play Me, I’m Yours program, through which more than 1,450 pianos have been installed in public places in 46 cities across the globe.
Georgia DOT awards contract to repair Lake Lanier Bridge
The Georgia Department of Transportation announces a project to repair the Georgia Highway 53 west bridge over the Chattahoochee River portion of Lake Lanier. It was awarded to GGH Contracting of Marietta. The project will remove the damaged driving surface and replace it. It will also re-seal the bridge joints, paint the trusses, replace bearings and repair substructure spalling.
Only one lane can be closed at a time. Lane closures will only occur on weekends from 8 p.m. Fridays around the clock to 5 a.m. Mondays for a maximum of 10 weekends. This project is only on the westbound bridge at Gainesville Marina.
The bridge was built in 1956. The contract was awarded for a construction cost of $2,942,722.50 and a completion date of June 30, 2016.
NOTABLEIvy Prep Academy names Morgan as new executive director
Ivy Preparatory Academy, which operates three charter schools in Atlanta, including a girls school in Norcross, has a new executive director. She is Alisha Thomas Morgan, a former state legislator who co-sponsored a Constitutional Amendment expanding school choice in Georgia. She will continue her advocacy in public education as the new head of Georgia’s first single-gender charter schools network.
Morgan
Ivy Preparatory Academies serves more than 1,300 students. Ivy Prep operates four schools in the area: a girls’ in Norcross, and separate boy and girl schools Kirkwood on Memorial Drive,
Dr. Nina Gilbert, founder of IPA, says: “I am extremely excited that the board selected Ms. Morgan as Ivy Prep’s new Executive Director. I know her as a passionate and bold leader who understands what it takes to improve student achievement.”
Ms. Morgan is a Broad Fellow and is among an elite group of individuals who lead some of the nation’s largest urban districts and charter school networks. Morgan, who was elected to the State Legislature at age 23, emerged as a statewide leader in the education reform movement.
Morgan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Drama from Spelman College and is a earning a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University.
Jackson EMC Foundation grants total $52,500 for Gwinnett agencies
The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total $75,625 in grants to organizations and individuals during their July meeting, including $52,500 to agencies serving Gwinnett County residents.
$15,000 to the Gwinnett Sexual Assault Center to provide forensic interviews of child sexual abuse.
$15,000 to the Hi-Hope Service Center in Lawrenceville to help fund part-time nursing and nutrition services.
$10,000 to the Vision and Hearing Care Program, a service of the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, to help provide surgical procedures to restore sight, eye exams, and prescription eyewear for low-income residents.
$7,500 to Project Safe, an Athens agency serving families in all counties Jackson EMC serves who are experiencing domestic violence, to help fund a Transitional Housing Initiative.
$5,000 to Family Promise of Gwinnett County to fund supplies and meals for homeless single women.
The Jackson EMC Foundation is funded by Operation Round Up, which rounds up the more than 180,000 participating cooperative members’ monthly electric bills to the next dollar amount. This “spare change” has funded 997 grants to organizations and 315 grants to individuals, putting more than $10 million back into local communities since the program began in 2005.
RECOMMENDEDAndrew’s Brain
A novel by E. L. Doctorow
This novel called to me last year, but once I started reading, I could not make my way through it. Doctorow’s death in July was the motivation to pick it up again. What a difference a year makes! I found it not only absorbing but a puzzle. Andrew’s Brain is a long confession to a counselor/therapist describing his life and how he got to where he is. It explores relationships, including marriages and friendships along with his long odyssey of trying to understand who he really is. There were moments when I almost felt like this was self indulgent whining but then, I would turn a page and find prose so luminous that I was moved to a new of understanding of the character. Andrew’s Brain is light and challenging for those who enjoy stream of consciousness and exploring the question are we our mind or our brain.
— Karen Harris, Stone Mountain
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 TIDBITFall line important in evolution of state’s transportation boundary
The fall line is a geological boundary, about 20 miles wide, running northeast across Georgia from Columbus to Augusta. It is a gently sloping region that rapidly loses elevation from the north to the south, thereby creating a series of waterfalls.
During the Mesozoic Era (251-65.5 million years ago), the fall line was the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean; today it separates Upper Coastal Plain sedimentary rocks to the south from Piedmont crystalline rocks to the north. The fall line’s geology is also notable for its impact on early transportation in Georgia and consequently on the state’s commercial and urban development.
High Falls State Park
The geological differences to the north and south of the fall line give rise to variations in soil types, hydrology (water cycles), and stream morphology. For example, sandy soils predominate to the south of the fall line, and wide floodplains have developed along many of the streams in this region. To the north of the fall line, clay soils and narrower stream valleys are the rule.
Rivers of the Coastal Plain were a major means of commercial transportation during the 1700s and early 1800s. Cities founded along the fall line, called “fall line cities,” are located at the places where these rivers crossed the fall line, marking the upstream limit of travel.
The city of Columbus, for example, was established where the Chattahoochee River crosses the fall line; Macon, Milledgeville, and Augusta are similarly located at the crossings of the Ocmulgee, Oconee, and Savannah rivers, respectively. These cities became important transportation hubs because traders could only travel upstream until they reached the waterfalls of the fall line.
At that point they were forced to disembark and reload their cargo on the other side of the falls in order to continue their journeys. Columbus served as the upstream head of navigation for the Chattahoochee, as did Augusta for the Savannah River and Macon for the Ocmulgee River. ] Above the fall line, flatboats and barges moved goods around the state. Below the fall line, steamships had unimpeded access to move goods, mostly cotton, into the Gulf of Mexico.
In addition to their importance as transportation hubs, fall line cities were successful because of the presence of water resources. Fall line waterfalls first powered mills and eventually powered hydroelectric dams. The availability of waterpower continued to sustain fall line cities even as railroads surpassed river transportation by the middle of the nineteenth century. Although hydroelectric power only supplies about two percent of the energy used by Georgia consumers today, the reservoirs created by hydroelectric dams are still used for recreational and fishing purposes.
- To access the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Do you find a hidden clue in this edition’s Mystery Photo?
There may be a hidden clue in this edition’s Mystery Photo, if you are keen-eyed. Tell us where you think this photograph was taken by sending your idea to elliott@brack.net and include where you live.
Scott Mullennix of Peachtree Corners was first in with the correct identification of the last Mystery Photo, that of Starr’s Mill, located on Georgia Highway 85, near Senoia. And he had a direct connection with it, saying: “My grandparents lived in Meriwether County (near Greenville). We would go down every other weekend and we would pass by the mill and waterfall. Once after a very heavy rain the waterfall was ‘shortened’ because the downstream area was flooded…always wished we had had a camera to take a photo during that trip.” The photo was sent in by a regular reader, but we lost the identification…..who was it?
Others with the correct answer included: Philomena M. Robertson, Flowery Branch; Sandra Moore, Loganville; James D’Angelo, Lawrenceville; Bob Foreman, Grayson; Libby Cromer of Lawrenceville and Otis Jones, Lawrenceville.
LAGNIAPPERe-bidding
Click image to see a larger version.
Snellville is again accepting construction bids for the Towne Green Veterans Memorial Park project, a sign dirt will be moving soon on the property to upgrade in front of City Hall. The project was delayed in February after bids for the project came in over budget. Construction is expected to begin later this year with completion scheduled before the city’s annual Beach Blast in May. Proposals will be received by the city Planning and Development Office on September 4. The project now includes a labyrinth in the area surrounding the Veterans Memorial.
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