LITTLE FREE LIBRARY: Another of the Little Free Libraries in Gwinnett is one serviced by the Bethesda United Methodist Church, at 444 Bethesda Church Road, south of Lawrenceville. If you have a Little Free Library, send your photo to elliott@brack.net for future inclusion.
TODAY’S FOCUS: St. Leo University Plans Masters of Science in Human Services Here
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Leader in Gwinnett for Many Years, Marion Webb, 88, Dies
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
UPCOMING: Kilgore-Bogan Road Intersection To Get Alignment Project
NOTABLE: Gwinnett Schools To Get $301,015 in Special Walton EMC Grants
RECOMMENDED: House of Cards – Season Four
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Milledgeville Native Wally Butts Becomes Football Legend at UGA
TODAY’S QUOTE: What Dr. Seuss Thought About Christmas
MYSTERY PHOTO: Do The Legs off the Ground Give You a Clue to This Mystery?
LAGNIAPPE: Good fishing
CORRECTION: Identification of the main photo in the December 9 edition was incorrect. Pictured was Radha Ashok, assistant branch manager, with Porth Monts of Mayer Landscape. Mrs. Louise Goodman is correctly identified as the person responsible for arranging for the cooperation between the landscape company and the library. We regret the error.–eeb
Saint Leo University plans master’s of science in human services here
By Jo-Ann Johnston, Duluth, Ga. | Saint Leo University (www.saintleo.edu), a regionally accredited, nonprofit university with a well-established presence in Duluth, will start offering classes for its Master of Science degree in human services administration to the area in early 2017.
Interested professionals should begin learning about the program and application process now. Classes begin the week of March 6, 2017, at the Saint Leo University Gwinnett Center in Duluth at the Clarkson Building, Suite 105, 3555 Koger Boulevard (off Pleasant Hill Road near Interstate-85).
At the same time, learners who prefer to enroll at the Morrow Education Center, 1590 Adamson Parkway, can participate in classes through Saint Leo’s live video teaching and teleconferencing (VTT) system. The Saint Leo Morrow Education Center is just east of Georgia Highway 54/Jonesboro Road near the interchange with Interstate-75.
After the first semester, the human services administration classes will be conducted at the Morrow Center with VTT capability back to Gwinnett, and then classes will alternate back and forth between the two Atlanta suburban locations. Each of the Saint Leo University education centers provides modern, comfortable classrooms in accessible locations for busy adult learners.
The degree is designed for people who are already working in the human services field at one of Atlanta’s many nonprofit or government service agencies, and want to move up to a position with more responsibility and leadership potential. This 36-hour credit program will prepare learners for career advancement. Courses cover the organization of nonprofits; methods for accurately assessing needs for community programs or services; the work involved in obtaining grants; creating sound budgets; understanding fundraising and marketing; working with a board of directors (or trustees); managing human resource functions; understanding key legal issues; and more. A field placement is optional.
Dr. Susan Kinsella, head of the program as well as dean of the School of Education and Social Services at Saint Leo, says: “Our faculty have served as agency directors, supervised professional workers, and managed large and small programs, so they fully understand the day-to-day responsibilities of operating a nonprofit or public agency, be it one serving children, seniors, the homeless, those in poverty, or those with mental illness.”
More on the program is available on the Saint Leo website, listed under graduate programs. Graduate counselors can be reached at (800) 707-8846 toll-free. Tuition is priced at $500 per credit hour.
The new master’s program is a natural outgrowth of the success Saint Leo University has had with its bachelor’s degree in human services (a more generalized degree) in classroom settings in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia. The faculty in the university’s Human Services Department all have the practical working experience, in addition to solid academic credentials, to successfully prepare the next generation of employees and leaders at organizations such as United Way member agencies or the American Red Cross.
Saint Leo classes are small enough to ensure personal attention from the faculty and to provide students opportunities to collaborate and learn from one another’s experiences. As a Catholic university that is open to everyone, Saint Leo carries on a tradition of servant leadership that is especially pertinent to the human services administration program.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Leader in Gwinnett for many years, Marion Webb, dies at 88
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | This past week we saw the passing of a great force for good in our community, in the death of Marion Allison Webb, 88, of Lawrenceville.
Marion was active in the media, in her community, and in many good causes. She is remembered fondly by many in Gwinnett County. She zealously went about her many causes with such vigor and charm, often enticing others to join in with her in community efforts.
We met Marion long before we came to Gwinnett County. Upon graduation from Wesleyan College in 1949, Marion’s father Attorney Marvin Allison awarded her the editorship of the weekly legal organ of the county, the Lawrenceville News-Herald. From the very beginning of her career, she was a leader in Lawrenceville and Gwinnett activities on many fronts.
Our first meeting was at Jekyll Island, Ga., where Georgia newspaper-people gathered in convention during the 60-70s-80s. For years she was always in attendance, enjoying the activities of the Fourth Estate, often leading panels herself, and always especially enjoying the social life. She also represented the state at national newspaper events.
Mr. Allison had purchased the Lawrenceville News-Herald in 1941, then in 1944 purchased the Gwinnett Journal and consolidated it into the News-Herald. After Mr. Allison’s death in 1959, his widow and Marion, now Mrs. Jones Webb, became the publishers. The two sold the weekly to Robert Fowler in 1964, and in 1965 the News-Herald became Gwinnett Daily News. Though Marion was no longer the part owner of a newspaper, she remained engaged in Georgia Press Association activities for many years.
Marion Webb
Marion had so many interests. One was the arts in Gwinnett. She was a charter member of the Gwinnett Arts Council. That first year will be remembered by the Council bringing in for a week a young artist, Eliot Fisk, a classical guitarist and Yale graduate, and last private student of Andres Segovia, to present concerts throughout the community. The Webbs also opened their home to Fisk while he was in Gwinnett. Today he is considered one of the masters of the classical guitar, and appeared on National Public Radio just last week.
Gwinnett’s first fundraising gala was Marion’s idea, the Crusader’s Ball for the American Cancer Society. Her daughter, Julia Davis, remembers that the first ball at the Peachtree World of Tennis raised $5,000, “and we thought that was a big amount.” In those days, the gala attracted big-name Hollywood stars such as Linda Day George and Mike Conners (Mannix). Julia recalls: “Mother had us dressed up in long gowns to act as hostesses. It was fun!” Marion continued to chair this event for more than 15 years, and the last big ball raised many thousands, instead of hundreds.
The list of organizations to which she belonged and often led include the Lawrenceville Woman’s Club; a Teen Canteen; the County Seat Players; Choral Guild; Atlanta Opera Board; the Georgia Cancer Board; and certainly, many others.
Marion met a young lawyer working with her father’s firm named Jones Webb. They were married in 1951, and this year observed their 65th wedding anniversary. The funeral for Marion will be Thursday, December 15, at 1:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Lawrenceville. Because of construction activity at the church, a reception will be held following the services at the Aurora Theatre. How fitting is that? You see, Marion and Jones were married in that building when it was the First Methodist Church of Lawrenceville.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. The Gwinnett Chamber is the forum for business, government, education, healthcare, arts/culture/entertainment, and philanthropic and public service communities to come together to advance our region’s economy and enrich Gwinnett’s quality of life. The Gwinnett Chamber strengthens existing businesses, facilitates the growth of quality job opportunities and ensures success continues to live here.
- For more details, go to www.gwinnettchamber.org.
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We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
Kilgore-Bogan Road intersection to get alignment project
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners have awarded a construction contract to realign Kilgore Road at its intersection with South Bogan Road near Buford. The safety and alignment project also includes traffic signal installations and the addition of left-turn lanes on both roads.
District 4 Commissioner John Heard says: “This project will improve the grade, alignment and traffic flow at this intersection. Road improvement projects like this one along with all of our other efforts continue to make Gwinnett County the best place to do business in the country.”
Commissioners approved the $1.17 million construction contract with CMES Inc., the lowest of four responsive bidders. Funding comes from the 2014 SPLOST program.
Site seeks applicants for grantees for prisoner of war works
Andersonville National Historic Site, home of the National Prisoner of War Museum, is seeking applicants for an annual grant program which will provide financial assistance to support original research and writing leading to interpretive works on the history of American Prisoners of War.
This grant is open for application to academic scholars (including graduate students), independent scholars, professional writers, and non-professional writers. It is intended to promote interest in the American Prisoner of War experience and encourage scholarly research that leads to documentation of the prisoner of war experience in a variety of media including theses, publications, and audiovisual productions.
Guidelines and application materials can be found online at nps.gov/ande/learn/historyculture/pow-research-grant-program.htm. Applications must be received by December 31, 2016.
These research grants are made possible through the generosity of the Friends of Andersonville, a 501[c][3] organization fostering public understanding of the role Andersonville National Historic Site plays in our Nation’s History.
Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, GA and 10 miles northeast of Americus, Ga. on Georgia Highway 49.
PCOM diabetes scholar completes year on national educators’ board
Reece
Dr. Sara “Mandy” Reece, a faculty member of the Georgia campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, has completed her first year on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). This is a multi-disciplinary professional membership organization dedicated to improving diabetes care through innovative education, management and support. The board is responsible for the strategic planning and executive governance of the association. Dr. Reece’s area of clinical and scholarly expertise is diabetes with a focus on gestational diabetes mellitus and insulin pump therapy. She also provides diabetes education and management services at the Hall County Health Department and the Longstreet Clinic, PC, in Gainesville.
Gwinnett schools to get $301,015 in special Walton EMC grants
During the week of December 12, Walton EMC will award 62 grants to 30 local schools in the Walton EMC area totaling $302,015 as part of its School Empowerment Grant program.
The grant program, in its inaugural year, is made possible by a Georgia law that allows EMCs to use unclaimed refunds for community development after all attempts to find the owners are exhausted. No money from electric bills are used to provide these grants.
Grants to Gwinnett County schools will be presented on Wednesday, December 14.
They include:
- Brookwood High School, $17,500, Integrated Entrepreneurship Program;
- Brookwood Elementary School, $15,309.65, Success with iPad Engagement;
- Five Forks Middle School, three grants, including: $10,593.95, Enhancing STEAM through Google Expeditions; $5,800, Collaborative, Project-based Learning 1:1; and Google Chromebooks, $3,200, Full STEAM Ahead;
- Parkview High, three grants: $410, Special Ed. Life Skill Training Equipment;
- $3,500, Chromebooks for Marketing and Entrepreneurship Students; and $3,500, Chromebooks for Special Ed. Students with Special Needs.
- Mountain Park Elementary School, $21,500, 1-to-1;
- Shiloh High, $2,000 Shiloh Life Skill Lab Remodeling;
- Anderson-Livesay Elementary, $2,325, Creating an ALES Makerspace;
- Norton Elementary, $9,138, STEM/Robotics Room; and
- McConnell Middle, $3,750, Georgia Connect and Beyond.
Peach State Credit Union merges with Beech Island, S.C. unit
Peach State Federal Credit Union and Beech Island (S.C.) Credit Union have merged. A vote was held at Beech Island in October during a Special Meeting of Members. The financial merger was effective November 1, 2016, at which time Beech Island members officially became members of Peach State. This merger demonstrates a shared commitment on the part of both credit unions’ Boards and management to grow stronger and remain highly competitive in today’s financial marketplace.
Peach State President/CEO, Marshall Boutwell says: “The past couple of years have been a period of growth for Peach State as we expanded into the Augusta area with the mergers of Richmond Community FCU and RCT FCU. The merger with Beech Island gives us the opportunity to serve the entire Augusta area and ensures Beech Island’s long term viability, We can help Beech Island members and their families achieve their financial goals with the products and services that we offer, while providing additional branches in which to do their banking.”
Beech Island was originally founded in 1971 for employees at Kimberly Clark Organization, but was later awarded a community charter by the National Credit Union Administration.
Joanne Harper, President/CEO of Beech Island “We are genuinely committed to serving our community and this merger will allow us to serve our existing members as well as other credit union members in the Aiken/Augusta area more effectively. We are excited to be part of the Peach State team and we look forward to welcoming our members to a brighter financial future.”
Summerour Middle School among winners of Fire Up Your Feet award
Thirteen schools across metro Atlanta are cashing in on their commitment to physical fitness, thanks to the Fire Up Your Feet Fall Activity Challenge, where students, their families and school staff compete to win money to promote exercise and wellness programs at their schools. One of those schools is Summerour Middle School in Norcross.
A total of $7,000 was awarded to the winning schools, with the top prize of $1,500 going to Still Elementary School in Cobb County.
Fire Up Your Feet, which was launched in 2013 as part of Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Schools initiative, is aimed at increasing physical activity before, during and after school. Using an online activity tracker, Challenge participants log their physical activity over the course of a month.
House of Cards – Season Four
Reviewed by Karen Burnette Garner, Dacula: This original series on Netflix, stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Season Four of House of Cards is the final season under writer Beau Willimon, and he has led us on a wild ride to the White House with Frank and Claire Underwood. Season Four features a divided couple, contentious campaign, and betrayals within and without. An assassination attempt brings Frank near death, and costs him the life of his devoted Secret Service agent. Claire reconciles and is devoted to bringing a full term presidency to the Underwood camp. As you watch the series, note how lighting and cinematic presentation reflect on the dark underbelly of politics, and on the Underwoods themselves. Mirroring current events (how do they anticipate these things?) with terrorism and political in-fighting, leaving one to wonder what truly lies ahead for us as a nation in the real world. Who is the real terror?
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
Milledgeville native Wally Butts becomes football legend at UGA
James Wallace “Wally” Butts Jr. coached the University of Georgia (UGA) football team from 1939 to 1960, leading the Bulldogs to four Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles, one undefeated season, and eight bowl games. His intense desire to win, knowledge of the game, and innovative techniques—including a devastating passing game—made him a coaching legend even before he retired.
Butts
Though he was wracked by scandal late in his career, he is remembered as one of the great coaches in the history of UGA, and in all of college football.
Butts was born on February 7, 1905 near Milledgeville. Despite his somewhat squat frame, he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball in high school. He earned scholarships in those sports to Mercer University in Macon, where he became an All-Southern end. On February 19, 1929, in his last year of college, Butts married Winifred Taylor, his childhood sweetheart. The couple had three daughters, Faye, Jean, and Nancy, all of whom graduated from UGA.
After graduation Butts began a 10-year string of coaching jobs at prep schools across the Southeast, losing only ten games and making a name for himself as one of the best young coaches in the region. In 1938 he took a job as an assistant coach at UGA; the next year he became head coach and athletic director. Butts posted a five-and-six record in his first season; he didn’t have another losing season until 1949.
Butts led the Bulldogs to the Orange Bowl, UGA’s first bowl game, in 1941. The next fall the Bulldogs took the SEC championship and earned a bid to the Rose Bowl.
With future College Hall of Famers Frank Sinkwich and Charlie Trippi on the field and “the Little Round Man” Wally Butts on the sidelines, the 1940s were a decade of dominance for Georgia football. From 1945 to 1950 the Bulldogs played in five bowl games and earned two more SEC titles. In 1946 the team posted an undefeated record, including a win over the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Sugar Bowl.
Butts’s fortunes took a downturn in the 1950s. His teams posted five losing seasons, and the coach did not regain his former glory until 1959. In January he was elected president of the American Football Coaches Association. In the fall the Bulldogs, with quarterback Fran Tarkenton, he had a 10-1 season and the Bulldogs were again named the SEC champions.
Butts resigned as head coach after a disappointing 6-4 season in 1960. He remained UGA’s athletic director, but his tenure was marred by scandal. In March 1963 the Saturday Evening Post published a story that accused Butts and Alabama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant of fixing the 1962 Georgia-Alabama game, which the Crimson Tide won 35-0. Butts and Bryant sued the Post for libel. In the ensuing trial Butts was awarded $3.06 million, at the time the largest amount ever awarded to a libel plaintiff. (The amount was later reduced to $460,000.) Though Butts won the trial, his reputation had been severely damaged, and he was forced to resign as athletic director.
Butts’s career record at UGA was 140-86-9, third best in UGA history. Butts was elected to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1966; in 1997 he was elected posthumously to the College Football Hall of Fame. Wally Butts died on December 17, 1973.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Do the legs off the ground give you a clue to this mystery?
Maybe the fact that the horse in this statue has its two front legs off the ground will give you a clue as to where this Mystery Photo is located. Maybe it won’t. Anyway, send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.
Granted, we thought last week’s Mystery Photo was easy, and tried to throw readers off with the comment about Asia. Of course, it didn’t fool any of our regular mystery photo sleuths. Bob Foreman of Grayson was first in, recognizing “Strasbourg Cathedral, Notra Dame de Strasbourg, in Alsace France, one of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe.” The photo came from Donny Loeber of Norcross.
Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill also spotted the photo, as did the reliable George Graf of Palmyra, Va. shared this with us: “Here are five facts about Strasbourg:
- It is the capital city and principal town of the Alsace region in eastern France;
- It is the official seat of the European Parliament;
- It has an estimated population of some 300,000;
- It covers an area of 521 square miles; and
- The Romans established a town on the present site of the city and named it Argentoratum.”
Good fishing
You can almost hear this white shrimp screaming “Oh, noooo” as it is about to become lunch for this egret that was fishing recently along the tidal banks of the Ashley River in downtown Charleston. It’s been a good year for shrimp if you haven’t yet tasted this season’s delicacies. Photo via CharlestonCurrents by Michael Kaynard, Kaynard Photography.
Candlelight Tours of Yule Decorated McDaniel Farm Park in Duluth. Tours will also be offered at 8:30 p.m. on December 16, 17, 18, 20 and 21. See the warmth of candles and the home decorated with fresh greenery and period holiday ornaments as costumed guides share historic customs and traditions with a glimpse of everyday life on a family farm. After the tour, guests will enjoy a delicious cup of hot chocolate or apple cider as well as have the opportunity to make a holiday craft. A program fee for the candlelight tour is $8 per person. Pre-registration is required and must be done online at www.gwinnettEHC.org. McDaniel Farm is located at 3251 McDaniel Road, Duluth,
FINAL STOP for Santa Claus on Saturday, December 17 will be at the Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth, from 10 a.m. until noon. Professional photos taken here will be posted on Duluth’s Facebook page for downloading, free of cost. You should know that Santa must leave promptly at noon to make it to the North Pole on time, so arrive early. Arts and crafts will greet the children. Come see Santa here!
(NEW) STATE OF THE REGION address is Friday, January 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast. Speaker will be Kerry Armstrong, chairman of the Atlanta Region Commission. This is presented by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. To register, click here.
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