3/27: Playing an instrument; Remembering Zell Miller; More

THE WINNERS of the annual Snap Suwanee photo contest are in. This is the overall winner, by Eric Rozell, entitled “Biking ‘Til the Sun Goes Down.”  These photos are now on display at the Suwanee City Hall, until February 2019. For more details and winners, see Notable below.

TODAY’S FOCUS: It’s Never Too Late To Learn To Play A Musical Instrument

EEB PERSPECTIVE: An Instinctive Thought on the Governorship; Remembering Zell Miller

SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Medical Center

FEEDBACK: Atlanta Didn’t Show Best Face for Sweet Sixteen at Philips Arena

McLEMORE’S WORLD: Brass Polish

UPCOMING: Snellville Adopts “Aggressive” Solicitation Ordinance for Parking Lots

NOTABLE: City Announces Snap Suwanee Photo Contest Winners

RECOMMENDED: The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Prolific Author Harry Crews Often Wrote of Outlandish Characters

MYSTERY PHOTO: Today’s Mystery Photo Shows a Busy City; Now Where Is It?

LAGNIAPPE: Roving Photographer’s Scenes from the Coastal City of Charleston, S.C.

It’s never too late to learn to play a musical instrument

 (Editor’s Note: Learning that a former Gwinnettian, Joel Fletcher, now a resident of Rome, Ga., has taken up music at an advanced age, we asked him to write about it, possibly to encourage others to check into this, even if they had never dealt with music before. He has also turned to writing in his retirement, and is the author of “The Great Atlanta Bike Race Of 1948.”–eeb)

By Joel Fletcher

ROME, Ga., March 27, 2018  |  If you have a love of music and have some degree of ability to sing or play, you can learn to be an amateur musician.  All it takes is the desire and a reasonable commitment to choose an instrument, get a method book and start learning.  Then you are on your way to an enjoyable hobby.

In my case, I have always enjoyed singing in church choirs, so in 1990, wrapping up a 30 year insurance career, I decided to learn to play the guitar.  I bought a Franciscan dreadnaught for $137and signed up for lessons at the local music store.  After about 12 of those at $30 each, I got discouraged and put the guitar down.

Of the four instruments I have tried, guitar for me is the toughest to learn.  Don’t know why: maybe it’s the six strings, the constant tuning and not having the talent to play by ear.

The guitar is a beautiful, versatile instrument that can play everything from blue grass to high grass.  I love it, but find the violin/fiddle easier to play a simple tune.  Maybe it’s because the violin has only the four strings.  But, I have never been able to play beyond the intermediate level. Violin demands dedicated commitment to years of study and practice.

I took a year of piano when we moved to Rome in 2004 and found it enjoyable and fairly easy to play simple pieces. But again, it takes years of study and daily practice to become an accomplished player.  I gave it up and looked for something else to play.

In 2006 the New Horizons International Band concept came to Rome through the auspices of The Music Room.  They began recruiting players with experience and from folks who wished to learn music for the first time. The New Horizons is a national organization that helps establish bands in cities across America.

I immediately gravitated to the saxophone and rented an alto sax.  I signed up for lessons  and made good enough progress to join the band. Then I bought my own sax, a Selmer USA.I was able to enjoy four years of playing second alto sax in 14 concerts.  Eventually the band melted away.

Then in 2017 New Horizons came back to Rome and set up shop at Shorter University. I was able to play my sax with 12 other amateur musicians.  We rehearse on Thursday evenings and so far have had one concert at Christmas, as we played with the Shorter students.

So that is my music journey so far.  I love and respect all of the instruments I have studied, but the alto sax seemed to fit what little musical ability God has given me. I believe some people are just gifted to play a certain instrument.  I don’t have that gift, but I do have desire and determination to get better. Singing, listening or just playing – it is all good therapy.  Music is good medicine.

Don’t let age or anything else prevent you from getting involved in some form of music.  Go for it.  It is good for you mentally and physically.  Have fun with music.`

• Have a comment? Send to:  elliott@brack.net

An instinctive thought on the governorship; Remembering Zell Miller

By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum

MARCH 27, 2018  |  As you get older, you learn to trust your instincts.  You have no reason for thinking the way you are thinking, but you do.  After all, it’s instinctive.

Back in 2015 and up until the 2016 election, we felt that Hillary Clinton would not become the 45^th president. We didn’t know why we felt that way. All this was before the Trump Movement. We thought that Hillary might get the nomination, but felt that she would not be our next president. We even wrote about this.

In a similar vein, looking at the Georgia gubernatorial race, we have this feeling that one of the front runners in the Republican Party, Casey Cagle, will not be the next Georgia governor.   This isn’t something that popped into our mind after his recent Delta debacle. We’ve thought this for several months now.

However, we have no instinct about who the next governor of Georgia might be. There are several what you might call “standard” people seeking the office, plus one or two non-traditional candidates.  We don’t envy any of them, for it takes a tremendous amount of work, a good war chest, and lots of patience and even good luck to ascend to such high offices.

We’re merely saying that we don’t see Casey Cagle elevating himself to the next office.

Yep, we may have egg on our face later on, but that’s our instinct.

Miller

FEW PEOPLE IN GEORGIA have been as prepared for governing our state than the late Zell Miller, who passed away last week at age 86.

Look at the offices and history he held before he became governor:

• Mayor of Young Harris for two years;
• A state senator for four years;
• Lost two races for the U.S. Congress;
• Chief of staff for four years for Gov. Lester Maddox;
• Lieutenant governor of Georgia for four terms, 16 years!
• Lost a race for U.S. Senator to Herman Talmadge;
• Was governor for two terms, eight years.

Miller even finally made it to the Senate, upon the appointment by a former opponent, Gov. Roy Barnes, where he served for five years. What a record of public service he had!

In later life, Miller confounded a lot of people with his stands, for long-life a Democrat, but turning more conservative toward the end of his life. He even was keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention, then later, at the Republican National Convention. He supported George W. Bush for the presidential nomination, and later addressed the Republican convention with a controversial speech criticizing many elements of the Democratic Party.

Once a rebellious teenager, Miller joined the Marines, and rose to the rank of sergeant. Of this he said: “In the twelve weeks of hell and transformation that were Marine Corps boot camp, I learned the values of achieving a successful life that have guided and sustained me on the course which, although sometimes checkered and detoured, I have followed ever since.”

Zell was a good friend to Gwinnett County over the years, his family living in Norcross during much of the time he served as lieutenant governor. His wife, Shirley, was the proprietor of a dress shop in downtown Norcross. But Zell’s  heart was always in his mountains at Young Harris. And his mountain twang never left his speech. He was true to himself all along.

Zell Bryan Miller, 1932-2018: May you rest in peace.

• Have a comment? Send to:  elliott@brack.net

GGC president’s comments on the passing of Gov. Zell Miller

Stas Preczewski, president of Georgia Gwinnett College, released a statement on the passing of Governor Zell Miller:

“The Georgia Gwinnett College family is saddened by the passing of Governor Zell Miller. We send thoughts of peace and comfort to the Miller family during this difficult time. In the emotion of this great loss, we reflect on his life and legacy. It is the consensus of the leaders who were integral in the creation of Georgia Gwinnett College that this institution would not be in existence today if it were not for the leadership of Governor Miller. We are all benefactors of his vision and support for higher education which will live on for generations to come.”

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Gwinnett Medical Center

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Atlanta didn’t show best face for Sweet Sixteen at Philips Arena

Editor, the Forum:

Atlanta celebrates its place as a sports mega-center with  a new stadium for football and baseball ballpark and a soon-to-be state of the art basketball facility.

However, I would humbly suggest they get a buy-in from their new mayor for making these places and the much -watched games to be played there…a sense of pride.

After attending the Sweet Sixteen opening round at Philips Arena…I came home with an unattractive perspective on how the world may view the Atlanta experience. Of course, traffic management was a misnomer. Only MARTA has seemingly finally figured out how to manage bigger crowds. More  trains…less pushing.

The area around Philips Arena was a disgrace, dirty and littered. The homeless situation is a tragedy, yet, no less than 10 homeless including families were camped out along Centennial Park Boulevard, one muttering to herself.  Ticket hawkers were plentiful.

I wonder what the folks who may have had their first taste of Atlanta thought about seeing this side of Hotlanta?

Driving home, several I-75/85 directional road signs were missing or hanging by a thread.

Celebrate the future Super Bowl and Final Four, but realize a city consists of more than a billion dollar stadium. And get these ugly issues fixed.

— Howard Hoffman, Peachtree Corners

Send us your thoughts:  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

Brass polish

• For more of Bill McLemore’s cartoons, see his page on Facebook.
• Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net

Snellville adopts “aggressive” solicitation ordinance for parking lots

Snellville is pro-actively addressing the problem of those who aggressively approach residents in retail parking lots asking for money.

The council approved the Aggressive Solicitation Ordinance Monday on the suggestion of Police Chief Roy Whitehead. He says that police have dealt with several reports of people asking shoppers for money in an aggressive manner in city shopping centers. Many of those asking for money travel from other cities and are not telling the truth when they tell citizens they need money for basic needs such as food or gas, he said. The ordinance closely tracks Gwinnett County’s version of the law. The measure was approved 4-1. Councilman Roger Marmol voted against the ordinance.

The ordinance is designed to keep those asking for money in store parking lots from having physical contact with the person being solicited, following the person and generally scaring or intimidating those they ask for money.

Unless a property owner gives someone permission and they have documentation saying so, solicitors are also prohibited from asking for money within 15 feet of any entrance or exit of any financial institution, check cashing business, or within 15 feet of any automated teller machine.

It is illegal for any person to solicit from drivers on a public street in exchange for blocking, occupying or reserving a public parking space, the ordinance reads. Solicitors are also prohibited from being under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, soliciting in a public parking lot or public parking structure or within 10 feet of an entrance to a public building.

Any person convicted of a violation of this ordinance may be punished by imprisonment or a fine not to exceed $1,000 or both.

County seeks state grant of $3.5 million for two road projects

Gwinnett Commissioners on Tuesday have voted to apply for $3.5 million in grants through the State Road and Tollway Authority, or SRTA. The grants would come from the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank program for improvements in the cities of Peachtree Corners and Lawrenceville.

The County will request $2 million to supplement local funds being used to widen Spalding Drive from Winters Chapel Road to just west of the intersection with SR 140/Holcomb Bridge Road for a distance of about six-tenths of a mile. The widening project would help to alleviate congestion and improve safety along this regional traffic corridor. The bridge over Crooked Creek also would be replaced and sidewalks would be installed along the bridge and throughout the length of the project.

This project would be a coordinated effort by Gwinnett County and the cities of Peachtree Corners and Sandy Springs. The total estimated project cost is $11.5 million, with a total local commitment of $9.5 million, or 82.6 percent. The GTIB grant request is for 17.4 percent of the total project value. Gwinnett’s share of the funding would come from the 2014 and 2017 SPLOST programs.

The County also will request $1.5 million in grant funds to cover a portion of the cost to install two roundabouts on Constitution Boulevard in Lawrenceville. The first roundabout would be installed at the intersection of Constitution Boulevard and Langley Drive, which is currently a four-way stop. If funding allows, another roundabout would be installed at the intersection of Constitution Boulevard and Nash Street.

Snellville planning business dinners; Bruce LeVell to speak

Modeled after the city’s successful regional Civic Dinners, Snellville has announced plans to host a series of Business Dinners, which will serve as a forum for discussion of a variety of business. Eric Van Otteren, director of Economic Development, says: “City Councilman Dave Emanuel has had great success with the Civic Dinners he has hosted, so his suggestion to use a similar format to discuss topics of interest to local business owners, fit perfectly with our efforts to develop innovative ways to help Snellville business owners.”

Snellville’s first Business Dinner is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. April 10 at GarageWorx, 2385 Clower Street. Bruce LeVell of the Office of Advocacy for the U.S. Small Business Administration, will be listening to suggestions and insights regarding the challenges facing today’s small businesses. This is an opportunity to voice concerns and provide feedback that will assist the Office of Advocacy in voicing the region’s small business concerns before the White House, federal agencies and Congress.

LeVell, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, brings more than 25 years of experience as a small business founder and owner to the job of regional advocate. He has operated and developed a retail and real estate company, both of which received SBA loans. For seven years, he served as the chairman of operations at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. LeVell is based in SBA’s Region 4 Office in Atlanta.

• The dinner is on a first come first served basis. Space is limited. If you’d like to take part, contact Van Otteren at 770-985-3502.

City announces Snap Suwanee Photo Contest winners

From getting back to nature to children happily playing in the fountain; quiet moments of reflection to the moments before becoming the state champions – each of this year’s Snap Suwanee Photo Contest winners illustrate the Suwanee community in a unique and beautiful way.

Sponsored by Suwanee’s Public Arts Commission, the annual community photo competition provides an opportunity for participants to share images that communicate something telling about the Suwanee community. The winning photographs – chosen out of nearly 60 entries – will be on display at Suwanee City Hall through February 2019, and the winning photographers will be recognized at the April council meeting.

The photo titles and photographers in the exhibit are:

JUDGES’ CHOICE WINNER: Biking ‘Til the Sun Goes Down – Eric Rozell;

• Bubbles & Smiles – Boo Kirsch Hynes;
• A Different View – Eric Rozell;
• Endless Summer – Jammie Partee;
• Future State Champs – Carla Hoff;
• Grand Park Drive with Snow – Markus Rimmelle;
• Making New Friends in Suwanee – Lisa Pittarelli;
• Mother Daughter Reflections – Boo Kirsch Hynes;
• New Resident – Beverly Smith; and
• Winter Sneak Peak – Autumn Crowley.

Lawrenceville renames police building to honor retiring police chief

The City of Lawrenceville has renames the Lawrenceville’s police headquarters building as the “L. Randy Johnson Lawrenceville Police Headquarters.” This announcement commemorates the 33 years that Chief Johnson has given to the county seat. Johnson led the department as chief of police for 21 of his 33 years with the local agency.

Chief Randy Johnson (left) passes the torch to new Chief Tim Wallis.

Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson (no relation to the chief) says: “As one of the longest standing chiefs of police for any department in Georgia, this tribute to his legacy is both well-deserved and appropriate. We appreciate and want to remember his service to our community and a dedication of this facility in Chief Johnson’s honor is an excellent way to preserve his legacy and honor a true leader who has contributed over three decades of selfless service to the city.”

The facility was constructed in 2009 and was one of Chief Johnson’s legacy projects for the department. Chief Johnson’s leadership has led to significant career recognition. In 2015, Johnson received both the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police’s “Chief of the Year” Award and the Gwinnett Chamber VALOR Award for Public Service and Leadership. The naming of the facility at 300 Jackson Street will serve as yet another reminder of an excellent career in leadership, organization and community development.

Chief Johnson says: “I am honored to be the recipient of such recognition and grateful to the city’s leadership for allowing me to serve this community all these years. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of Lawrenceville’s rich and ever-growing history.”

Johnson’s last day with the city was March 22, 2018, exactly 33 years to the day from his original hire date.

The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille

Anyone who has traveled to Cuba since the thaw in relations with the USA will feel like they are returning to the Island in this book. After all, the story in the book tracks a similar itinerary that most tourists from America follow….the Nacional Hotel for an outdoor lunch, the visit to the Hemingway house, walking through the old town, etc. This novel keeps you reading as a story ever-so-slowly unfolds, with worry about what may happen being the key theme.  Yet it has one element we’ve never seen in a novel before. In the acknowledgements at the end of the book, the author mentions several people who made significant contributions to charities…..in return for having their real name used as a character in the novel. DeMille adds; “I hope they all enjoy their fictitious alter egos.”  What a distinctive way to raise money for worthwhile causes!–eeb

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.  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Prolific author Harry Crews often wrote of outlandish characters

Harry Crews was a prolific novelist whose often freakish characters populate a strange, violent, and darkly humorous South. He was also the author of a widely lauded memoir, A Childhood: The Biography of a Place, about growing up poor in rural south Georgia. Crews focused much of his work on the poor white South, influencing a growing number of younger writers to do the same, including Larry Brown and Tim McLaurin.

Harry Eugene Crews was born in Bacon County on June 7, 1935, the second of two sons. His parents, Myrtice and Ray Crews, were poor tenant farmers barely scratching out a living. After his father died of a heart attack in the middle of the night with Crews, just 22 months old, asleep beside him, Myrtice soon married Ray’s brother Pascal. Her decision would prove fateful, as Pascal revealed himself to be a violent and dangerous drunk.

Raw courage was needed early, as Crews experienced two major physical setbacks as a child. At the age of five, he was struck with a fever followed by leg cramps so severe that his heels drew up to the backs of his thighs. He was bedridden for more than six weeks before he could be carried around the farm. He then gradually began to walk again by hauling himself along a fence. Later in life Crews would blame psychological stress from his increasingly volatile home life as the cause.

When he was six, an accident during a children’s game called “pop-the-whip” caused him to be thrown into a cast-iron boiler being used to scald pigs. With burns covering more than two-thirds of his body, Crews survived, doctors told him, only because his head had stayed above water. He describes the ordeal in his memoir: “Then hands were on me, taking off my clothes, and the pain turned into something words cannot touch, or at least my words cannot touch. There is no way for me to talk about it because when my shirt was taken off, my back came off with it. When my overalls were pulled down, my cooked and glowing skin came down.”

Crews joined the marines when he was 17, while his brother was away fighting in the Korean War (1950-53). During his time in the service, Crews began to read seriously. When his term ended, he enrolled at the University of Florida on the G.I. Bill, with the intention of becoming a writer. The agrarian writer Andrew Lytle, who had once taught Flannery O’Connor and James Dickey, was Crews’s undergraduate writing teacher.

The years leading up to his first publication were hard both personally and professionally. Crews married in 1960 and had two sons, but the marriage did not last. In 1964 tragedy struck when his older son drowned. Crews began teaching in 1962, and after years of rejection his first novel, The Gospel Singer, was published in 1968 and garnered good reviews. Its publication earned Crews a new teaching job at the University of Florida and paved the way for the publication of seven more novels over the next eight years, including Naked in Garden Hills (1969); Car (1972); The Hawk Is Dying (1973), which was adapted into a film released in 2006; The Gypsy’s Curse (1974); and the widely acclaimed A Feast of Snakes (1976).

(To be continued)

• To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Today’s Mystery Photo shows a busy city; Now, where is it?

Today’s Mystery Photo is obviously a city, taken at the edge of a city looking toward its center. Identify this scene and you are a Mystery Photo expert. Send your answer to elliott@brack.net and include where you live.

Last week three readers identified the Israeli city of Haifa and its coastline. The photo came from Ruthy Latham Paul, a native of Israel, who lives in Norcross. Lou Camerio of Lilburn was first in with this identification, followed by Susan McBurney of Sugar Hill.

George Graf of Palmyra, Va. also identified it. He wrote: “Thanks in part to Israel’s booming startup scene and a laid-back vibe, Haifa has become a major hipster hotspot in the Mediterranean. Masada Street is the epicenter for the social scene with its cafes and bars, live music, art and street parties. The center of culture and tourism in Haifa is located along Ben Gurion Boulevard in the city’s own German Colony.

“The neighborhood dates to the 1868 when it was established by the German Templers.  Mount Carmel is Israel’s largest national park and offers stunning views of the water along miles of hiking trails through forests of pine, eucalyptus and cypress. Haifa is known for having some of the best beaches on the Mediterranean Sea, including with sparkling white sand spilling into the deep blue of the sea. The city is situated on a small peninsula, which means it’s basically surrounded by water on three sides.”

Roving photographer’s scenes from the coastal city of Charleston, S.C.

The coastal city of Charleston, S.C. was Roving Photographer Frank Sharp’s recent destination, producing these photos. The bright flowers are in front of St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church; then there are the colorful houses of Rainbow Row, and finally, a typical carriage ride. Sharp dined at the Brown Dog Deli, where he noticed a sign saying: “The reason dogs have so many friends is that they wag their tales instead of their tongues!” Shades of Mark Twain!

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