PEACH STATE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION announces the winners of over $169,000 in scholarships and educational grants. Since 2002, Peach State has awarded almost $1.5 million through its scholarship program to students and career professionals seeking to further their education. Credit union staff and representatives from the Board of Directors gathered with the recipients to celebrate their achievements with a reception at Gwinnett Technical College. Some of the winners are shown with Board members Rick Davis, Dr. Linda Anderson, Chairman Dr. Keith Everson, and Chief of Staff John Fair. To see the list of winners, click here.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Suwanee Medical School Remembers Families of Body Donors
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Gwinnett Loses Two Stalwarts in their Respective Communities
ANOTHER VIEW: Lamenting the High Cost of Prescription Drugs from Big Pharma
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
FEEDBACK: Readers Speak Out on Three Different Recent Postings
UPCOMING: GMC’s Glancy Rehab Center Offers New Training Device for Patients
NOTABLE: GGC Graduates 600 More, with Alumni Now Totaling More than 7,000
RECOMMENDED: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia Humanities Helps Preserve and Explore State’s Traditions
MYSTERY PHOTO: Today’s Mystery Photo Is Considered “Difficult”
CALENDAR: Medical Falls Assessment Screening at Suwanee Library Branch on May 22
Suwanee medical school remembers families of body donors
At the PCOM Donor Service were, on the front row, Nisha Gajjar-Beard, Megan Ryon, Phi Tran, Stephanie Nguyen, and Kelsey Martin. On the back row are Ron Wilde, anatomical coordinator,Tyler Shows, Harsha Upadhya, Christian Pruitt, Kenny Anderson, and Jeff Seiple, director of anatomical donor services.
By Barbara Myers
SUWANEE, Ga. | Forty-three candles were lit recently at PCOM Georgia in Suwanee in honor of the individuals who unselfishly donated their bodies to science.
The 2019 Donor Memorial Service, a dignified tradition held annually on Mother’s Day weekend, included a breakfast, words of gratitude from students and faculty members, a prepared video and the gifting of yellow roses and framed poems. The cremains of the donors were presented to family members as a candle was lit in their honor and music played softly.
Doctor of Osteopathic (DO) Medicine Council President Phi Tran says: “Candles represent enlightenment, encouragement, spiritual clarity and reassurance. These candles symbolize the memory of your loved ones and the lives that they so graciously shared with us.” He adds: “Although we present you with their physical cremains, let these flames be a lingering reminder of their impact that continues on within each one of us.”
Chief Campus Officer Bryan Ginn says: “We honor your loved ones for their singular contributions to the body of knowledge our students have gained. These students will one day impact the world with their intellect, their compassion and their helpful hearts and hands.”
Christian Pruitt, chair of the DO class of 2022, spoke to the more than 150 family members who attended the service. He said: “Our gratitude must be represented by a career spent in the service of others, by days, months and years spent walking alongside our patients through their most difficult and vulnerable moments. Then, maybe we will come close to doing justice to your loved one’s gift.”
Assistant Professor of Anatomy Michael Selby, PhD, spoke on behalf of faculty members at the college. He said, “There is a Chinese proverb that states – ‘I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.’ He continued, ‘From an anatomy textbook, you can learn the names of muscles, memorize the locations of arteries, make a list of nerves. But you don’t get a sense of how they fit together without seeing them for yourself.’ You then realize that the human body is amazingly intricate.”
Planned by medical, physician assistant and physical therapy students, the service also provided a time for family members to eulogize their loved ones.
Joseph Dennis of Atlanta, the son of donor Carolyn Geter of Macon, said: “This weekend is emotional for me. It gives me solace that my mother is leaving a lasting legacy. This was what she wanted. I’m grieving for her, honoring her and extremely proud of her that she could leave such a gift.”
Pruitt said: “Our donors showed us that being human is more than being a sum of all the anatomical parts; there is a real and tangible spiritual component that gives us life. Your loved ones were our first patients, but we never could ask them, ‘What brings you in today?’ ‘What makes your pain worse?’, or even ‘What’s your favorite color?’ Seeing all of you here today lets us know that they were well loved and that their story is so much greater than I could have ever imagined in our brief time together.”
Noting that it’s important to combine an empathetic touch with modern medicine, Tran said, “This service is a good way to remind everyone that there’s a human component to everything we’ve learned.”
Director of Anatomical Donor Services Jeffrey Seiple concluded, “Our donors continue to touch the lives of the next generation of physicians, PA’s, PT’s and pharmacists in a unique and powerful way. What a wonderful and timeless gift!”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett loses two stalwarts in their respective communities
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MAY 21, 2019 | Gwinnett County recently lost two stalwarts of their communities.
We refer to former Mayor Carl Garner Jr. of Norcross and Bruce Still, long-time Gwinnett newspaperman of Lawrenceville.
Carl Garner, 84, was a Norcross native who was elected mayor of his hometown in 1970, then won re-election in 1972 to a second term. He had previously served three terms on the City Council. He had attended Georgia Military College and the University of Georgia, and was a loyal football fan, keeping his same seats for years.
Mr. Garner ran Garner’s Store, an old-time grocery in Norcross. He followed his grandfather, father and uncle in the business, first on Buford Highway, and after 1966 at the foot of Peachtree Street on Jones Street. His grandfather had owned the site in 1907, and his uncle, Minor Garner, had owned it since 1940. Carl Garner Jr. continued to sell groceries the old-fashioned way, with his own cutter for fresh meat, until he closed the store in 1978.
Garner
He was a member of the board of the Bank of Norcross, and later helped organize and chaired the loan committee for 16 years at the Gwinnett Bank and Trust.
Meanwhile, he was instrumental in many civic activities including coaching Dixie Youth baseball and football. He also served in the Norcross Boosters football club, and organized the Norcross Old Timer’s Baseball Association, and helped establish the Norcross Baseball Hall of Fame, which bears his name.
It was through Mr. Garner’s efforts that the City of Norcross readied itself for growth. He established the Planning and Zoning board, upgraded the water and sewer system and power grid. He also negotiated with the Southern Railway to preserve the historic Norcross depot.
Mr. Garner was a member and had leadership roles at the Norcross First United Methodist Church and later at Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church, chairing the administrative boards at both churches.
Carl Andrew Garner Jr., 1935-2019: May you rest in peace.
* * * * *
Still
Bruce Still, 80, was a native of Lawrenceville who spent his entire life in the town. He went to work early in the newspaper field while in college for Marian Webb, who owned the Lawrenceville News-Herald and joined the paper after graduating from the University of Georgia. Later he was working on a newspaper owned by Charles Smithgall in Buford, before joining the Gwinnett Daily News as its first advertising director.
In 1970, Still set up a rival newspaper, The Home Weekly. The paper came out twice weekly in 1992, then changed the name to Gwinnett Post Tribune, coming out three times a week in 1994. He and his son, David, sold the paper to Gray Communications in 1995, which changed the name to Gwinnett Daily Post. During his career, Still had served on the board of managers of the Georgia Press Association.
In his earlier adulthood, he became choir director at Chestnut Grove Baptist Church, and later directed music at the First Baptist Church of Lawrenceville. He led the first performance of The Messiah in the community at that church.
Earlier, in the 1970s, Still created the first welcoming and answering service in Lawrenceville.
His later years saw Still serving on the Board of Trustees of the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation, and the Gwinnett County Hospital Authority. He received the Hospital System Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award in 2022.
Bruce Randolph Still: 1938-2019: May you rest in peace.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Lamenting the high cost of prescription drugs from Big Pharma
By Debra Houston, contributing editor
LILBURN, Ga. | A common problem today is the high cost of prescribed drugs. They continue to rise so that they often become unaffordable for many patients. According to the May issue of the AARP Bulletin, the average yearly cost of top brand-named drugs has more than tripled from $1,868 in 2006 to $6,798 in 2017.
Wonder why? AARP has uncovered some reasons. Take Medicare Part D: Our government doesn’t negotiate prices with drug makers. Without negotiation, seniors are at the mercy of Big Pharma. If you’re young and think this isn’t your issue, it will become one eventually unless a drug is developed that prevents aging.
Another reason for the high cost is that it’s illegal for Americans to buy cheaper drugs from Canada. If our government can buy drugs from our northern neighbor during drug shortages, why can’t we buy them to defray the costs from freewheeling American pharmacies? No doubt you’ve heard Uncle Sam say that imported drugs are unregulated and therefore unsafe. That’s strange given that 40 percent of the drugs we take are made overseas.
Oh, and then there are the scandalous patent extension techniques. A brand-named drug retains its patent for some 20 years. If that isn’t enough time to gouge sick people, drug companies can “evergreen” their patents by repurposing or reformulating their brand. They can add as much as another 20 years to their patent and keep the cheaper generic off the market.
If they can’t repurpose or reformulate, drug makers may offer financial incentives to generic drug makers to keep their comparable product on hold. From 2005 to 2013, 142 brand-named drugs gained an advantage through this tactic.
And don’t you love TV drug ads? Whenever I see one, I wonder how much it cost to produce it. In many cases, I suspect that drug companies pay as much for their ads as they do for research and development. Doing the math, it seems they could cut by half the cost of their product without ads. I’ve also noticed there’s little investigation of drug companies, perhaps because they often sponsor television programs, such as 60 Minutes.
I’ve only touched the surface of why patients must choose between buying groceries and overpriced pills made by greedy drug makers. Cynical-me says those who make pills and those who make laws are in bed together. Nevertheless, AARP is urging us to write our senators and representatives for solutions.
Yes, even you young whippersnappers should get involved.
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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.
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Readers speak out on three different recent postings
Editor, the Forum:
Enjoyed your Friday edition, especially the piece on writing by Keni Woodruff and your own column about Charlotte Nash. Gwinnett County has benefited greatly from her leadership.
— Billy Chism, Toccoa
Editor, the Forum:
“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” Isn’t bribing the public with the public’s money a Democrat Party platform measure? Free college, free health insurance, free this and free that. Seems like this is the path we are on.
— Tim Sullivan, Buford
Dear Tim: You ask, so we will respond. While some Democrats do urge that, we find that both parties have their own way of helping their constituents, i.e., Republicans helping the well-off. It’s all a bit of back-scratching all the time. You might probably agree that there’s a whole lot of backscratching going on. —eeb
Editor, the Forum:
I surely have the laziest assault rifle ever produced. My rifle was laying on my couch yesterday. The postal service delivered my mail, FedEx delivered a package and my yard maintenance crew came to cut the grass. HEADLINE: No One Was Killed.
Guns don’t kill people! People kill people. There are in excess of 300 million legal guns in America. Those legal gun owners own trillions of rounds of ammunition. If we were a problem, George Wilson and all progressives would know it.
— Alan Crowell, Duluth
Dear Alan: Glad you have a lazy assault weapon. Wonder why you even need it? Obviously, people aren’t breaking down the door to get you. Imagine the relief you’d feel by not having it and knowing that it can’t accidentally fire because it’s lazy.–eeb
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GMC’s Glancy Rehab Center offers new training device for patients
Gwinnett Medical Center’s (GMC) Glancy Rehabilitation Center announces the addition of a new treatment for patients—the Exoskeleton. This new equipment allows therapists to perform gait training for patients with weakness and paralysis in their lower extremities.
Glancy Rehabilitation is the first to offer this advanced technology locally, which allows people paralyzed below the waist to stand up and walk.
Alison Freeman, therapy manager at Glancy Rehabilitation, says: “We are constantly seeking the best treatment solutions for our patients. Through the Indego Therapy Exoskeleton, we can deliver the critical results our patients desire. Furthermore, because the equipment is customizable, we can quickly and effectively treat patients and monitor their improvements through software.”
Recently, wearable robots have become more practical for patients. The unique device is very similar to an external skeleton and straps tightly around the torso. Supports are strapped to the legs and extend from the hip to the knee and from the knee to the foot. The hip and knee joints are driven by computer-controlled electric motors powered by advanced batteries. Patients use the powered apparatus with walkers or forearm crutches to maintain their balance.
While the equipment has only been in use a short time, GMC therapists have noticed the remarkable results in patients. Freeman adds that through this therapy, recovery times are dramatically reduced.
3 more coding boot camps to be offered in Peachtree Corners
Because of the expanded demand for computer coding skills, the city of Peachtree Corners, in collaboration with Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE), will again offer coding classes at Prototype Prime, the startup incubator located in Technology Park/Atlanta.
GTPE is offering a second 24-week coding boot camp to begin May 24. Additionally, two data science boot camps will be offered beginning in August 5 and 6. Web development is a high-growth career track. The Georgia Tech Coding Boot Camp teaches students the specialized skills to tap into this industry. Through a fast-paced, immersive curriculum, students learn the skills needed to become proficient in front-end and back-end technologies.
The classes cover front-end and back-end technologies. Students graduate with the skills needed to become a full-stack web developer. Classes will be held three days a week and taught at Prototype Prime, the city’s startup incubator.
- To enroll, or for additional information on the Georgia Tech Professional Education coding boot camps, visit the Georgia Tech Professional Education website or call 404-328-7187.
Gwinnett Animal Welfare offers free heartworm treatment May 25
Gwinnett Animal Welfare offers the opportunity to make a difference in a shelter pet’s life by being an adoption hero. The shelter is waiving adoption fees on all heartworm-positive dogs at this special adoption event Saturday, May 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Division Director Alan Davis says: “We are fortunate to have the ability to begin treatment for dogs that come to our shelter with heartworms. With a little care by the right adoption hero, they can make complete recoveries and live long, happy and healthy lives.”
In addition to free adoptions on these dogs and puppies, treatment is provided for free. Pets adopted from the shelter have also been vaccinated, neutered and microchipped. The standard adoption fee is $45 for dogs and puppies and $30 for cats and kittens.
The Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement Center is located at 884 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville. For more information about available pets, adoption specials and events, visit www.GwinnettAnimalWelfare.com.
GGC graduates 600 more, with alumni now totaling more than 7,000
Vickery
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) awarded bachelor’s degrees to more than 600 graduates, its largest class to date, during its spring semester commencement ceremony, held recently at the Infinite Energy Arena.
Dr. Mary Beth Walker, officiated over her first commencement ceremony as interim president, reflected on her brief tenure at GGC. She says: “I have learned so much about what makes GGC a truly special place. And I don’t mean the beautiful campus, the extraordinary learning facilities and the outstanding academic programs – I’m referring to what gives GGC its spirit.”
Caitlin Vickery, above, spoke on behalf of the graduates. The Gwinnett native graduated with honors in psychology with a cognitive/neuroscience concentration and a minor in information technology, and plans to obtain a doctorate. Initially intimidated about going to college, Vickery said she “fell in love” with GGC’s small classrooms, its supportive faculty and staff, and how the school fostered her ‘sense of wonderlust’ – a desire for knowledge she said will stay with her for life. After the spring ceremony, the college now has almost 7,000 alumni.
Norcross High Foundation giving exceeds 2018 by 9 percent
The Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence (NHSFE) raised over $157,000 at its 2019 Gala held recently. This year, Foundation supporters raised nine percent more than last year, increasing Foundation support to over $2.2 million since its inception in 2001.
This year 66 families that stepped forward to accept the $1,000 Foundation Challenge and 23 sponsors totaling $31,000. Foundation Challengers included parents and grandparents of current students, alumni, and community members who know that great schools and great communities go hand in hand.
Co-Presidents Tracy O’Leary (left) and Sandy Greenstein (right) presented Angie Hembree (center) with a Hall of Fame plaque. Hembree coached at Norcross High School for 10 years. She led the Lady Blue Basketball team to four state championships, two times state runner-up, and the Final Four in 2012. The longtime coach had over 500 wins and was also a great mentor and advocate for the students.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: Five years ago, my neighbor asked me if everything I owned sparked joy. What? Then she told me about the Konmari method of decluttering and tidying up. Intrigued, I began watching numerous YouTube videos about Marie Kondo, a tiny Japanese woman who was taking the western world by storm with her new book about cherishing the things you own. Kondo now has her own television show and is more popular than ever. However, I just got around to reading her first book. I thought I had heard it all, but I hadn’t. This little book gives practical, step-by-step advice about how to rid yourself of things that don’t ‘spark joy’ or that you don’t really need. But, more importantly, it emphasizes methods you can use to decide what TO keep to promote the most happiness in your life. This emphasis makes a big difference. Does everything you own spark joy? The book’s full title is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.
- 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
Georgia Humanities helps preserve and explore state’s traditions
Georgia Humanities is an independent nonprofit organization and one of the 56 organizations authorized by the U.S. Congress as affiliates of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). In a spirit of collaboration, Georgia Humanities gathers, preserves, and shares the state’s distinctive stories through a range of cultural and educational programs and resources. To this end it funds, sponsors, and conducts programs that bring Georgians together to explore and discuss history, literature, philosophy, and other cultural traditions. The organization’s core belief is that the humanities educate the head and the heart.
Governed by a statewide board of civic, educational, and business leaders, Georgia Humanities is headquartered in Atlanta.
Georgia Humanities began in 1971 as one of the six trial state-based programs established by the NEH. Originally known as the Committee for the Humanities in Georgia, it comprised five representatives of higher education organizations in the state. Richard Wiegand, the director of continuing education at the Georgia Institute of Technology, was the first chairman.
The committee made its first home at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, which provided administrative support. The committee’s sole activity was to distribute grants for projects that explored the humanities in relation to public policy, and its initial efforts established the policies and procedures for grantmaking as well as for communicating the availability of funding to various humanities networks. J. Foster Harwell was the first full-time administrator, with the title of Secretary to the Committee (1972). He was succeeded in 1974 by J. Preston Prather, who served until 1979.
In 1980 the committee moved its headquarters to the campus of Emory University in Atlanta. Anne Russell Mayeaux served as the assistant director during the last half of 1979 and as the acting executive director for the first few months of 1980.
In 1980 Congress modified the authorizing legislation of the NEH and removed the “humanities and public policy” stricture on council grantmaking. The effect of this legal change was to better align state and NEH program guidelines. As part of this alignment, the committee changed its name to the Georgia Endowment for the Humanities (GEH).
In 1980 Ronald E. Benson became the executive director. Under its new broader funding mandate, the GEH revised its grant guidelines. It also inaugurated council-led activities, such as teacher workshops and publishing projects.
In 1986 the GEH received its first appropriation from the state of Georgia through a contract with the Georgia Council for the Arts and Humanities). That same year Governor Joe Frank Harris presented the first Governor’s Awards in the Humanities. In keeping with the language used in the congressional authorizing legislation, the GEH changed its name to the Georgia Humanities Council in 1989.
The year 1996 was important for Georgia Humanities, as it organized and managed two major projects in conjunction with the Atlanta-based Olympic Games. First, the council partnered with the Cultural Olympiad to recognize and honor local humanities initiatives that had occurred during that year. Second, it prepared The New Georgia Guide for publication by the University of Georgia Press. The Guide, an acclaimed cultural and historical handbook for Georgia’s communities and regions, was an innovative precedent for the organization.
In 1997 Jamil S. Zainaldin assumed the presidency of the council. The organization’s strategic plan from 1999 to 2003 focused on fund development, expansion of partnerships, civic engagement, and closer collaboration with entities of state government. Four signature areas emerged in the new plan: National History Day in Georgia, the Georgia Center for Character Education, the New Georgia Encyclopedia, and the Humanities Leadership Forum.
After two decades at the organization, Zainaldin retired in 2018 and was succeeded as president by Laura McCarty. The council’s grant program remains a highlight of its work, as does the annual Governor’s Awards ceremony. The organization’s longtime partnership with the University of Georgia Press has resulted in several publications, including Historic Rural Churches of Georgia (2016), A President in Our Midst: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia (2016), and Memories of the Mansion: The Story of Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion (2015).
Georgia Humanities continues to foster opportunities for people to come together in learning and discussion. More than a passive provider of grant funds, the council serves as a convener of the humanities community, linking educators with museums, historical societies, and other community groups.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Today’s Mystery Photo is considered “difficult”
Today’s Mystery Photo looks oriental, but don’t let that fool you. Figure out where these statues are located, and you’ll be among the few we expect to do this, as we rate this Mystery Photo as “difficult.” Send your ideas to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
Lynn Naylor of Atlanta was up early and identified the most recent Mystery Photo, which came from Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill. “This is the library at the Biltmore House in Asheville, N.C. Built by George Vanderbilt in 1895 it is the largest private home in the US. It opened to the public in 1930 and is still owned by the descendants of the builder. The library contains over 10,000 volumes in eight languages. The Library of Biltmore House is a favorite room among guests and employees alike. It also happens to be the room that best reflects George Vanderbilt’s intellect and personality. At the age of 12, he began keeping meticulous records in a series of journals called ‘Books I Have Read,’ a habit he continued throughout his life. By his death in 1914, George had logged 3,159 books, which means that between 1875 and 1914, he read an average of 81 books a year.”
Among others recognizing it were Kay Everett, Lawrenceville: Billy Chism, Toccoa; and Jim Savadelis, Duluth.
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. writes: “George Washington Vanderbilt, the youngest son of William Henry, built the grandest house of them all on 100,000 acres in the mountains of North Carolina – Biltmore. George had taken no interest in any of the family businesses, preferring the world of art and travel. Educated at home by tutors, he developed a lifelong love of reading. Vanderbilt was known to entertain guests after dinner by reading aloud a story or a poem. He is said to have read eight or ten languages fluently and to have amused himself by translating Sanskrit and Hebrew – an unusual hobby, to say the least. Thus, many of the books in the library are in foreign languages.”
Ribbon Cutting of renovated Club Drive Park is scheduled to be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21. The park is located at 3330 Club Drive, Lawrenceville. The park is a short distance from the intersection of Shackelford Road and Pleasant Hill Road.
Xolos de Gwinnett Night coming: The Gwinnett Stripers return to Coolray Field for a seven-game homestand from May 21-27. The Stripers will host the Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox) for three games from May 21-23 and the Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles) for four games from May 24-27. The homestand includes the first Xolos de Gwinnett Night on May 23, Salute to Armed Forces and Friday Fireworks on May 24, a Ronald Acuna Jr. National League Rookie of the Year Bobblehead Giveaway on May 25, and a Memorial Day Picnic on May 27.
Medical Falls Assessment Screening at Suwanee Library Branch on May 22 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Join Gwinnett County Public Library, in partnership with Mercer University, and receive a free evaluation on your potential to fall by medical professionals. Fall risk screenings are based on STEADI and include vital sign assessment; tests for gait, balance, and mobility; foot screenings; medication reviews; and interpretation of screening results. All participants will leave with a report of fall risk screening results, recommendations on how to avoid falls, and information for community resources for fall risk reduction.
Robinson
Former Prisoner of War Captain William A. Robinson, USAF (Retired), will present the keynote address at the Memorial Day Observance Ceremony to be held in Andersonville National Cemetery at 2 p.m. on May 26. Robinson was born in Roanoke Rapids, N.C. He spent the next seven and half years as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. After his release and return to the United States in 1973, he was one of three enlisted men to receive a direct commission to lieutenant in the United States Air Force by the President of the United States, in recognition of his conduct while being held as a Prisoner of War. In addition, Capt. Robinson was the first enlisted man to receive the Air Force Cross, a medal for valor, second only to the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military award. Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, Ga. and 10 miles northeast of Americus, Ga. on Georgia Highway 49. Admission is free. For more information on the park, visit on the web at www.nps.gov/ande/.
Porsche Car Show, will be Sunday, May 26 at Lillian Webb Park in Norcross from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.. This is hosted by the Porsche Car Club, and is free to attend.
Memorial Day Remembrance in Norcross will be held May 27 at 11:20 a.m. in Thrasher Park. Guest speaker will be Tyler Reiss, a Norcross policeman and former Army Ranger. Entertainment will be provided by the 116th Army Band. The Norcross Masonic Lodge will be providing hot dogs.
Memorial Day Ceremony on May 27 at 1 p.m. The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners invites citizens to the annual ceremony, held in front of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville, at the Fallen Heroes Memorial. Gwinnett County honors fallen military and public safety heroes. At this year’s ceremony, the county will remember the life of Gwinnett County Police Officer Antwan D. Toney, who was killed in the line of duty October 20, 2018. Colonel George S. “Steve” Pitt (ret.), 42nd commandant of cadets and dean of students for Georgia Military College, is to be the keynote speaker this year.
Indoor Pest Control workshop will be May 29 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at OneStop Centerville, 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville. Many pests, such as roaches, ants, and spiders, can be bothersome to homeowners. In this workshop, learn how to use a multitude of tactics to control them and keep them out of the home. For ages 18 and up. Preregister online with code EXT34501.
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