WITH HURRICANE DORIAN threatening the southeast coast, Jackson EMC released its contractors to work in North Carolina this week, where the big storm might hit. For more details on this, see Notable below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Good Samaritan Center Seeks Nominees for Good Neighbor Award
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Georgia Highway 20 Bridge at Sugar Hill Opened……with Manpower
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Stripers
FEEDBACK: Recent Chart Shows How Dramatically Some Counties Are Changing
UPCOMING: New Art Work Goes Up for September at Snellville City Hall
NOTABLE: Jackson EMC Releases 84 Contractors To Assist EMCs in North Carolina
RECOMMENDED: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
GEORGIA TIDBIT: In 1941, Macon Votes To Raise Taxes To Help Construct Robins AFB
MYSTERY PHOTO: Three Figures in Statue Bring with Them Questions of Location
CALENDAR: Tannery Row Juried Art Show Starts on September 14
Good Samaritan Center seeks nominees for Good Neighbor Award
By Heni Jordan
Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett
NORCROSS, Ga. | A neighbor is a nearby person who shows kindness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans, who is a neighbor to someone in distress. Be kind to your neighbor, for you never know when you will need to borrow sugar, a shovel, or to hold the spare key to your house.
Jordan
Who doesn’t want to be a good neighbor?
Who doesn’t want to live next door to great neighbors?
A neighbor, whether next door or blocks away, is someone who first and foremost we love as we do ourselves. If only this level of concern, compassion, and intimacy were actually achieved! Nearly every problem in families, neighborhoods, and communities would be resolved, and goodwill would become widespread. Oh, for such a place!
Do you know a one-of-a-kind neighbor?
Throughout Gwinnett, there are outstanding neighbors who day in and day out, fulfill the call to “Love thy Neighbor.” They do so not for recognition or hoping for anything in return, but because they are genuinely compassionate, loving, generous, and kind. They sacrifice their time, talents, and treasures as they care for others or extend a helping hand simply to make someone’s life a little bit better.
We at Good Samaritan Health Center need your help to identify and applaud the Good Neighbors living in our communities. Think about people you know who have helped others in times of need or distress, who embrace and regularly demonstrate the character and spirit of a Good Neighbor. How have they risen to the occasion to willingly and selflessly take care of their neighbor? Why do they stand out from all the other good neighbors living in Gwinnett County?
During the upcoming event on October 3, the Good Neighbor Gala, benefiting Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett, we will recognize Good Neighbors of our community. However, Good Samaritan needs your input. We want you to nominate Good Neighbors. The top three nominees will be invited to the Gala where we will announce the winner of The Good Neighbor Award.
Desired Characteristics of Nominees:
- Widely known for his/her cheerful giving of time, talent and/or treasure;
- Solid history of humble volunteerism in Gwinnett County;
- Acts of service have had lasting and impactful results; and
- A stand-out among others in the community.
Nominate a Good Neighbor by completing this short and simple questionnaire, available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TheGoodNeighborAward. You may nominate as many people as you wish, and please encourage others to nominate as well!
Nominations should be submitted no later than Sunday, September 15. Nominations will be evaluated by a committee of five community members: Ms. Carla Willis of Willis Mechanical; Pastor Bobby Bolton of Victory World Church; Mrs. Nicole Love Hendrickson of Gwinnett County Government; Nathan Ballantine of Gwinnett County Public Schools; and Ms. Britt Ramroop of the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia.
- For more information about our Good Neighbor Gala, including ticket sales and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.goodsamgwinnett.org/good-neighbor-gala/ or contact me at heni.jordan@goodsamgwinnett.org.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia Highway 20 bridge at Sugar Hill opened … with manpower
Manpower up the bridge
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
SEPT. 6, 2019 | Some stories are worth remembering. Maron Buice of Sugar Hill was instrumental in making sure funds were secured to build the Georgia Highway 20 bridge over the Norfolk-Southern rail tracks in Sugar Hill. That came after five teenage girls from Forsyth County were killed in 1971 in a car-train accident at the intersection, known as Magnum Crossing.
Last week the bridge was formally named for Maron Sidney Buice in a ceremony at the Sugar Hill E Center, after ribbon cutting at the bridge. But the honor was a little slow in coming for Mr. Buice. He told the crowd at last week’s ceremony:
“We got the bridge done in 1975, and people wanted to have put my name put on it. I said nah, let’s wait awhile, for it might look like I would be doing that to get elected again. I wanted to wait a while, but didn’t mean to wait 40 years,” he told those gathered for the honor. Mr. Buice served for 16 years as a county commissioner, the record for modern office-holders in Gwinnett County.
He continued reminiscing to the audience: “Things are promised when you are running for office, you know. They say you had to have a platform. My main thing was to get that crossings in Sugar Hill signalized, and to try to get a bridge.
“First thing I did, I talked to Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Moreland. He helped me get the first signals there at Sugar Hill crossing. He said ‘I think I can get federal help,’ and he did. It would have been hard to do without him.”
When funds were available for building the bridge, it turned out to be the most expensive road project the county had ever undertaken. It was completed in 1975, and Buice was planning a ribbon cutting.
“I called Larry Bailey of Buford, who had this old 1930 Packard automobile he had restored. The car was a beautiful two seater convertible, with cloth top, just great for parades. I asked Larry if he would take some of us to be the first to ride across that bridge in it. I called Tom Moreland (to ride in the car), along with Lewis Canup of the Transportation Department and Bill Atkinson, who was then the chairman of the Gwinnett commission.
“So before the program was to begin, we started out in the car at the bottom of the hill on the east side, and boy, were we happy, and I was proud of it. We got near the top of the bridge and the car just stopped running. I’ll never forget that. No one knew what to do. Tom and all of us were just sitting there. I motioned to a bunch of men nearby, and they came and pushed us over the hill, and then we got going down hill. About that time the car cranked up. So at the bottom of the bridge, Larry turned around the car and we went back across. Police were waiting for letting others cross. I said to them: ‘Y’all ready to open this thing?’ ‘Yeah, just give us that word.’ And I told them, ‘Let’s open it quick.’”
Next day, the Gwinnett Daily News featured those standby guys pushing that stalled 1930 Packard on that first trip over the bridge. What a story for a ceremonial opening of the bridge!
Congratulations, Maron, now 93. He’s living in Sugar Hill after living 10 years in Blue Ridge. Thanks for making Georgia Highway 20 at Sugar Hill safer with that bridge, and your making the first ride across it…..with some help from manpower.
- TO SEE a video taken by Ronnie Buice of the E-Center ceremony, click this link.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett Stripers
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. The Gwinnett Stripers, Triple-A International League (IL) affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, have won the IL South Division this season and opened the 2019 Governors’ Cup Playoffs at Coolray Field on September 4 with a game against Columbus. The Stripers also hosted game two vs. Columbus on September 5. Follow the Stripers all postseason long on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at GoStripers.
- Visit their website: https://www.milb.com/gwinnett
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Recent chart shows how dramatically some counties are changing
Editor, the Forum:
It is dramatic to see the change in population and how it impacts the voting, as shown in a chart in the September 3 issue of GwinnettForum. Non-white citizens obviously vote more Democratic than Republican. This is how America is changing. Non-white citizens can no longer be referred to as “minority”.
— G.G. Getz, Duluth
- 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
New artwork goes up for September at Snellville City Hall
A student and his teacher will display their work at Snellville City Hall starting next week.
Raderstorf
The art of David Raderstorf and Isaac Alcantar will be shown at the City Hall during September, 2019. There will be a reception for the artists from 1 to 3 p.m. September 12, also at City Hall.
Raderstorf says: “Art leaves a legacy for all to view, long after the artist has departed this earth. Art is a window into the mind and soul of its maker. The impact is viewed and felt both the artist and the viewer.”
Raderstorf said he took early retirement and chose to pursue his artwork. “Most of my career was in upper management in the textiles field which required extensive travel around the world,” he said. “This provided me the opportunity to discover the designed and color of many diverse cultures. My work today reflects those observations with the use of vivid colors, textures and designs. My art is currently in private and international collections.”
Alcantar
Alcantar says Raderstorf has been instrumental in his art career. “Art reflects my surroundings, culture, and thoughts,” he says. “It is an adventure of discovery that takes me on a journey of exposure using color, texture and subject. Art allows me to express feeling, including one stimulated by living in a new culture.”
In the past year, Alcantar applied to and was accepted into 20 juried exhibitions, including the Kudzu Open Exhibit and the Georgia Watercolor Society Member Exhibition. In February 2018 he was honored to receive an invitation from the Mexican Consulate to show a solo exhibition.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day coming Sept. 20 in Americus
National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day is Friday, September 20. In honor of that day, the National Park Service, The Ride Home, the Friends of Andersonville, and Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) in Americus will present special programs on Wednesday, September 18, and Friday, September 20.
Featured speaker Colonel Robert Certain (ret.) will be the guest speaker for both the convocation on Wednesday and the event on Friday. The 2019 National POW/MIA Convocation will be held at 11 a.m. on September 18 in the Storm Dome on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University. The public is invited to this free program.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, Robert G. Certain graduated from Emory University in Atlanta with a degree in History and a commission in the US Air Force. As a B-52 navigator he flew 100 missions over Southeast Asia in 1971 and 1972. He was shot down and captured in December 1972 and held as a POW until the war ended.
Following the Vietnam War, he attended the School of Theology, an Episcopal Church seminary in Sewanee, Tennessee, and was ordained as a priest in 1976 after he received his Master of Divinity degree. In 1990, he was awarded his Doctor of Ministry degree from the School of Theology and served as a military chaplain in the Air Force. When former President Gerald R. Ford died in late 2006, Col. Certain led all the memorial services and presided at his burial in Michigan. Today, Colonel Certain serves as the National Commander of the American Ex-Prisoners of War (AXPOW) organization.
At 9:30 a.m. on Friday, September 20, The Ride Home and Andersonville National Historic Site will join together to conduct a special ceremony at the park’s National Prisoner of War Museum. Along with guest speaker Robert Certain, former WWII POW Bill Grafton will discuss his experience being held a prisoner of war by the Germans. Also coming to share the story of her brother who went MIA during the Korean War, is guest speaker Sharon Streetman Ray.
Jackson EMC releases 84 contractors to assist EMCs in N.C.
Jackson EMC has released 84 contractors to help with the anticipated power restoration efforts in North Carolina from the approaching Hurricane Dorian.
The contractors will be assisting Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation in Southport, N.C., located about 30 miles south of Wilmington. The electric cooperative is preparing its 76,000 coastal members for potential widespread power outages from Hurricane Dorian. As of Thursday, forecasts call for the Category 3 storm to impact the North Carolina coast.
Jackson EMC regularly uses contractors for construction, maintenance and vegetation management. The contractors being released to Brunswick EMC are overhead line construction crews. Contractor crews who perform vegetation management for Jackson EMC have also been released by the cooperative to assist with anticipated restoration efforts. The linemen and other support personnel stand ready to respond to our members, if needed.
A principle of co-ops is cooperation among cooperatives. Keeping with that principle, when asked and able, Jackson EMC provides fellow co-ops assistance with power restoration efforts following major outages. The contractors released by Jackson EMC will work alongside Brunswick EMC line crews to safely restore power to the co-op’s members.
New HR firm opens in Peachtree Corners, first office outside Fla.
Staff Builders HR, which specializes in identifying quality talent for businesses, celebrated the opening of its Peachtree Corners location recently. Operated by management and staffing expert Austin Ashworth, the office will serve the north Metro Atlanta area and offer staffing solutions to businesses in administrative, professional and industrial trades.
Ashworth said Staff Builders HR recognizes that each business and its needs are unique and offers a personalized recruiting strategy for each client.
The Peachtree Corners location is the first permanent site in the state for the Florida-based business, which was founded in 2008. The new staffing office is located at 5260 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Suite 600. Ashworth said the company plans on opening an additional four to five locations in the next three to four years.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
“No wonder this book has been on the New York Times best-selling hardcover fiction list for 50 weeks! It’s lyrically well-written book, a compelling story of survival by a six year old, left alone to fend for herself, having only one day of school, no resources, yet with a will and determination to survive in a most isolated shack in the marsh steps from the ocean. The book tells of a backwater coastal area, a paradise to some, as it explains how nature and the ocean’s constant tide works and changes matters, sometimes in spite of mankind. The fast-reading story is overlaid with longings, innovations, resourcefulness, and a yearning for love and companionship. It includes the solving of a mystery that takes you to the very book’s end before you can grasp it all. The author is a native Georgian, who grew up in Thomasville and is a UGA graduate.”—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
In 1941, Macon votes to raise taxes to help construct Robins AFB
Robins Air Force Base is Georgia’s largest industrial installation and is located in Warner Robins, 16 miles south of Macon. Both the base and the town were named for Brigadier General Augustine Warner Robins (1882-1940), one of the first logistics specialists and generals of the Army Air Corps.
The 1935 Wilcox-Wilson bill provided for construction of new army air logistics depots, and in the early 1940s Macon civic leaders, led by Mayor Charles L. Bowden and supported by Congressman Carl Vinson, convinced the War Department to locate an airfield near Macon. In June 1941, after much competition, the War Department approved the construction of a depot in middle Georgia dairy-farm country near the Southern Railroad whistle-stop of Wellston. The site was chosen because of its flat lands, artesian water, proximity to a main rail line, and abundant and cheap land and labor.
Construction officially started with groundbreaking ceremonies on September 1 on a 3,108-acre tract. Macon city fathers, supported by Wellston leaders, obtained property rights from the original owners. The Army Air Forces (AAF) later bought an additional 2,700 acres for the cantonment area, civilian barracks, and the pistol/rifle range. Even though Wellston was in Houston County, Bibb County leaders spent more than $100,000 to obtain Robins Field by increasing city business license taxes and county ad valorem taxes. Spurred on by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, construction on the industrial and cantonment areas was completed by August 31, 1942. The second and third phases were completed the following April.
Known as the Georgia Air Depot in the beginning, the depot has undergone many name changes. During World War II (1941-45) it was re-designated seven times, acquiring “Warner Robins” in the fifth version of its name, when the town of Wellston was renamed to honor General Robins.
Throughout World War II, 23,670 employees repaired almost every kind of AAF aircraft, including B-17s, C-47s, B-29s, B-24s, P-38s, P-47s, and P-51s. Its training facilities turned out nearly 60,000 field repair mechanics for every theater of war. The workforce supplied every kind of part necessary to keep AAF planes flying, especially spark plugs. It also maintained thousands of parachutes, aircraft electronic and radio systems, and AAF small arms.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Three figures in statue bring with them questions of location
Here’s a statue of three figures…..figuring prominently in this country’s history. So the question arises: where are these guys, who do these figures represent, and what’s the big deal? Send your ideas to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown address.
The most recent Mystery Photo didn’t fool some of our identification experts. What looked like a significant old-world castle, turned out to be quite different. The photo came from Joe Edlhuber of Norcross, on a recent trip to Orlando, Fla.
Jim Savadelis, Duluth, responded immediately: “I’m out of town and do not have all my resources with me. However I will say this about today’s picture: it looks like the castle they used in the Harry Potter movies.” Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill, was more specific: “Mystery photo – Hogwarts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando.”
Lou Camerio, Lilburn: “This looks very medieval and mystical. It should because it is part of Universal’s Island of Adventure in Orlando, Fla. Harry Potter is probably flying around the turrets.”
Bob Foreman of Grayson: “I just now looked at the mystery photo and decided it was not some mysterious castle in Europe. It looks like the Harry Potter (ride) at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Thought you could fool us?” George Graf of Palmyra, Va. also identified the photo.
Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex.: “What appears easy on the surface can sometimes require further scrutiny and very close attention to detail. Why do I bring this up? Well, although the mystery photo is easily identifiable as Hogwarts Castle ,which is part of the ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey’ theme ride, there are in fact three separate attractions all built on the very same scale and blueprint, making them rather difficult to distinguish from each other without a careful examination of the area surrounding the castles themselves.
“The Hogwarts Castle in today’s mystery photo is the one located at the Islands Of Adventure Theme Park, in Orlando, Florida. Opened in June 2010, the ride takes guests through scenes and environments in and around Hogwarts Castle.
“What was particularly challenging about today’s mystery photo is that this very same ride was opened at Universal Studios Japan (Osaka, Japan) in July 2014 and then again at Universal Studios Hollywood (University City, Calif.) in April 2016. Examining online photos of all three versions of this theme ride reveals very few distinguishing features in the structure themselves. The main factors that help me confirm that this was the one in Orlando was the shape of the trees in the foreground, the eight spotlights to the left of the castle, and the white-top building just visible in the lower-right part of the frame.”
Grand Ole Dance Party will be today (Friday) September 6 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Bethesda Park Senior Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville. Grandparents, bring your grandchildren for a night of dancing, games, and pizza! Get dressed up or keep it casual. For children 12 and under. Grandparents 50 and up. Cost: $15 per person; one grandparent with one child. $5 for additional child. Call 678-277-0179 for more information.
Community Health Fair for all ages will be September 7 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Best Friend Park Gym, 6225 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, in Norcross. The Fair is free and includes health screenings, dynamic exhibitors, fitness demos, wellness presentations, giveaways, blood drives, and more. It is put on in partnership with the Gwinnett Daily Post and Live Healthy Gwinnett. Call 678-277-0222 for more information.
2019 British Car Fayre, the 19th annual, will be in downtown Norcross on September 7, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Come and view, with no admission cost, over 400 distinctive British automobiles and motorcycles. Hop on and hop off a London Double Deck bus. Visit the Boot Sale. Proceeds benefit the Amanda Riley Foundation. Details: atlantabritishcarfayre.com.
Authors’ Visit: hear Lynn Cullen in conversation with Patti Callahan Henry at Peachtree Corners City Hall on Tuesday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m. Cullen is the national bestselling author of Mrs. Poe, a National Public Radio 2013 Great Read. She recently released her latest novel, The Sisters of Summit Avenue. Patti Callahan Henry is the bestselling author of 15 novels including the historical fiction Becoming Mrs. Lewis. Her latest contemporary novel is The Favorite Daughter.
Elder law specialist Brannon-Napier LLC will be at Temple Beth David (1885 McGee Road, Snellville) on Tuesday, September 10 at 7 p.m. to discuss preparing the various documents important to seniors and families with older parents. That includes wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advanced directives for health care and other options. Rabbi Jesse Charynwill also discuss preparing an ethical will.There will be time for questions and answers. Admission is $10.
9/11 Remembrance ceremony will be on September 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. The event will be at the Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, in front of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. Join the Department of Fire and Emergency Services as county officials reflect on the importance of remembering the events and honoring the men and women of public safety.
Juried Art Exhibit at the Tannery Row Artist Colony in Buford begins September 14 and continues until November 1. The opening reception will be September 14 from 5-8 p.m. Includes a variety of media, including painting, pastel, colored pencil, pen and ink, mixed media, printmaking, fibre arts, photography, digital art and three dimensional art, including ceramics, pottery and found object sculpture. The Colony is located at 554 West Main Street in Buford.
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