GwinnettForum | Number 20.73 | Oct. 9, 2020
A NEW ROUNDABOUT at the intersection of Day Drive and Venture Drive near Steve Reynolds Boulevard is on track to be finished before the end of the year. The project includes the installation of lighting at the roundabout, curb and gutter, sidewalks, and drainage improvements, along with upgrades to the Steve Reynolds Boulevard intersection. Funding comes from the 2009 and 2017 SPLOST programs, the State Road and Tollway Authority, and the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Here are GwinnettForum endorsements in upcoming general election
SPOTLIGHT: Law Office of J. Michael Levengood, LLC
FEEDBACK: Early Boston subway was funded by private firms with eminent domain
UPCOMING: Plein Air artists plan event in Duluth for three days
RECOMMENDED: Melania and Me by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia coastal waters provided tremendous varied resource
MYSTERY PHOTO: Official-looking structure is today’s Mystery Photo
Here are GwinnettForum general election endorsements
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 9, 2020 | It’s been a record year for candidates in Georgia, with originally 21 persons seeking an unexpired U.S. Senate term. So far this year, GwinnettForum has interviewed 128 state and local candidates to learn about them so we can determine the candidates we feel most worthy of the Gwinnett voter’s choice. What follows is our endorsement of the candidates we think will best serve our area in the coming years. You note the individual endorsements are not extensive, usually less than 100 words, and get to the point quickly. Readers can turn to the candidate’s answers to our formal questions to learn more about each of them.
The complete ballot in Gwinnett has 42 different political contests listed. That includes 25 different Georgia legislative races. So each voter will be faced with choosing a candidate in 17 individual races on the Gwinnett ballot, plus their state Senate and House representative.
One way GwinnettForum readers can become more informed about which candidate they may vote for is to read the candidate’s answers in writing to questions we asked them, after their visit with us.
GwinnettForum will not endorse a candidate for president. Here’s why: we figure that of all the political races in this country in 2020, more people know more about the presidential race than any other. It’s far more important to give information about the races most people know much less about. Go out and support your choice of presidential candidate with your vote.
U.S. Senatorial candidates
For seat currently held by David Perdue:
With Georgia having two Senate races this year, should Democrats win both races, it could dramatically help change the party control of the U.S. Senate. In currently Republican-led Georgia, that is a long shot. Still Democrats have hope. For this seat, we endorse the candidacy of Democrat Jon Ossoff, 33, of Grant Park. We like his positions on several issues, including his understanding for an improved federally-mandated health care system, and wanting a more competitive local infrastructure for hospitals. While he is relatively young, he has the poise and the background to represent Georgians well. At the same time, this young man can start gaining Senate seniority so that in the future he can be in a position to help Georgia even more.
For seat of the incomplete term of Johnny Isakson:
With so many candidates in this race, we see only two or three candidates gaining significant votes. We recognize that there will probably be a runoff (on January 5) for this seat. We endorse the Democratic candidate, Raphael Warnock, 51, of Atlanta to become the next senator. He is only the fifth pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, and brings a long time commitment to community service and a fresh face to the contest. He wants to translate years of advocating for issues such as criminal justice reform, voting rights, health care and climate change. We anticipate that he will become a solid performer in this office, and lead progressive efforts to revamp the Senate into a place more sensitized to a wider range of people.
Congressional candidates
U.S. Congress, Fourth District:
This district has been represented by Democrat Hank Johnson for years, and for particularly the Gwinnett portion, has been somewhat neglected by this Congressman. Therefore, we support the candidacy of the Republican Johsie Cruz Ezammudeen , 50, of Marietta, a medical insurance company official. She is a native of Venezuela, who has been in this country for 25 years. She sees the district virtually abandoned by neglect of Mr. Johnson, and compares it to living in a Third World culture. While she calls her opponent a laid-back politician, Ms. Cruz is a fiery zealot who will make a name for herself in leading this district, and we feel, will give more attention to its Gwinnett County portion.
U.S. Congress, Seventh District:
For many years, Gwinnett County has seen a Republican represent this district. Democrat Carolyn Bourdreaux, 49, of Suwanee, a Georgia State professor, is making her second attempt to capture this Congressional seat after narrowly losing the race by 300 votes in 2018. She wants to kick-start the economy and support small businesses. She sees the most acute problem facing the district as health care reform, wanting to protect people with pre-existing conditions, and to create a robust affordable public health option for individuals and small businesses. She also advocates the government negotiating drug prices, and end surprise hospital billings. We heartily endorse Carolyn Boudreaux for this Congressional seat.
U.S. Congress, Tenth District:
No endorsement.
Statewide candidates
Public Service Commission, District 1:
This body regulates many utilities in Georgia, with voters statewide electing the members, who run in districts. Our choice is current board member Republican Jason Shaw, 48, of Naylor, in deep south Georgia. He owns an insurance agency, and is a former state legislator. He wants to insure diversified low cost energy for Georgians, and also wants to see an improved broadband for rural Georgians, a subject the Commission has recently been tasked to oversee. We recommend that Mr. Shaw continue on the Commission.
Public Service Commission, District 2:
Republican Bubba McDonald, 81, of Clarksville is the longest serving member of the Commission, having served for 17 years. Prior to that, he was in the Legislature for 20 years. Still vigorous, he is a proponent of diversified, integrated means of producing electrical power, including nuclear generation, and also champions expanded solar power for Georgia. “We need to not overload any one means of electricity, like California did,” he says. We endorse his candidacy to continue on the Commission.
Georgia Senate candidates
Senate District 9:
Gwinnettians are blessed to have two good candidates in this race. Because of his past record at the Legislature, we support Republican P.K. Martin, 43, of Lawrenceville, continuing in this office. Now in his sixth year as a senator, and with eight years on the Lawrenceville City Council, he is well prepared to represent this district. He is particularly interested in fostering better education in preparing young Georgians for their future. We like the civil manner in which he approaches this position, and are pleased to recommend that he continue in this position.
Senate District 40:
Another incumbent senator who has distinguished herself in office is Democrat Sally Harrell, 50, of Tucker. Prior to this office, she served three terms in the Georgia House. She’s especially interested in better funding for public schools, including updating Quality Basic Education. She also has been an advocate for better and affordable health care. It’s with pride that we endorse her re-election.
Senate District 41:
For this position, GwinnettForum endorses Democrat Kim Jackson, 35, an Episcopal priest, to represent the area. She is a native of Elkins, W.V. She is married to Tria. They make their home in Stone Mountain. She says that in the past, she has spent 15 years on the Capitol steps in protests, and found that “nobody inside cared. I want to make Georgia a better place, by going inside, to make the area safer, fairer and prosperous.” She also wants to continue the Nathan Deal legacy of reducing the incarceration rate in the state.
Senate District 45:
A newcomer to politics, for this district we recommend the candidacy of Democrat Matielyn Jones, 38, of Buford. With a background as a teacher, she is a native of New Orleans, and is energetic as a project manager for Habitat for Humanity. She wants to see more compassion in politics, and more progress in people of faith serving their communities. A priority in her outlook is the homeless, with her wanting more resources to address this problem, and the related problem of mass incarceration.
Senate District 48:
Here is another contest with especially bright, educated candidates. Our choice to represent this district is Republican Matt Reeves, 42, of Duluth. An attorney, he is the only candidate we have heard of this year who advocates that most Gwinnett County elected offices (school board, county commission, etc.) should be non-partisan, something to which many Gwinnettians will agree. He also wants to strengthen Georgia’s ethics legislation, an admirable choice. With his overall conservative views, he will well represent the people at the statehouse, and we endorse his candidacy.
Georgia House candidates
House District 93:
Democrat Dar’Shun Kendrick, 38, who is an attorney from Lithonia, has served for 10 years in the Georgia House, with increased popularity and efficiency. We urge her re-election. She represents a portion of Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties. We endorse her returning for her sixth term. She works for more money for education, criminal justice reform, and empowering small businesses. Among other items, she would like to pass a bill to take marijuana off the Schedule 1 drug list.
House District 95:
Now in her first term in the Georgia House, we support the re-election of Democrat Beth Moore, 38, of Peachtree Corners. An entertainment attorney, she has distinguished herself in her post in the legislature. She recognizes the weaknesses in Georgia’s health care system, citing in the COVID crisis the inadequate testing, delayed results, and devastating racial disparities that have taken place. She pledges to fight to protect every woman’s and every family’s right to control their own medical decisions. She is a strong proponent for progressive legislation, and deserves another term in the House.
House District 97:
Another Gwinnettian now completing her first term as a legislator is moderate Republican Bonnie Rich, 51, an attorney of Suwanee. She has served admirably, and we endorse her for another term. She has a heart for the less fortunate, elderly and children and can be seen fighting for these and other downtrodden people at the statehouse. Her work on curtailing vaping products licensed by the Revenue Department was most prominent and important. We need more solid leaders like her.
House District 98:
It’s good to see more minorities seeking office after they have assimilated into the community. A Democrat seeking this house seat is Taeho Cho, 70, of Buford, who has had a dream of wanting to serve the people some day. He is a native of Seoul, Korea, has been in this country for 37 years, and is now a Realtor after retiring as a truck driver and member of the Teamsters union. He wants to work for police reform and the abolishment of the Citizen’s Arrest law. His zeal and efforts will make him a good representative and we endorse his candidacy.
House District 101:
Another legislator completing his second term in the House, we endorse the candidacy of Democrat Sam Park, 34, of Lawrenceville for House District 101, around Lawrenceville. A native of Decatur whose parents are from Korea, he is an attorney and general practice consultant. He is highly intelligent, grasps the issues, and offers reasonable solutions to them. We like his sensible approach to problems in the community and in the General Assembly, such as non-discrimination policies, civil rights legislation, and continuing of criminal justice reforms. We will be pleased to see him re-elected to this post.
House District 102:
Another Democrat who was first elected to the House in 2018 is Gregg Kennard, 54, of Lawrenceville, a pastor with Inspire Outreach. His particular interest is working with the homeless, with people who have suffered domestic violence and others who are marginalized. He also focuses on children and realizes the need to have all students reading well by the third grade, or else they are exponentially more likely to experience dropping from school, teen pregnancy, poverty, poor health, and incarceration. We like his thinking and approach, and look forward to him being re-elected.
House District 103:
A retired engineer and graduate of Dartmouth College, Democrat Clifton Marshall , 65, of Buford, an Atlanta native, is our choice to represent this portion of Gwinnett. He learned as a child to “…have faith in God, support your family, do the best you can, get a good education and give back to the community.” Now he turns to giving back. He is running in a district that has had no Democrat opposing the Republican last term. The area overlaps into Hall County. He seeks to make sure that education is fully funded by the Legislature, so that “anywhere you go in Georgia, you will be able to get a good education,” and we support him.
House District 104:
A state legislator who has been a proponent for forward-thinking bills, Republican Chuck Efstration, 37, who lives in Dacula, should be re-elected to this post. His most important work last term was in writing and getting passed Georgia’s Hate Crime bill, the first state in the union to do so. He also advocates eliminating Georgia’s Citizen’s Arrest legislation. He works easily across party lines, wants to assist foster parents for an easier process of opening homes to children in need; and advocates bail reform. He is a former assistant district attorney, prosecuting felony cases. He currently focuses on family law as an attorney.
House District 105:
Another legislator who deserves an additional term in the House is Democrat Donna McLeod, 52, of Lawrenceville. She is a native of Jamaica, who grew up in Canada and has lived in this country for 20 years. She is a chemistry graduate of Humber College in Toronto and a consultant for a medical device company. She seeks to provide pragmatic leadership, saying that her Republican colleagues “do not use science and data to help understand and solve our problems. We need that, and with my science background, I can help in that area.” She is an out-of-the-box thinker who Georgians need to ensure good legislation gets rewarded.
House District 106:
Another accomplished scientist seeking to become a legislator is Democrat Rebecca Mitchell , 38, of Snellville. She is a Harvard graduate, with a doctorate from Cornell, and now is a researcher focused on big data analytics at Emory. She became interested in politics when waiting for six weeks on an abortion debate. She says: “We do not have to stand outside the Capitol asking for votes. We can be inside the Capitol casting them. I want to see healthcare affordable and accessible. I want reproductive rights and accompanying family support systems.” She is a spirited activist who will bring new direction to the General Assembly. We advocate her election.
House District 107:
A native of New Orleans, Democrat Shelly Hutchinson, 48, now lives in Snellville, and operates a social empowerment center. She has completed one term as a legislator, and deserves to serve another term. She is particularly interested in public transit, recognizing that the county’s roadways and transit system haven’t kept pace with the influx of newcomers. She adds that “We cannot attract major businesses to Gwinnett when our transit system is lacking, our pedestrian walkways are limited and our roadways are not cyclist-friendly.” She is a graduate of Louisiana State University in criminal justice, and holds a master’s degree from the University of Georgia in social work. She’s our choice for this post.
House District 108:
Seeking re-election, Democrat Jasmine Clark is completing her first term in the legislature and is worthy of being re-elected. She is 37, a Georgia native, lives in Lilburn, has a doctorate in microbiology and lectures at Emory’s School of Medicine. Her main areas of interest at the Legislature are education and health care, wanting to give Georgians more access in both areas. She also plans to re-introduce changes in criminal justice. We endorse her candidacy.
For local offices in Gwinnett
District Attorney of Gwinnett:
This is a key race in Gwinnett, as this office carries with it a heavy responsibility for making sure justice is served fairly and equally. We feel the best person to ensure this office is efficiently and fairly run is the incumbent Republican, Danny Porter, 65, of Braselton. He has served in this office with distinction for 28 years, is seen as a fierce proponent of justice, and each year his office handles more than 5,000 cases. His opponent has little experience in this area, and is considered by the Gwinnett Bar Association poll not to be qualified for this office. It will be to Gwinnett’s benefit to see Danny Porter continue in office. We urge his re-election.
Sheriff of Gwinnett:
In this race, we endorse Democrat Keybo Taylor , 59, of Lawrenceville, a native Georgian, a retired Gwinnett County police major and precinct commander, who served on the force for 26 years. He feels a key element in this race is his goal to eliminate the use of the federal 287 (G) program, which is aimed at the immigrant community, feeling it creates community distrust, has lost its original focus, and has been used instead to detain and expel non-citizens who have been stopped for minor offenses. He also sees a chance to improve operations at the Gwinnett County jail, reduce overtime and install public-private partnerships to improve operations.
Tax Commissioner of Gwinnett:
Average citizens do not realize how complicated the functions of the office of tax commissioner are, as it seeks to collect county taxes in a fair and equitable manner. More than $1.5 BILLION dollars flow through this office each year. Besides collecting taxes, the office is charged with being a tag agent for the state. Gwinnettians have seen this office recently implement tremendous beneficial improvements when obtaining an automobile tag, which is reflective of the efficient way Richard Steele has run the entire operation. For these reasons, we ask Gwinnett citizens to return to office the incumbent Republican Richard Steele , 47, of Lawrenceville. He has 15 years in this office, nine as the commissioner.
County Commission chair:
The overwhelming surprising primary vote of Nicole Love Hendrickson , 40, of Lilburn in the Democratic primary, where she polled 49 percent of the vote, just missing winning the race against four opponents, was most impressive. She is a native of Rhode Island and graduate of that state’s university. This newcomer to a political race is a 10 year employee of Gwinnett County, who has held key positions in county government, and could be said to be virtually a protégé of Republican Chairman Charlotte Nash. She has been seasoned in government policy and has a burgeoning grass root political support. We urge her election, and look forward to her having a steady hand at steering the Gwinnett County government and bringing the Commission together over the next four years.
County Commission, District 1:
Seeking county-level political office for the first time is Kirkland Carden, 31, of Duluth. He resigned his seat on the Duluth City Councilman to run for this office. He is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a graduate of Georgia State University. He works in environmental policy for the Georgia Department of Transportation. He seeks a better plan for moving people around through transportation in Gwinnett, and is also an advocate for a comprehensive approach to housing in Gwinnett. We feel he is the best candidate to work with the rest of the commission for improving Gwinnett, and endorse his candidacy.
County Commission, District 3:
Both candidates in this race would make good county commissioners. We go with Democrat Jasper Watkins , 62, of Grayson, to fill this post. He is a native of Columbia, S.C., and a retired Army lieutenant colonel and nuclear pharmacist. He’s running to bring new vision to the commission, particularly in the area of public transportation, including public transit. He also wants more transparency and less partisanship in government. He polled 48.7 percent in seeking this same office in 2016. He could have retired anywhere, but chose to retire in Gwinnett because of its bright and outgoing suburban atmosphere. Now he offers to help the county move forward. We ought to take him up on this. We endorse his candidacy.
Gwinnett School Board, District 1:
Gwinnett has arguably the best county public school system in Georgia, and among the best in the nation, even though it enrolls 180,000 students. One reason it has done so well has been because the incumbent, Republican Carol C. Boyce, 70, of Dacula, has helped guide its board with effectiveness and distinction. She stands for the high quality of educational standards that this board needs. This superb leadership is threatened this year if two more unknown and untried Democrats are elected. We pray that enough Democrats join Republicans in re-electing Carol Boyce to this post.
Gwinnett School Board, District 3:
Again, we hope both Democrats and Republicans can come together to re-elect incumbent Republican Mary Kay Murphy, 79, of Peachtree Corners, to this school board post. It will take a majority of experienced, progressive and informed voters to recognize the School Board is in peril if it elects two inexperienced Democrats to guide our School Board. Ms. Murphy has led from her position on the school with the best educational practices that has guided this system with excellence. We urge her return to this office.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Law Office of J. Michael Levengood, LLC
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriter is the Law Office of J. Michael Levengood, LLC. Before relocating his general civil practice six years ago to Lawrenceville, Mike Levengood practiced law as a partner in an Atlanta firm for almost 34 years, handling a wide variety of commercial and litigation matters for business clients. Mike is a community leader in Gwinnett County where he serves on several non-profit boards.
- Visit this supporter’s web site at https://www.levengoodlaw.com
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Early Boston subway funded by private firms
Editor, the Forum:
That was an interesting article on my home town’s public transportation system. I grew up in Saugus, Mass., which is fairly close to Boston. Saugus is about 10 to 12 miles from downtown Boston. Which in Atlanta would put it well within the perimeter.
I remember using the buses to get around in my youth. The subway, not so much, since it was a five mile car ride or bus ride to the closest station at the end of the Blue line in Revere. You are correct that it was the first subway. However did you know that according to Wikipedia “Mass transportation in Boston was provided by private companies, often granted charters by the state legislature for limited monopolies, with powers of eminent domain to establish a right-of-way, until the creation of the MTA in 1947.”
So it wasn’t so much the citizens or the government who began the subway, but private investment. The “MTA”, Boston’s version of MARTA, a precursor to the current “MBTA,” wasn’t established until 1947. This was 50 years after the first Subway.
— Tim Sullivan, Buford
Thanks, Tim. Some of that is new information for us. –eeb
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
Plein air artists plan weekend event in Duluth
For three days in this upcoming weekend, more than 50 artists from all across Georgia and beyond will be flocking to Duluth to participate in a Pléin Air painting, or painting outside, event. Included will be some 20 full-time professional artists, plus 30 artists in the “open” category. All around the Duluth area the artists will set up their easels. It’s anticipated they will create 150 original pieces of art, inspired by local scenes.
There will be an Artist’s Reception on Sunday afternoon, October 11, from 6-8 p.m. at the offices of Adrian Collaborative, 3150 Main Street in Duluth, giving art patrons a chance to meet the artists. On display will be the Pléin Air production done earlier.
Display and sale of all art will continue throughout the week, from 1-5 p.m. each day until Saturday, October 17.
This event was created by 2 Smith Art Gallery and the City of Duluth. Paint Duluth 5 is a fundraiser for the Duluth Public Art Commission, and the Duluth Fine Art League, both non-profits.
Humane Society to hold “Clogs for Dogs” through Oct. 24
Gwinnett Humane Society is conducting a shoe drive fundraiser through October 24 to raise funds for animals for adoption. Gwinnett Humane Society will earn funds based on the total weight of the pairs of gently worn, used and new shoes collected, as Funds2Orgs will issue a check for the collected shoes. Anyone can help by donating gently worn, used and new shoes at Gwinnett Humane Society, 3370 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite D-5, in Lawrenceville, on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p. m. or by appointment by contacting contactus@gwinnetthumane.com.
Gwinnett Humane Society is also partnering with the City of Lawrenceville for a Clogs for Dogs Drop Off event at Gwinnett County Bicentennial Plaza on Saturday, October 17. Volunteers may drop off shoes from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 275 South Perry Street in Lawrenceville.
All donated shoes will then be redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs network of micro-enterprise (small business) partners. Funds2Orgs works with micro-entrepreneurs in helping them create, maintain and grow small businesses in developing countries where economic opportunity and jobs are limited. Proceeds from the sales of the shoes collected in shoe drive fundraisers are used to feed, clothe and house their families. One budding entrepreneur in Haiti even earned enough to send her son to law school.
Melania and Me by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
From: Raleigh Perry, Buford: This is a book you don’t need to read. Over the past couple of months, I have upped my credit card bill at Barnes & Noble and Amazon ridiculously. I have bought a pot-load of books, some with excitement, and some with boredom betwixt the covers. If my word is enough for you, I suggest that you simply do not even start this book. I am not so sure that Melania is the main character, and I have never found her either good looking or anything special. The book seems to be sort of a biography of the author. I find her little more than a name dropper, and I hate that. If you were to write the name of everyone she mentions who is not integral to the story on a calling card, and dropped it into a 55 gallon drum, by page 150, the drum would be filled.
An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia coastal waters provide tremendous varied resource
The coastal and offshore waters of Georgia provide a tremendous and varied resource.
The continental shelf off Georgia is about 80 miles wide and is the widest in the South Atlantic Bight, which extends from Cape Canaveral, Fla., to Cape Hatteras, N.C.. The Gulf Stream marks the eastern boundary of the shelf.
With respect to natural resources, commercially important fishes such as snapper and grouper collect along bottom reefs throughout the middle of the shelf waters. Numerous commercial and recreational migratory fish also pass through these waters seasonally, including Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, wahoo, and dolphin fish. Several migratory species are known to spawn in the offshore waters, often near the Gulf Stream: these include menhaden, bluefish, mackerel, and squid.
On the inner shelf the shrimp fishery provides a large fraction of the total value of the seafood industry. The offshore waters are also the migratory routes of several species of marine turtles, which nest on Georgia beaches; several of these species are threatened throughout their ranges, so the hatching success on Georgia beaches is critical. The extremely endangered North Atlantic right whale, currently thought to number less than 350, uses the shelf waters off Georgia and northeastern Florida during winter as its calving grounds.
The land/ocean interface creates a contiguous boundary along 21 peripheral states and is thereby vital for such activities as commerce, resource exploitation, and strategic security. Continental shelf waters, by connecting rivers to the open ocean, serve as a conduit for freshwater flow from the continent. Due to the tremendous population growth along the East Coast, however, coastal waters receive contaminated effluent from the nation’s industrial and agricultural centers.
Further, the total discharge of freshwater into shelf regions has decreased 15 percent during the last half of the 20th century because of increased water use. As the human population has grown, so have nutrient concentrations. These nutrients result in increased plant growth (eutrophication), which has caused long-term changes in the global carbon cycle. Productive shelf waters can potentially absorb much of the excess carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, that mankind is loading into the atmosphere, but ironically, the ability of the offshore waters to absorb carbon dioxide depends upon the very nutrients that cause eutrophication. Thus, cleaning up one mess (too many nutrients) may actually hinder the ocean’s ability to help cleanse our atmosphere.
Because of the value of the offshore natural resources, scientific research in the coastal and offshore waters of Georgia has been conducted since the 1970s.
The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, located in Savannah, is an autonomous research unit of the University of Georgia. Research activities at the institute are conducted on scales ranging from local economic and environmental issues to global processes and phenomena. In addition, the Skidaway Institute serves regional and statewide educational and management needs for access to marine research facilities. Coastal marshes and nearshore water are studied at the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to http://georgiaencyclopedia.org
Official-looking structure is today’s Mystery Photo
Today’s Mystery Photo looks somewhat official, right? Now, can you identify where this photograph was taken. Send your best guess to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
We thought longtime Georgians would recognize the most recent Mystery Photo, and that was right. The photograph was of a statue of Paul Anderson in Toccoa, sent to us by Janice Rinaldo of Grayson, who asked “Is that the photo of Paul Anderson, the world’s strongest man of Toccoa, that I submitted to you a few years back?” It was.
David Will of Lilburn was first in with the correct answer, followed by George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Al Swint, Tucker; Gary Cobb, DeLand, Fla.; Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill; Emmett Clower, Snellville; Lou Camiero, Lilburn; Howard Hoffman, Berkeley Lake; Mamie Outler, Buford; and Joseph Hopkins, Norcross.
Bo O’Kelley of Peachtree Corners said he had never been to Toccoa, “….but I have heard of Paul Anderson. And I saw Paul Anderson as a Lovett Middle School student when he came to our school as a motivational speaker. He also demonstrated why he was known as the strongest man in the world. He drove nails into a 2×4 with his bare hand, and lifted a table with several of our high school football players sitting on it.”
Virginia Klaer of Duluth noted that Anderson, born in 1932, who died in 1994, was “An American weightlifter, a strong and powerful man. In 1956 he won the Olympic Gold Medal. He was in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1957 as he lifted 6,270 pounds in a backlift which solidified his title of ‘The Worlds Strongest Man.’”
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. added more detail: “The mystery photo is of a statue called the ‘World’s Strongest Man’ and is located in Paul Anderson Memorial Park, in Toccoa, just a short 850-feet distance from his birth place at 820 East Tugalo Street. While his birth home is currently privately owned, the front yard has a large granite monument and historical marker identifying the property as his birthplace. Paul Edward Anderson was a professional weightlifter, and strongman who gained widespread recognition in the 1950s and 1960s as the strongest man in the world. As evident in the mystery photo, the Paul Anderson Memorial Park features a large, life-size statue of him performing an overhead barbell lift, commemorating his 1956 Summer Olympic gold medal win of the Weightlifting (Heavyweight) competition in Melbourne, Australia. The concept of a park honoring Paul Anderson came not from the city leaders, but rather from some fourth grade SEARCH students from the Stephens County School System. Starting in 1999, the students began researching the life of the town’s biggest celebrity, and by October 2008 they were successful in having the park opened and dedicated to their local hero.”
After his weightlifting career, Anderson undertook another career helping troubled boys. Wikipedia tells us: “In 1961, Anderson and his wife Glenda founded the Paul Anderson Youth Home, a home for troubled youth in Vidalia, Georgia. They both helped to build and support the Home with an average of 500 speaking engagements and strength exhibitions per year—notwithstanding the chronic congenital kidney disease that eventually killed him at age 61.”
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