GwinnettForum | Number 21.13 | Feb. 9, 2021
IT’LL TAKE A TRIP TO FLORIDA, but if you want to see the giant sea cows, manatees, it’s time to visit Blue Springs State Park in Orange City, Fla. For one family’s visit, see Today’s Focus below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Visiting Central Florida in winter? Be sure to see the manatees
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Gwinnett was right to remove Confederate statue from courthouse
SPOTLIGHT: Mingledorff’s
PHOTO ESSAY: Hudgens Center’s new exhibit concentrates on artwork about birds
FEEDBACK: Veteran educator has two suggestions for improving schools
UPCOMING: Vaccine shots now available at former Sears at Gwinnett Place Mall
NOTABLE: GALEO announces 14th annual Cesar Chavez essay contest
RECOMMENDED: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
GEORGIA TIDBIT: African Americans built, owned, operated Morton Theatre
MYSTERY PHOTO: Lots of detail in today’s Mystery Photo
Visiting central Florida in winter? See the manatees
By Bert Nasuti
PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga.n | When many people think of Florida wildlife, they think of alligators. We’ve found that there is another indigenous resident of Florida great to see up close, and that is the Florida manatee.
Bert and daughter Rebecca Nasuti at Orange City, Fla. She is a Norcross High graduate, who attended the University of Georgia, got an undergraduate degree in international studies and a Master’s in public administration, all in four years, and then earned a master’s in education at American University. She is a vice principal of the Kipp Charter School in Washington, D.C.
While we have seen manatees in marinas along the intracoastal near our vacation home in Ponce Inlet, word is that if you really want to see manatees, you see them more inland, during the winter. With a little help from Google, we discovered that Florida manatees move away from the coast when shore area water temperatures are too cool for them. They require a water temperature over 66 degrees. Where do they go? To Blue Spring State Park, some 35 miles inland near the small town of Orange City, Fla., west of Daytona, Beach.
We visited Blue Spring in early January only to find out the manatee congregation was no secret. There was a 45 minute wait to enter the park, and it was well worth it. The park is expansive, with walking trails and decks following the springs all the way up to where the water churns up from the underwater aquifer. And while much of the year the park is a kayaker, tuber or scuba diver’s paradise, in January it is focused on manatees. Entering the park, you see a Manatee count for the day. On our visit, the daily count was 185.
This spring water is crystal clear. As you look out, you can see hundreds of manatees milling around, with some swimming in no particular hurry. You see young calves staying close to their mothers and schools of huge fish swimming near the manatees, ignoring their size and presence.
Seeing all this, you realize that there is almost nothing like observing nature at its best. The serene setting of the springs, and the other wildlife create an ambiance like a scene from the movie Jurassic Park.
Prior to this excursion, the only time we had seen a manatee up close was at a marina. There a dockhand had started splashing water with a hose, which caused a manatee to come right up to the dock. When the dock hand dropped the hose into the water, the manatee took its flippers and guided the hose into its mouth. The dockhand explained the manatee was drinking from the hose because they need fresh water, not salt water. As the time passed on and the manatee had been drinking well past the five minute plus mark, I commented it “seems it was drinking a lot of water.” The dockhand said: “Well, that’s a lot of manatee”.
If you are in Central Florida during the winter and can make it to Blue Spring State Park, it is well worth the scenery and the adventure to visit and see the manatees. And yes, like everywhere else in Florida, there are alligators in the area with plenty of warning signs to avoid them.
But on the day of our visit, it was a manatee day for sure.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett was right to remove Confederate statue from courthouse
The county voted to move this statue last week.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
FEB. 9, 2021 | The United States is a nation governed by law. Whims, usurpations, uprising and power-by-taking are not part of the American way of life. We are a republic organized under democratic principles.
While it is the power of the people that rule, this comes about through the people systematically voting in regular elections to choose their leaders.
The very act of Congress or Georgia’s Legislature meeting in a routine session is how we govern. And this week’s gathering of the U.S. Senate to determine whether President Trump should be found guilty in the impeachment trial is another, though unusual, example of the rule of law.
Another example of the rule of law took place last week in Gwinnett County, when the county commission voted to remove the Confederate monument from the grounds of the Historic Courthouse. They placed it in storage pending the outcome of legal action. Their concern was the possibility of more vandalism on the statue, and for the concern of public safety.
However, in this day and age, Confederate statues are appalling to many in Gwinnett, one of the state’s most diverse counties. We can understand why this symbol may upset some residents. Its removal seems to us justified.
Their action is another example of the rule by law. We didn’t see vandals trying to remove the statue without legal precedent. Instead, the county commission acted in what it conceives to be the best interest of the county through peaceful means.
This statue in Hamilton, Ga., looks like one in Macon, Ga. Image via Wikipedia.
The Gwinnett Confederate memorial was unusual in that it had not been erected very long. It only was placed in 1993 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Currently the Georgia Legislature is also bringing up the topic of Confederate statues in other cities throughout the state. It is a fitting subject for modern Georgia.
However, we hope some compromise can be established on the future of Stone Mountain Park. Removing that giant carving on the face of the mountain would feel similar to the Taliban destruction of monuments in Afghanistan. These monuments are part of all our history, of a nation governed by law.
THERE ARE MANY CIVIL WAR and Confederate monuments throughout our nation, located in 31 states, not just in 11 former Confederate states. The vast majority of the monuments were erected between 1890-1950, the era of Jim Crow segregation.
Now here’s an interesting part: many of the South’s monuments turn out to be identical to the statues of Union soldiers that decorate hundreds of public spaces across the North. Identical, but for one detail: on the soldier’s belt buckle, the “U.S.” is replaced by a “C.S.” for “Confederate States.”
In Bridgeport, Conn., the Monumental Bronze Company was a key player in this statue business. You could purchase for $450 a life-sized model statue built from zinc, commemorating this cause. If you wanted a “jumbo” model, it would cost $750. And this was modern one-stop shopping, since the firm would ship it to your town prefabricated, and send someone to your town to erect the monument.
Now we know why that statue in downtown Macon, for instance, looks similar to other Confederate statues in Georgia. After all, they mostly come from the same company in Connecticut.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Mingledorff’s
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s featured sponsor is Mingledorff’s, an air conditioning distributor of the Carrier Air Conditioning Company. Mingledorff’s corporate office is located at 6675 Jones Mill Court in Norcross, Ga. and is proud to be a sponsor of the Gwinnett Forum. With 37 locations in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina, Mingledorff’s is the convenient local source with a complete line for the quality heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration parts and supplies you need to service and install HVAC/R equipment. Product lines include Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Totaline and Bard.
- For all of your HVAC needs, and information on the products Mingledorff’s sells, visit www.mingledorffs.com and www.carrier.com.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Hudgens Center’s new exhibit concentrates on bird artwork
The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning in Duluth is presenting a new exhibit, THREE BILLION, curated by Laura Adams, through April 24.
The title represents the number of the North America’s native bird population that has been lost in the last 50 years. The exhibit features work from several artists in diverse media. In the foyer of the Art Center, as part of the exhibit, is a hanging circle of different bird houses. The bird house exhibit was put together by Ashlee Mays, who works through a non-profit called “The Museum of Infinite Outcomes.”The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Georgia Audubon Society.
Mardi Gras birdhouse
Stick birdhouse
Square birdhouse
Gourd birdhouse
Blue birdhouse
Red birdhouse
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Veteran educator has two suggestions for improving schools
Editor, the Forum:
Having spent my 50 year career as a public school teacher and a mental health clinician, I was deeply interested in these two articles about education in your latest issue. Both commentators argued that schools are not meeting the needs of children. Whether it is institutional racism or dysfunctional parenting, it is clear that for a large segment of our children,schools do not meet their needs.
As a middle school teacher I came away each day with a heavy heart. I confronted angry parents, teenagers who couldn’t read, students without materials, suicidal adolescents, and from time to time I grieved the death of a student. It was heartbreaking. I cared but caring is not enough.
I have two suggestions to help. First is to reduce the number of administrators and hire teacher assistants for each classroom. This would allow more individual attention to those students in need.
Secondly is to have our mental health services relocate into each school and coordinate services with teachers. So many issues facing students stem from family dysfunction and poor mental health. If we had a coordinated effort to overcome these problems, then teachers could teach and maybe students could learn.
— Alan Schneiberg, Sugar Hill
Appreciates learning of Metropolitan Opera’s streaming service
Editor, the Forum:
Many thanks to Susan McBrayer for directing readers to the Metropolitan Opera’s streaming service. Especially now, when we cannot attend musical performances in person, it’s good to know we have access to such as this. I would add that a good speaker system plugged into the computer enhances the streaming experience immeasurably.
— Mary Beth Twining, Buford
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, and include your hometown. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
Vaccine now available at former Sears at Gwinnett Place Mall
Gwinnett County Government and the Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments (GNR) are operating out of the bottom floor of the former Sears building at Gwinnett Place Mall for a mass vaccination center. It is thought it will accommodate immunizing up to 3,000 people a day as vaccines become available.
Dr. Audrey Arona, district health director of the Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments, says: “Our Health Department is thrilled to partner with Gwinnett County to provide a static mass vaccination site that is central to serve our county. We owe debt of gratitude to Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson and her team for their contribution of the site, including quickly readying the space for our use.”
The 80,000-square-foot site began providing vaccinations on February 6 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, appointments are required. Appointments can only be made at www.GNRHealth.com/covid-vaccine-scheduling. Individuals should bring an insurance card, photo ID, and proof of employment, such as a hospital badge, if applicable, to the appointment. Anyone needing assistance with mobility or other issues should bring someone with them to the appointment to help. Second dose appointments are made during the first appointment.
Currently, the limited supply of vaccines is reserved for health care workers, first responders, long-term care staff and their residents, and adults 65 and older and their caregivers. Currently, GNR Health is vaccinating about 1,000 people a day in Gwinnett County.
GNR Health is scheduling appointments according to the supply of vaccines on hand. When the supply is depleted, appointments are suspended until the supply is restocked.
The Lawrenceville Health Center on Grayson Highway has been the only GNR Health vaccination location in Gwinnett County for the last few weeks, but that operation is now transferring to the Gwinnett Place Mall location. Currently, GNR Health is vaccinating about 1,000 people a day in Gwinnett County.
Health department officials estimate that initially the former Sears building vaccination center will be able to give shots to 1,000 people a day but could vaccinate up to 3,000 people daily if supplies are available.
The Sears space is being leased to the county at no cost from NW Duluth LLC through December 31. GNR Health needs volunteers to help staff the vaccination center. People interested in helping should contact the Medical Reserve Corps, MRC GEM, at www.mrcgem.com/join. Volunteers do not have to be a medical professional to join and can serve in a non-clinical capacity.
GALEO announces 14th annual Cesar Chavez essay contest
The Georgia Association of Latin Elected Officials (GALEO) announced its 14th annual Cesar Chavez Essay contest for high school students and adults residing in Georgia.
High school students and adults residing in the state of Georgia are encouraged to participate and submit their essays for consideration in one of three categories. Categories include:
- Adult category (essays submitted in Spanish or English)
- High school student category (essays submitted in Spanish or English)
- ESOL high school student category (essays submitted in English by ESOL students)
Deadline for submissions is February 28, 2021.
Chavez’s leadership was critical to organizing farm workers and founding what is today known as the United Farm Workers union. Chavez remains one of the foremost Latino leaders in American history. His birthday is recognized as a state holiday in California, Colorado and Texas, and GALEO supports the movement to create a national holiday in honor of Chavez.
Entries received by the deadline will be judged equally on the following criteria: clarity of message, creativity, accuracy of content, potential to draw attention to policies which improve the lives of farm workers, and conventions of writing an essay. Three winners will receive gift cards of $200, $75 and $50.
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
From John Titus, Peachtree Corners: This book relates the story of Winston Churchill’s first year as Prime Minister during World War II. On his first day, Germany invaded Holland and Belgium; the Dunkirk evacuation would occur within two weeks; and shortly thereafter Hitler’s Air Force would begin the bombing campaign of London and other cities, the Battle of Britain. As the year progresses, we learn of the devastating toll taken on the country in terms of both lives and property and how Churchill constantly rallied the people by his words, actions and courage. It describes his continuing wooing of Franklin Roosevelt, drawing America ever closer to the fray. This is all made more interesting by setting it in the context of the personal lives of his family, staff and closest advisers. The epilogue describes what ultimately happens to these major characters. If interested in WWII history and Churchill, this is a book for you. (Editor’s note: this is the second person to recommend this book.)
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
African Americans built, owned and operated Morton Theatre
Located in downtown Athens, the Morton Theatre was the first vaudeville theater in the United States that was built, owned, and operated by an African American.
The successful businessman and politician Monroe Bowers “Pink” Morton financed the construction of the Morton Building (1909-10), located at 195 West Washington Street, on the corner of Washington and Hull streets. The building was the anchor of “Hot Corner,” the commercial center of Black life in Athens.
The largest of the 30 buildings Morton owned, the four-story brick structure served a dual purpose. Many of Athens’s Black professionals, including doctors, dentists, pharmacists, jewelers, and barbers, practiced in the Morton Building. The second and third floors of the building, however, housed the Morton Theatre, one of the few establishments in Athens that hosted entertainment exclusively for the city’s Black community.
Originally built to seat 550, the Morton boasts a balcony forming a full horseshoe with tiered risers, pagoda-style boxes, and seating for about 300 on the orchestra floor. Wired for electricity at the time of its construction, the theater also retains its original gas-lighting outlets.
The Morton Theatre opened with a concert by the Black classical pianist Alice Carter Simmons in 1910. Vaudeville and blues performers soon followed, including Cab Calloway and the Cotton Club’s Butterbeans and Susie Review. Based on ticket stubs found later during renovation of the theater, it is believed that Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, and Duke Ellington also performed there.
In the 1930s Morton’s son, Charlie, turned the theater into a movie house. It remained an important meeting hall for the African American community. Following a fire in the projection room in the 1950s, the fire marshal closed it down after discovering only one wooden stairway exit for the entire theater.
The Morton family sold the building in 1973, and the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Morton Theatre Corporation bought the building the following year, and in 1987, a local option sales tax referendum was passed, which provided $1.8 million for the theater’s restoration. Construction was completed in 1993 under the new ownership of Athens–Clarke County, with the architect J. W. Robinson leading the historic preservation of the Morton. The following year the theater officially reopened as a community performing arts center.
Originally the center of the thriving Black business district, the Morton is one of the few surviving buildings still serving its original purpose and one of only four Black vaudeville theaters that still exist in the United States. Before the Morton was renovated, the B-52’s used part of the building as rehearsal space for a time. R.E.M. filmed a music video for the song The One I Love in the renovated theater. The Morton Heritage Players present contemporary American theater productions throughout the year, as do the Athens Creative Theatre, the Black Theatrical Ensemble, and the Town and Gown Players.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to http://georgiaencyclopedia.org
Lots of detail in today’s Mystery Photo
It might not be difficult to identify what this Mystery Photo is, but the more difficult part may be to tell where this is located. Send your ideas to elliott@brack.net, and be sure to include your hometown.
Lou Camerio, Lilburn quickly recognized the recent Mystery Photo. “This is the Sun Valley Opera House in Sun Valley Idaho. Home to some of the most difficult skiing in the USA.” The photo came from Mark Barlow of Peachtree Corners, who also sent in the recent Arco, Idaho mystery.
George Graf, Palmyra, Va. added: “The world-famous Sun Valley Lodge and ski resort was built in 1936 by Averell Harriman, owner of the Union Pacific Railroad. According to accounts, the opera house was built on the grounds of the lodge around 1937 and never was an opera or vaudeville house, just a movie theater. Today it is a first-run movie house and is used for seminars and other purposes.”
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. gave a more detailed report: “Sun Valley is a resort town (Pop: ~1,400) in Idaho with a variety of ski slopes around Bald Mountain and nearby Dollar Mountain. The Sun Valley Resort was created by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1936 as the first ‘Destination Ski Resort’ in the United States, and was a winter getaway for many famous movie stars and authors. In fact, Earnest Hemingway is buried less than a mile down the street in nearby Ketchum.
“As part of the Sun Valley Resort, the Sun Valley Opera House offers the audience an ultra-high resolution movie experience and advanced 3D imagery. In addition to being used as a special events venue, the Opera House continues its mission as a movie theater with the showings of first-run movies. It launches each ski season with the latest Warren Miller movie and hosting the Family of Woman Film Festival while offering free showings of the 1941 classical musical film Sun Valley Serenade.”
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