GwinnettForum | Number 21.43 | June 8, 2021
HERE’S THE CULMINATION of winning a college baseball World Series. Georgia Gwinnett College Head Baseball Coach Jeremy Sheetinger gets a celebratory refreshing water shower from his players after winning a national championship. The Grizzlies (51-10) won five straight games to claim the NAIA World Series title. (Photo from August Frank from The Lewiston Tribune.)
TODAY’S FOCUS: Remembering the past, and seeing how far Gwinnett has come
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Seven races for judgeships to be decided in Gwinnett in 2022
ANOTHER VIEW: GGC Grizzlies are 2021 NAIA baseball champions
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful
FEEDBACK: Enjoyed Herndon’s piece on propaganda, but may be too late
UPCOMING: Norcross Gallery, formerly Kudzu Art Zone, now open again
NOTABLE: Roundabout to come near new Seckinger High School
RECOMMENDED: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Brainard Cheney of Fitzgerald pens four novels placed in Georgia
MYSTERY PHOTO: There’s something significantly atypical in this Mystery Photo
LAGNIAPPE: The blooms of the magnolia tree are out in force these days
CALENDAR: Adoption fees waived for cats and dogs at Gwinnett Animal Shelter on June 12
Remembering the past, and seeing how far Gwinnett has come
Editor’s Note: The author was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and raised in Kingstree, S.C. in Williamsburg County, her father’s hometown. She attended segregated schools until she was in the 10th grade. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina; has a Masters’ degree from South Carolina State University; and Education Specialist Degree from the University of West Georgia; and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management from Capella University.
By Dr. Wandy Taylor
Chair, Gwinnett County Public Library Board of Trustees
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA. | A few weeks ago, I visited my hometown in South Carolina for a book signing event and taping of a television show hosted by a childhood friend. During our discussion, we shared our experiences of transitioning from our segregated school to a new integrated school.
Taylor
You see, we were the first class in our hometown to experience desegregation in 1970 (16 years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision was handed down). We were just teenagers at the time. We reminisced about the riots, National Guard, leadership turnover, and general massive resistance. All this simply reminded me of just how far we have actually come.
It also reminded me that during my childhood, I was not even allowed to enter a public library. But today, I stand here as chair of the Gwinnett County Public Library Board of Trustees, in one of the largest counties in Georgia.
Twenty years ago, I moved from South Carolina to Duluth. My daughter graduated from Duluth High School and now teaches in Gwinnett County Public Schools (GSPS). I worked in GCPS for 16 years before retiring. I am proud of the growth and development I have been able to witness over these past two decades in our county and more specifically in our libraries.
Let’s go back a little when libraries were one dimensional: brick-and-mortar buildings that simply housed books to read, check out, and then return. That’s it!
But today, the library offers so much more. Just consider:
- The Dewey Decimal System, which had been around since the 1800s, was the system we all learned to use to find our books. Now the Gwinnett Libraries recently moved to a new system which organizes our books by categories (such as animals, gardening, computers, etc..). That’s progress. That’s growth.
- Today our libraries are multifaceted. They offer book clubs, genealogy resources, interactive programming, creative projects, learning labs, teen spaces, study rooms, and celebrate our rich, diverse communities.
- And as for the future, the Gwinnett libraries are constantly expanding its vision and exploring more ways to evolve into all that it believes it can become – which is a beacon of light for others to follow. That’s what our libraries strive for in Gwinnett. The new magnificent Duluth building is symbolic of that.
So, as we recently celebrated the opening of this new 22,000 square foot library, let us not forget our past. It helps to remind us of how far we have actually come. Let us savor this moment in time, because it will never come again. Let us always keep ourselves open to what the future can bring.
Let us listen to those voices in our community so that we can remain connected to those for whom we serve.
Let me share a quote from John C. Maxwell: “Change is inevitable; growth is optional.”
Over these past two decades I have lived in Gwinnett, I have seen lots of change. Let us choose to embrace the changes and let us choose to grow!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Seven Gwinnett judgeship races to be decided in 2022
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JUNE 8, 2021 | The 2022 political year will be important for several reasons.
There’s both a governor’s race, and a full term U.S. Senate race.- All statewide elected officials will be on the ballot.
- The legislature, county commission and school board boundary lines will be re-drawn because of reapportionment. This could bring a considerably different make-up of elected officials all around the state.
- In Gwinnett, we will have seven judicial races for Superior and State Courts.
Georgia’s judicial positions are all elected. Often a new judge first comes to office through appointment by the governor, after a judge dies, resigns or is removed from office. However, newly appointed judges must face voters at the end of the term for which they were appointed. Judgeships are for four year terms.
Of the 11 Gwinnett Superior Court judges, five are up for re-election in 2022. These judges, in order of seniority, are Chief Judge George Hutchinson, and Judges Tim Hamil, Tracey Mason, Tracie Cason, and Angela Duncan, who was recently appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp. One person, Karen Scott Green, an African American female, has already announced via social media that she will be running for a Superior Court position, though she has not said which seat she will seek. All the sitting Superior Court judges are white.
On the State Court side, there are six judgeships, with Pam South being the chief state court judge. Judge South has said that she will not seek re-election, so her position will be an open seat in the 2022 election. The only State Court judge to face re-election is Ronda Colvin Leary.
Qualifying for these court positions will begin March 7 and close on March 11, 2022. Essentially, few judicial candidates qualify at the last moment. Most plan way ahead when running and announce well in advance of qualifying.
Here’s one angle in our statewide court system we once again present, one which annoys us.
Elections for all courts in Georgia are held when the fewest number of people vote. That’s because Georgia judicial election law, as written by our Legislature, requires that these elections be held during the Georgia primary election, not at the General Election. And if a person does not get a clear majority in the primary election, a run-off is held shortly after the primary.
Historically, more people vote year after year in the General Election than in the primary. To us that means that fewer voters determine who sits as judges in Georgia, than it would if the judges’ elections were held during the General Election in November. It was none other than Abraham Lincoln who gave us guidance on this when he said, “Trust the people.” Would not the determination for judges be better served if Georgians elected judges when the most people voted, such as Lincoln directed?
That’s why we have previously listed and continue to list as one of Gwinnett Forums Continuing Objectives this phrase in each issue of GwinnettForum: “Move statewide non-partisan judge elections to the General Election.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
GGC Grizzlies are 2021 NAIA baseball champions
By Dale Long
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | The 2021 Avista NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) World Series championship banner is headed to Lawrenceville as the Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team captured the program’s first national championship Thursday night with an 8-4 victory over Central Methodist University (Missouri) in Lewiston, Idaho. (Avista is a utility in Idaho, and the series sponsor.)
The Grizzlies (51-10), the tournament’s No. 5 seed, won all five of their World Series games, outscoring opponents by a 52-30, hit nine home runs, and got five quality starting pitching assignments to capture the title in the first championship round appearance.
GGC Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger says: “This has been the most resilient and toughest team, mentally, that I have been associated with. Even when things got hectic (in the eighth inning) there was love and trust among every player in the dugout. I had a front row seat to watch the best college baseball team in the country play.”
In the final game, Georgia Gwinnett started fast and continued to tack on runs during the middle innings. leading 4-0 going into the sixth inning.
Then the Grizzlies broke things open with four more runs in the sixth inning. Senior Gabe Howell hit a RBI single to center field before junior Nick Barnes brought home a pair of runs with a double to right field to give GGC an 8-0 advantage.
Senior starting pitcher Hunter Dollander was brilliant. The right hander struck out nine batters and scattered five hits across seven innings. Dollander, named the World Series’ Most Valuable Player, improved to 12-1 on the season and concluded his collegiate career with a 28-2 record.
Central Methodist (49-9) made things interesting late by pushing across four runs in the eighth inning. Myles McKisic ended the frame, with the bases loaded, through a diving catch down the right field line from his second base position. The defensive web gem kept GGC ahead, 8-4 with three outs to go.
Senior closer Hunter Caudelle tossed a scoreless ninth inning and secured the team’s historic victory by grabbing a line drive smash while being on the mound.
Besides his strong defensive play, McKisic played a key role in the Grizzlies’ offense by going 4-for-4 and scoring three runs in the championship game. The team outhit the No. 2-seeded Eagles by a 15-7 margin and relied on four multiple-hit performances in the game.
Senior Kyle Harvey, juniors Livingston Morris and Austin Bates, joined Dollander on the all-tournament team. Bates earned the Charles Berry Hustle Award and Howell took home the Gold Glove award.
GGC won 22 of its last 23 games of the season and entered postseason play ranked No. 6 in the final poll of the regular season.
Sheetinger now has a 74-12 record in two seasons in the team’s dugout. “We never took our foot off the accelerator against any of our opponents.”
Georgia Gwinnett College’s Office of Athletics has now won 14 NAIA national championships, including three during the 2021 spring athletic season. The college’s men’s and women’s tennis teams won national titles in May.
GGC is the first baseball national collegiate baseball champion from Georgia since 2002 when Columbus State University captured the NCAA Division II title. It is the fourth time a Georgia team has won the NAIA national baseball championship and first since 1997 when Brewton-Parker College earned the championship banner.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful
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Enjoyed Herndon’s piece on propaganda, but may be too late
Editor, the Forum:
The last edition’s piece by Ashley Herndon about propaganda was well written and so true. I am afraid the comments are too late, however, to stem the increasing tide of misinformation and editorialist-in-place of news reporting.
— Jim Savadelis, 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, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net.
Norcross Gallery, formerly Kudzu Art Zone, now open again
Here’s a work of an artist from the Norcross Gallery and Studios. It’s called Stone Mountain Aerie by Patty Grew-Mullins.
Norcross Gallery and Studios, formerly Kudzu Art Zone, is again open with exhibits, planning workshops, and adding new members. It is off to a great recovery from the past year of isolation! The goal is still the same, providing education and support of the arts in the community, open studios for artists and social receptions for viewers to gather, enjoy fine art, and meet the artists.
The current exhibit is the first of the Spotlight Shows which feature several artists highlighting their works. This process of selecting small groups allows viewers to become more familiar with the work and style of each artist.
Participating Creative artists in the Spotlight 1 are: Kathy Collins, Cynthia Corbin, Lynda Ellis, Anne Emerson Hall, Larry Hall, Laurenthia Mesh, and Patty Grew-Mullins. Many of these outstanding artists are well known to Norcross art patrons.
Stone Mountain Aerie by Patty Grew-Mullins is reminiscent of a lovely summer hike under blue skies adorned with fluffy clouds. The oil on panel painting is a depiction of a peaceful view from the top of Stone Mountain.
An historic note accompanies Laurenthia Mesh’s colorful painting rendered in archival oil on Belgian linen. Old Iron Horse Tavern is a view of the familiar tavern in a 130 year-old building and was named for “iron horses” as the railroad was originally called.
Norcross Gallery and Studios is located at 116 Carlyle Street in downtown Norcross and is open Fridays from 12 to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone is 770-840-9844 and website is www.kudzuartzone.org.
Gwinnettians head 2 top positions for Georgia Republicans
Gwinnettians were elected to the top two posts at the 2021 convention of the Georgia Republican Party at Jekyll Island last weekend.
Van Gundy
Shafer
David Shafer was re-elected as the party chairman, while BJ Van Gundy was named first vice chairman. Both live in Gwinnett.
The other officers elected were Brant Frost, second vice chairman, Coweta County;
Joseph Brannan, treasurer, Muscogee County; Vikki Consiglio, assistant treasurer, Henry County; Michael Welsh, secretary, Muscogee County; and Ken Carroll, assistant secretary, Dodge County.
Speed cameras head to Gwinnett schools to improve safety
Gwinnett County Police are one step closer to reducing speeding in school zones, increasing safety for pedestrians and drivers. The Board of Commissioners approved an annual contract with RedSpeed Georgia, LLC to install cameras in school zones across the county.
Gwinnett Deputy Police Chief J.D. McClure says: “By using automated speed enforcement, we hope to leverage technology in a manner that will make school zones safer for both students and motorists.” This will also allow us to dedicate more time to priority calls and other patrol functions.”
The installation, equipment, and monitoring will be provided at no cost to the county. The contract calls for revenue sharing – with the county slated to receive 71.6 percent of all generated funds. If ticketed, points will not go on a driver’s license. However, if a citation goes unpaid, the driver will not be able to register their vehicle.
Norcross Community Market opens June 9 in Skin Alley
Now that people are feeling more comfortable getting out, Norcross Community Market is set to return with a new location, day and time. The market re-opens on Wednesday, June 9, in its new location in Skin Alley in historic downtown Norcross. Hours are from 4 to 7 p.m. Because of the demand, Norcross Community Market is also expanding the season from 17 weekly markets to 27. The market is also continuing the NCM Online Store, which can be used for contact-less pick up or for making pre-orders. You can shop the online store at www.NCMonlinestore.com. Ordering closes on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. for Wednesday pickup.
Roundabout approved near new Seckinger High School
The Gwinnett Commissioners have approved a contract for a roundabout at the intersection of Sardis Church Road and West Rock Quarry Road, near the future Seckinger High School. In addition to the roundabout, the project includes installation of a signalized intersection at the driveway for Seckinger High School and the installation of sidewalks, curb and gutter, street lighting and associated drainage improvements. Peach State Construction Co. LLC of Covington was the lowest of six responsive bidders. The $2.1 million project is funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax program.
Jackson EMC Foundation continues grants for nonprofits
The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total of $96,5000 in grants during its May meeting, including $68,500 to organizations serving Gwinnett County.
- $15,000 to Hope Clinic, in Lawrenceville, which specializes in internal medicine and chronic care management for low-income patients to help them avoid costly hospitalizations.
- $15,000 to Spectrum Autism Support Group, a parent-run nonprofit group in Suwanee that provides Gwinnett and Hall County families with support, education and resources for the entire spectrum of autism disorders.
- $10,500 to Bethany Christian Services of Georgia, to help provide financial assistance for foster care development and training throughout the Jackson EMC service area.
- $10,000 to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Georgia Chapter, to help provide financial support for the patient travel assistance program.
- $10,000 to Quinlan Visual Arts Center, in Gainesville, to help provide for free or reduced cost participation in the Summer Art Program for 90 children and teens in underserved communities in Banks, Barrow, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson and Lumpkin counties.
- $5,000 to Muscular Dystrophy Association, to provide technology and program materials for a virtual summer camp for children living with neuromuscular disease in all of Jackson EMC’s service areas.
- $3,000 to Iron Horse Therapy, Inc., in Milton, to provide hippotherapy treatment for children and youth with special needs from Gwinnett and Lumpkin counties to attend therapy sessions that use a horse’s movement to improve neuromuscular function.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
From Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain: This is an authoritatively researched chronicle of the hidden hierarchical system that keeps people on rungs in American society, thus guaranteeing they stay in their place. The author’s research spanned the globe with particular emphasis on the caste system in India and former systems in Germany that resulted in the rise of the Nazi Party. There are eight Pillars of caste which underpin the system that denies access to those considered beneath the worth of full participation in the American dream. Throughout the book, short stories outline segments of the book. Fortunately, the author presents a formula for the eradication of the caste in America that can occur only when the top level (no need to name it) recognizes the futility of the system and commits to change and inclusion for all.
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
Fitzgerald’s Cheney pens four novels placed in Georgia
Brainard Cheney was a 20th-century novelist, political speechwriter, and essayist from the wiregrass region of south Georgia.
Cheney
During a writing career that spanned four decades, Cheney published four novels-Lightwood (1939), River Rogue (1942), This Is Adam (1958), and Devil’s Elbow (1969)—that depict the social transformation of south Georgia between 1870 and 1960. These novels contain accounts of Cheney’s own coming of age (Devil’s Elbow) as well as land feuds (Lightwood), timber rafting (River Rogue), and race relations (This Is Adam) in the area where he grew up. Along with his wife, Frances Neel Cheney, he was a member of a community of writers that included Caroline Gordon, Allen Tate, Andrew Lytle, Robert Penn Warren, and Flannery O’Connor.
Born in Fitzgerald on June 3, 1900, to a family with considerable land holdings in the area, Brainard Bartwell Cheney moved with his family to Lumber City, in Telfair County, when he was six years old. His father died when he was eight, and his mother reared him and his two sisters on their farm near Lumber City. Cheney attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., sporadically between 1920 and 1925, becoming friends with many of the Fugitive and Agrarian writers associated with the Vanderbilt English department in the 1920s and 1930s. After leaving school he worked for the Nashville Banner from 1925 to 1942, serving as reporter, editor, feature writer, and editorialist. After a series of political appointments and public relations positions, he served as public relations director for Tennessee governor Frank Clement from 1952 to 1958.
Throughout his newspaper and political careers Cheney continued to work on his own novels and maintained a voluminous correspondence with his literary friends, especially Tate, Gordon, Lytle, and Warren. In 1953, through the sponsorship of Tate and Gordon, he and his wife became members of the Roman Catholic Church. Living primarily in Nashville and at their home, “Idler’s Retreat,” in Smyrna, Tenn., the Cheneys (Lon and Fannie to their friends) remained for many years at the center of a lively literary circle. Cheney died in 1990 at the age of 89; his wife died in 1996, also at the age of 89.
In 2016 Cheney was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.
Cheney’s published novels reveal his sympathy with the Agrarian themes of individualism, tradition, anti-industrialism, and harmony with nature. They express the romance of a return to the land, and his authorial character, Marcellus Hightower, indicates his support of a patriarchal social system.
Yet as a political pragmatist, Cheney differed from his Agrarian counterparts in significant ways. He supported New Deal programs like the Tennessee Valley Authority, and his novels reflect a more liberal attitude toward racial integration and social change. The protagonist of River Rogue, an independent, alienated young white man, lives and works openly with a Black family in the swamps of south Georgia. In This Is Adam Cheney makes his title character the mixed-race overseer of a farm much like the one on which he grew up. In all of his novels Cheney’s acute political ear and his awareness of the complexities of a changing society create a graphic and memorable portrait of a region.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
There’s something atypical in this Mystery Photo
You might easily recognize today’s Mystery Story, yet there’s more to this photo than you might think.
Figure out what’s exceptional about this photograph and send your answer to elliott@brack.net to include your home town.
For the most recent mystery, posting an answer quickly, Frank Studer of Greenville, S.C., nailed the last Mystery Photo: “Ft. Sumter in Charleston Bay” he wrote, adding: “I’ve caught a lot of flounder between the boat dock and the fort right along the walkway!”
Also recognizing the photo were David Will, Lilburn; Bob Foreman, Grayson; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; Gloria James, Lawrenceville; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; George Graf of Palmyra, Va. and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex.
Graf adds: “Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, S.C., from naval invasion. Fort Sumter was named after General Thomas Sumter, a Revolutionary War hero. He was born in Hanover County, Va. and settled in Stateburg, S.C. as a planter and raised a local militia. Sumter acquired the nickname “Carolina Gamecock” during the American Revolution, for his fierce fighting tactics. The town of Sumter, S.C. is named for him. The town has erected a memorial to him, and the town has been dubbed ‘The Gamecock City’ after his nickname.”
Peel adds: “Today’s mystery photo is an aerial view of the Fort Sumter National Monument. The generic name for such a fort is ‘sea fort’ which, in this case, is also built on an artificial, man-made island. After the War of 1812, and in recognition of the importance of protecting Charleston Harbor from invading forces, construction of Fort Sumter began in 1829. The fort was still under construction when the first battle of Fort Sumter began on April 12, 1861, when the South Carolina Militia Artillery Division (the Confederate Army did not yet exist) fired on the Union garrison at the fort, officially kicking off the Civil War.”
However, none of the respondents told us what type of fort it was. It was what became known eventually as an Endicott Fort. The U.S. government convened the Endicott Board in 1885 to create a new system of defense using the latest weaponry. The Endicott system was constructed from 1890-1910 with some remaining in use until 1945.
Forts at every major harbor in the United States were armed with Endicott system weapons. The Endicott system was created to attack enemy warships from fortifications mounted in concrete that were not visible from the water. This attack would stop an invasion and allow Navy vessels the time necessary to reach and engage the enemy. Endicott weaponry used very accurate rifled disappearing cannons, mortars, rapid fire guns, submarine nets, underwater mines, and searchlights. The guns were 3-inch to 12-inch in caliber and had a range of 7 to 9 miles.
Early summer brings out the gorgeous magnolia blooms. Look at this perfect specimen, which comes from Mary Beth Twining of Buford. Get up close to the computer and you might smell this bloom’s fragrance!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Fees waived: The Gwinnett County Animal Shelter is holding a “Shelter Pets Rock” event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. There will be activities and entertainment and adoption fees waived for those adopting cats or dogs. The Shelter is located at 884 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville. All dogs and cats adopted are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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