GwinnettForum | Number 21.79 | Oct. 12, 2021
OLD AND NEW: Here are photos of the Norcross Presbyterian Church, whose congregation returns to meeting in downtown Norcross this Sunday. The photo at the left shows the church as it appeared in 1899, while the other shows how it looks since being remodeled. See more details in Upcoming below.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re taking a break for one issue. The next issue of GwinnettForum will be published on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. Meanwhile, enjoy our fall and pre-Halloween weather!
TODAY’S FOCUS: Asks Georgia Congressional delegation to support carbon pricing
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Scott Hudgens Jr. to be inducted into Hall of Fame for Georgia Veterans
ANOTHER VIEW: Here’s a challenge for you: go read the U.S. Constitution
SPOTLIGHT: The Piedmont Bank
FEEDBACK: Georgia Tech grew in stature during Blake van Leer’s leadership
UPCOMING: Orange recycling bags help residents dispose of different plastics
NOTABLE: PCOM students recognize donor bodies they will learn from
RECOMMENDATION: The Odyssey by Homer, translation by Emily Wilson
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Early on, small seaport of Darien was major shipping center
MYSTERY PHOTO: Help the photographer figure out where this was taken!
CALENDAR: Braselton Zombie 5K Run will be held Saturday, October 16
Asks Georgia congressional delegation to support carbon pricing
By Jasmine Clark
State Representative, District 108
LILBURN, Ga. | Climate change remains an existential threat to our planet. Failure to address it will have devastating consequences. As a legislator for the state, I recognize that Georgia has a part to play in navigating our country through the climate crisis and that all states need Congress to move us forward together. A robust national strategy with smart and clear climate policy from Washington, D.C. will energize Georgia’s own efforts.
Clark
Right now, the 16 members of Georgia’s congressional delegation are helping build the national budget. For the first time in 10 years, we have an opportunity to enact meaningful climate solutions. I urge our national delegation to be bold and take it.
It is time to unleash U.S. innovation and send a strong message that we are serious about solving climate change. While we work on climate solutions here in Georgia, I ask our federal leaders to take bold steps to support a transition to clean energy through national policy.
Being good to the environment is good for the economy and people. Economists and scientists agree that an economy-wide carbon fee is a crucial component of any serious plan to transition to clean energy. Right now, profits from pollution only benefit a few key players, while everyone pays their high costs. We all pay when we experience stronger hurricanes, mega-droughts, massive floods, crop failures and record-shattering temperatures and fires. A carbon price that starts low and rises steadily can incentivize clean energy and start bending the curve down without shocking the economy.
Concerns about the cost being passed down to the consumer can be addressed by using the money collected to provide a “rebate” to households, offsetting the transition costs and protecting lower-income families. Including a carbon border adjustment, which would create fees on imports and exports based on their carbon emissions, would also protect U.S. businesses from competitors that use dated and/or dirty practices. By implementing these effective policies as soon as possible we can have a livable planet and strong economy.
Georgia can do well by doing good. We are well-positioned to tackle climate change with our natural and human resources. Solar energy does not have to come from outside Georgia like coal or gas; it’s right here. Some of our sharpest academic minds from the Drawdown Georgia Project already have a roadmap for specific solutions that would put us ahead of many states.
Clean energy industries are growing too. Hanwha Q Cells in Dalton is the largest solar factory in the Western Hemisphere. Blue Bird in Fort Valley is making electric school buses. Soon, we will have the SK Innovation factory making batteries for electric cars in Commerce. These are just a few examples of good things happening here in Georgia. And, while these things are great contributors to our fight against climate change, a carbon price would turbocharge this type of economic growth and innovation.
As a state representative, it is my job, along with my colleagues, to do good things for the people of Georgia. I am eager to collaborate to solve climate change by supporting innovation from our universities and technology, as well as ideas from our business sector. In addition, I urge all members of our state’s congressional delegation to support an economy-wide carbon price.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Hudgens to be inducted into Hall of Fame for Georgia veterans
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 12, 2021 | The late Scott Hudgens Jr. of Duluth will be inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ga. on November 6. Nominating him for the award was Mike Camp of Johns Creek, a person who never met Mr. Hudgens, but heard of his war record and many lifetime achievements.
Camp told GwinnettForum he nominated Mr.Hudgens for this honor because of his war record and for his exemplary philanthropic works over many years, and especially for his donation of 775 acres near Canton to form the Georgia National Veterans Cemetery.
The Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame is a nonprofit, 501(c) (3) corporation with the dual purpose of honoring Georgia veterans and educating young people. It was established in 2013. Its goal is to annually honor and induct up to 15 Georgia military veterans selected by an independent committee. So far, 131 Georgia veterans have been inducted into the Georgia Hall of Fame, and 15 more inductees plus a Medal of Honor winner in this year’s ceremony.
Hudgens
The group also provides scholarships to families of veterans being honored.
The ninth annual Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame ceremony will be Saturday, November 6 at noon at St. Luke Ministry Center, 301 11th Street, in Columbus. The event is open to the public, with tickets priced at $55 per person. Reservations may be made with Ms. Debbie Freeman, via email.
Part of the nominating letter from Camp reads:
“It is my honor and pleasure to nominate a superlative candidate, (Scott Hudgens), a WWII Veteran, a native of Georgia, an outstanding successful businessman and an unsurpassed benefactor to his community and state. During Scott Hudgens’ years, he was a very private person, humble and always kind and considerate of others. Despite his success and generous philanthropy, he was always extremely adamant about maintaining his anonymity.
“During World War II he served in the U.S. Army in the European Theatre. Shortly after D-Day, he landed on Omaha Beach. Thereafter, he fought in the major battles of Normandy, Cherbourg and the Spearhead Breakout. As the allied troops advanced toward Germany he fought at the Siegfried Line, Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge, as well as Remagen and Nordhausen. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in these campaigns.
“During his post war years he entered the real estate market in the greater Atlanta and Georgia area and made an outstanding success building shopping malls and a large variety of other ventures has been well documented.”
Mr. Camp pointed out that anonymously, (Hudgens) made many charitable donations during his lifetime. “He took great pride in being able to help his fellow man in this way. In many cases the donor was never announced or made public.
“Privately, he took special pride in a few selected projects such as the Peachtree Christian Hospice, the Jacqueline Hudgens Art Center and the establishment of the Gwinnett Technical College. This was in addition to his donation of the land for the Duluth hospital. His benevolence however was far more extensive than these examples.
“His ‘crowning achievement,’ however, was the donation of the North Georgia mountain acreage overlooking Lake Allatoona near Canton, Ga. The pristine tract of 775 acres was donated for the creation of the Georgia National Veterans Cemetery. This cemetery is completed and functioning according to his visualization.”
Mr. Camp also noted that despite his passing in 2000, Mr. Hudgens was thoughtful enough to establish the Scott Hudgens Family Foundation which continues his goal of helping others.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Here’s a challenge for you: go read the U.S. Constitution
By Debra Houston, contributing columnist
LILBURN, Ga. | On Sept. 17, 2021, the U. S. Constitution turned 234 years old. Note that it isn’t our country’s birthdate, but that of the venerable Constitution. That date of the Constitution’s anniversary gives us pause to read it in its entirety. It isn’t a million pages long; you can carry a copy in your hip pocket.
Here’s a challenge for you. Read the following paragraph aloud:
“We the people of the United States in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Don’t take “We the people” out of context; It doesn’t refer to collectivist government in the form of Marxism or any other form of totalitarian government. On the contrary, the phrase refers to the individual rights of American citizens.
The individual, regardless of race, creed, or color, has rights, The most crucial are contained within 10 amendments known as “The Bill of Rights.” Here are a few: freedom of speech, right to worship the way we choose, a free press, the right to bear arms, and the right to a trial by jury. We are innocent until proven guilty in this country regardless of who is president or who sits in Congress.
We even have the right to agree to disagree! That’s allowable because our governing document guarantees it; We can argue in our customary raucous American manner. In fact, we aren’t “terrorists” because we get emotional at school board meetings.
Violence is a whole different matter. The Declaration of Independence states we can overthrow our government if it becomes oppressive. However, the Constitution allows us legal recourse before we reach that point. And we have an interpretive body in the Supreme Court who makes the final decision in unresolved lower court cases.
For those reasons, we should remember, love, and defend the U. S. Constitution all year round. In this way we preserve our freedoms and “ensure domestic Tranquility.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
The Piedmont Bank
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriter is The Piedmont Bank, which opened its doors in 2009, and is a full service commercial bank. It has recently completed a merger with Westside Bank with offices in Paulding and Cobb Counties and also recently opened an office in downtown Duluth. Piedmont now has offices in 14 locations, with its home office in Peachtree Corners at 5100 Peachtree Parkway and other locations; at 185 Gwinnett Drive in Lawrenceville; east of Interstate 85 near Suwanee at Old Peachtree and Brown Roads; in Dunwoody at 1725 Mount Vernon Road, in Cumming at 2450 Atlanta Highway and in Cleveland, Gainesville, Jefferson and Blue Ridge, plus a second office in Gainesville opening this month. Piedmont Bank has capitalization in excess of $175 million and over $1.6 billion in total assets and is active in making loans to businesses and individuals in its local markets. Piedmont’s board of directors includes local business leaders with strong ties in the communities it serves. Board members include Lamar Black, Ray Black, Robert Cheeley, Paul Donaldson, Kelly Johnson, John Howard, Paul Maggard, Michael Tennant, Ray Barnes and Monty Watson. Deposits at The Piedmont Bank are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Georgia Tech grew in stature during van Leer’s leadership
The postwar era marked the beginning of Georgia Tech’s transformation from a regional engineering college to a nationally and internationally recognized technological university. During this period, encompassing the presidency of Blake Ragsdale Van Leer (1944-56), Georgia Tech began offering an engineering doctoral program. Women students were admitted for the first time in 1952.
— Ashley Herndon, Oceanview, Calif.
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.
Orange recycling bags help residents dispose of different plastics
Beginning October 15, Gwinnett County will participate in the Hefty EnergyBag program to give residents a chance to dispose of hard-to-recycle plastics in a sustainable way.
This new program provides a way to recycle plastics #4 through #7, which includes items like plastic packaging and wraps, plastic dinnerware, foam products and plastic bags. With the new program, Gwinnett residents are invited to collect these items in Hefty EnergyBag orange bags.
Many residents were mailed details about this program last week.
Gwinnett residents can drop off their full Hefty EnergyBag orange bags at WestRock, located at 384 Maltbie Street in Lawrenceville. Drop-off hours are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Only the orange Hefty bags will be accepted at this site.
Like plastics placed at the curbside, items placed in an orange bag should be clean and dry, with no food or liquid. Plastics #1 and #2 — which include items like water and soda bottles, milk jugs, juice containers, shampoo bottles and detergent holders — will continue to be accepted curbside.
The program helps to divert hard-to-recycle plastics from landfills, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, increase efficiency at recycling facilities, and improve the quality of other recycled materials. The orange Hefty bags are available for purchase at Kroger stores and online.
- For a list of items that can be recycled through the Hefty® EnergyBag® program, visit GCSolidWaste.com, GwinnettCB.org or the Hefty website here.
Presbyterians to hold dedication service at old site on Oct. 17
A dedication service of Norcross Presbyterian Church returning to downtown Norcross and occupying its original building, will be Sunday, October 17 at 11 a.m. The original structure was built in 1898 and the congregation worshipped there until 1972 when the church moved to Medlock Bridge Road. Last year the church sold their Medlock site and bought back the original building and has had it renovated.
The Presbyterians built the downtown structure in 1899, and worshipped at the site until 1972. Meanwhile, several groups occupied the older site. The Rev. Matt Fry, church pastor, says: “Now, 50 years later, we are moving back and celebrating a new beginning in downtown Norcross.”
Special guests will include the Mayor Craig Newton of Norcross and the Rev. Lewis Fowler, Jr., who was the last pastor to preach in the historic building in 1972. He served the church from 1966 to 1974 during turbulent times for Georgia and the nation.
The Rev. Fry adds: “We hope you can attend the celebration. We think there is a wonderful story of new beginnings to tell.”
PCOM students recognize donor bodies they will learn from
As the clock struck noon on Thursday, September 16, the Atrium at PCOM Georgia in Suwanee quieted as students prepared to honor their first patients.
Andrea Mann, dean of osteopathic medicine, addressed the students. She said: “Your patients made the ultimate sacrifice for you. They allowed themselves to be vulnerable. You, in turn, cared for your patients with empathy, compassion, patience, and honor. Today, we are able to step back and recall what these beautiful people have given us. Thank you, donors, for being there for our students. We are forever grateful.”
Students, faculty and staff members gathered to recognize the 20 individuals who donated their bodies as silent teachers to further the medical education of 277 future healthcare providers.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine class representative Candice Tate (DO ’24), who led the planning of the ceremony, expressed her gratitude for the hands-on learning the donors provided.
“Our books cannot replicate the masterwork of the human body. These donors have been our first patients and the greatest teachers. They have taught us the meaning of being human, both anatomically and spiritually.”
Jeff Seiple, the director of anatomical donor services for PCOM Georgia, said, “I would like to especially thank each family member of our donors, personally, for their confidence and endorsement of our college’s body donation program. “You have entrusted your most precious possession with us. Because of this, we are full of gratitude and even humbled by your loved one’s gift and generosity. What an incredible legacy to pass on to the next generation of healthcare providers,” he said.
As part of the ceremony, students planted marigolds to be given to someone who has been an integral part of their educational journey.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
The Odyssey by Homer, translation by Emily Wilson
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: This ancient and familiar story begins with a young man’s search for his father, Odysseus. A warrior hero who left Greece to fight on foreign soil, Odysseus has been away from home for 20 years and is now missing in action. His family doesn’t know if he is dead or alive. There is no way I will attempt to sum up this well-known classic about the Trojan War, the Greek gods, the suitors of Penelope and the life and travels of Odysseus. But what I will do is recommend Emily Wilson’s translation of the story. I have read three other translations of this poem and, to me, this 2018 translation is the most readable and understandable, while also retaining a poetic rhythm. If you haven’t read this classic, please do not be afraid to try. Wilson has written an easily understandable translation and it pulls you right in.
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
Early on, small seaport of Darien was major shipping center
(Continued from previous issue)
During the early 19th century, the small seaport of Darien was a major shipping center. A deed signed and dated in 1808 by plantation owner Thomas Spalding showed that Spalding sold a small tract of land to the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment for a sum of one dollar for building a lighthouse on Sapelo. The government then contracted with Winslow Lewis of Boston in 1820 for the construction of a 90-foot brick tower, topped by a 15-foot iron lantern. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed atop the tower in 1853. The lighthouse was abandoned in 1862 by retreating Confederate forces stationed on the island. They removed the lens and destroyed the reflector system but left the rest of the facility intact. It was repaired and reactivated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1868. In 1877 a cast-iron beacon, part of the range light system, was placed east of the main tower.
A severe hurricane in October 1898 seriously undermined the foundation of the Sapelo Lighthouse. A district inspector recommended extensive repairs or a new tower. In September 1905 a new lighthouse—a 100-foot steel pyramidal tower with a kerosene-lit flashing light—was activated and a new third-order lens was installed. By 1934 shipping traffic had become nonexistent and the Sapelo station was deactivated. Today, the lighthouse is fully restored and open to the public.
Built by James Gould in 1810, the first St. Simons Lighthouse stood 75 feet high. For economic reasons, most of the material used in the construction was tabby, a local mixture of oyster shell, lime, sand, and water. Gould, appointed by U.S. president James Madison, was also the first lighthouse keeper. In 1857 a third-order double-convex lens was installed.
Confederate troops destroyed the lighthouse before evacuating St. Simons Island in 1862, so that Union troops could not use it as a navigational aid. In 1867 the government ordered the construction of a second lighthouse placed north of the first. The 104-foot brick tower and adjacent keeper’s house was designed by the Irish architect Charles B. Cluskey, who died of malaria in 1871, a year before the lighthouse was completed. The head light keeper, his assistant, and their families shared the dwelling.
The lighthouse was electrified in 1934. It was completely automated in 1953. The original third-order Fresnel lens is still in operation. The station, maintained by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, is open to the public.
The Little Cumberland Island Lighthouse is located on the northern tip of Little Cumberland Island in St. Andrew Sound. The tower, built in 1838 by John Hastings of Boston, measures 22 feet wide at the base, tapering to 11 feet wide at the top. Although rarely used during the Civil War, the lighthouse on Little Cumberland escaped the devastation experienced by some of the other Georgia lighthouses at the time. In 1867 it was reactivated after being fitted with a third-order Fresnel lens.
Nine years later, workmen began to shore up the lighthouse tower foundation, which had been undermined by ocean tides. Active until 1915, Little Cumberland Island Light is now owned and preserved by a private foundation.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Help the photographer figure out where this was taken!
We’ve never had a Mystery Photo like this one. We know who the photographer was (Elliott Brack), but he doesn’t know what the subject is. Sometimes the mind fades. So if you can spot what and where this is, he would appreciate it. Send your answer to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
The last Mystery Photo was of the Basilica di Santa Maria in Florence, Italy. George Graf of Palmyra, Va. wrote: “It is one of the most well known of Italian Renaissance churches.” The photo came from the editor.
Others recognizing it included Bob Foreman, Grayson; Dick LoPresti, Berkeley Lake; Molly Titus, Peachtree Corners; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., who wrote: “The word Novella means New in Italian. Considering that this church was built between 1279 and 1357 by Dominican friars, how in heaven’s name can anyone call this a ‘new’ church, especially since the facade is not only the oldest of all the churches in Florence, but it is also the only church with its original facade still in place today! I understand that this church was called Santa Maria ‘Novella’ because the Dominican Order decided to build a new church and adjoining cloister on the site of the much older, 9th-century oratory of Santa Maria-delle-Vigne.”
Zombie 5K Run will be held Saturday, October 16 in downtown Braselton. Registration ends October 14 at 5 p.m. Registration fee is $40. This is an official Peachtree Road Race qualifier. To sign up, click here.
Multicultural Business Summit will be held October 22 from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the UGA Small Business Development Center, at 2530 Sever Road in Lawrenceville.. Learn how to do business with the University of Georgia and the private sector healthcare systems. General admission is $49.
Puttin’ on the Litz Gala of the Gwinnett County Public Library Foundations will be on Saturday, October 23, at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will be Vince Dooley. The Gala seeks to raise funds to continue to bring the most updated technology and literacy programs for the Gwinnett community. This event will be black tie optional, and held at Gas South District Center (formerly Infinite Energy Center). All the funds raised stay in the community and help support the children’s literacy programs, to keep them free of charge. Register for this event by going online at: https://gcpl.ticketleap.com/gala/.
Two events in Lilburn soon: The “Old Town 5k and Fun Run” will be Saturday, October 23 at Lilburn City Park. There are two opportunities. In the morning, there is the 5k route following the Greenway Trail, and is for both adults and kids. Then, in the afternoon, the Public House is hosting its annual “Lil’ Beer Fest” right off Main Street.
Gwinnett County will mark the positive impact of afterschool programs at the “Walk Among the Stars” event on Thursday, October 28 at 6 p.m. at Rock Springs Park in Lawrenceville. The free event, which is part of the National Lights on Afterschool initiative, will feature a Hollywood theme. Participants are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite characters and enjoy STEAM activities, interactive games, crafts and more. This is part of more than 8,000 National Lights on Afterschool programs nationwide. Rock Springs Park is located at 3110 Old Peachtree Road in Lawrenceville. More information is after 3 p.m. at AfterSchoolAlliance.org.
The first Deutsche Klassic Autoberfest will be held in Norcross on October 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Featuring 150 classic German automobiles, the event will bring BMWs, Audis, Porsches, Mercedes Benzes and Volkswagens to downtown Norcross. Enjoy German food, beer and music in this family-friendly festival/ Proceeds benefit local non-profit Special “K’s.” As a part of Georgia Special Olympics, Special “K’s” specializes in Olympic competitions for kids 8 to 90 years old. For more information, please visit deutsche-klassic.com.
Braselton Halloween Path Parade and golf cart Trunk ‘n Treat party, will be Saturday, October 30 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for top decorated golf carts and costumes. If you’ve got it, haunt it.
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