NEWS BRIEFS: Three educators named to board of Rowen Foundation

Hu

Joseph

The Rowen Foundation announced today the addition of three people to its board of directors. They are Georgia Gwinnett College President Dr. Jann L. Joseph; University of Georgia Provost Dr. S. Jack Hu; and Georgia Institute of Technology Vice President of Institute Relations Bert Reeves. 

Reeves

Sachin Shailendra, chair of the Rowen Foundation, says:  “A key to Rowen’s success in serving the future of Georgia is through deep partnerships with our institutions of higher learning.  These three additions to our board, Jann, Jack and Bert, are three of our state’s most respected academic leaders. They will bring immense value and insight to Rowen as site development begins and we activate the partnerships and programs that will bring a unique mix of tenants to our property.” Joseph, Hu and Reeves join founding board members Shailendra and Sam Hinton on the board. 

Dr. Joseph has served as president of Georgia Gwinnett College since 2019. 

As senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia, Dr. Hu oversees instruction, research, public service and outreach, and information technology. 

Reeves served for seven years in the Georgia General Assembly. He is an attorney by trade. 

Norcross to have cemetery tour on Sunday, Feb. 6

Historian Gene Ramsey will give a tour of the Norcross Cemetery on Sunday, February 6, at 2 p.m. The cemetery is east of Buford Highway.  Meet at South Cemetery Street (extension of Holcomb Bridge Road.)

Obelisk in Norcross Cemetery.

Ramsay will guide you to the graves of and tell stories about the life and times of a number of Norcross area residents of years past.  To mention a few:

• Edward Buchanan, who in his rags to riches to rags life at the beginning of the 20th century left one of the most prominent of houses in our community
• Homer and Mollie Jones, who built a large home overlooking the town at the time of their 25th wedding anniversary, and whose descendants served in the armed forces of the USA across the 20th century
• Thomas Twitty, whose daughters complained so much about their long walk to school from their house that he swapped it for another in the heart of downtown
• Sallie McElroy, who with her son spent their summer vacation in 1923 by driving from Norcross to Yellowstone National Park – we will hear her words describing her adventures from a letter to her husband Eb who stayed back home 
• Ivey Wingo, major league baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds, a participant in the “Black Sox” World Series in 1919

The tour is free and open to the public.

NOTABLE

GMA names Lawrenceville as a 2022 Visionary City

The City of Lawrenceville has been honored as a 2022 Visionary City, by the Georgia Municipal Association and Georgia Trend at this year’s Cities United Summit.  

Nine cities across Georgia were recognized for creating positive community change through effective civic engagement and collaboration. Other cities honored are Canton, LaGrange, Ringgold, Tybee Island, Cornelia, Acworth, Moultrie, Covington and Macon. 

The City of Lawrenceville was recognized for its involvement in the Summer of Impact Internship Program in partnership with Impact46 and local high schools.

The Summer of Impact, an eight-week program connecting businesses with students from Lawrenceville high schools, was established in 2018 by change advocates who saw a need for youth engagement. Leaders from the city, schools, and Impact46 united to provide internships for students with local businesses to increase awareness through community engagement, while also teaching the value of civic mindedness. Their vision was within five years, every student will be given the opportunity to discover their God-given purpose, passion and influence.  In three years, nearly 50 interns have gone through the summer program.

In 2020, the Summer of Impact team added a pipeline and recruitment event called “Love Lawrenceville Day,” which introduces sophomores and juniors to local businesses, as well as informs them on important areas involving local civics, an area identified as a key need for today’s youth.  Value in the program greatly benefits the students, but the business partners benefit from their time spent collaborating and mentoring students during “Love Lawrenceville Day” over the eight-week period.

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