GwinnettForum | Number 21.46 | July 1, 2022
BEE CONCENTRATE: Students at Georgia Gwinnett College are studying native bees, under the direction of Dr. Mark Schlueter. GGC Students Lashai Simon Lambert and Steen Graham observe as Dr. Schlueter examines a plant for evidence of native bees. For more on this story, see Upcoming below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Gwinnett Tech offers wide array of continuing education
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Original Gwinnett Foundation founders must be mighty pleased
ANOTHER VIEW: Yes, it’s hot outdoors, so look out for your pets, too
SPOTLIGHT: Georgia Banking Company
FEEDBACK: Rulings gives her the impetus to dust off old credentials
UPCOMING: GGC professor seeks to help farmers in study of pollinating bees
NOTABLE: Rogers Bridge work wins ASNE Project of Merit award
RECOMMENDED: Practical Fairy Tales for Everyday Living by Martin H. Levinson
GEORGIA TIDBIT: UGA’s Marine Institute is located at Sapelo Island
MYSTERY PHOTO: Just where is this stately structure located?
Gwinnett Tech offers wide array of continuing education
By Cher Brister
Executive Director, Workforce Development
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | At Gwinnett Tech, we aren’t just “Basketweaving 101.
You may have heard that Continuing Education is for people pursuing a hobby, or a new craft such as basket weaving, pottery or photography. You will find those classes at your local community centers, but they will not be found at Gwinnett Technical College’s Continuing Education department. At Gwinnett Tech’s CE, you will find that the focus is on jobs, careers and economic development in Gwinnett and North Fulton counties.
Brister
The department offers a variety of programs, certifications, classes and seminars to help individuals get a leg up in the workforce. We offer welding certifications, forklift certifications, computer certifications and medical certifications such as Certified Phlebotomy Technician and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant. Our Take Ten+ program is a partnership between the Continuing Education department and Adult Education department to train students to work in an in-demand field, earn their national certification credentials and get on-the-job experience at sites across our community; all of which leads them on their path to new, prosperous careers.
Our Continuing Education department also assists Gwinnett’s and North Fulton’s businesses and industries with staff development, hard skills and soft skills training. For example, we can train an organization’s current employees to become better supervisors in our three-part course “Basic Training for Supervisors.” We can also train employees to earn the sought-after credentials to become Project Management Professionals and Six Sigma Yellow, Green and Black Belts.
We also offer course customization, tailored to a specific organization’s needs. Our team works with businesses throughout Gwinnett and North Fulton to create curricula and design courses, seminars and workshops for employees looking to improve a skill or earn a certification. We offer a Leadership Academy, enabling leader candidates to further develop their abilities, knowledge and skills to become stronger, more effective leaders throughout their organizations.
Gwinnett Tech’s Continuing Education department is also home to the American Heart Association Community Training Center (CTC). Whether you are a student, medical professional or work in an industry that requires American Heart Association CPR certification, Gwinnett Tech’s Community Training Center can refer you to a certified CPR instructor who can assist you. Additionally, if you are an American Heart Association certified instructor in need of a Community Training Center to renew your certification, earn a new certification or purchase CPR cards, books or supplies for your classes, Gwinnett Tech’s CTC is a great resource for you.
You can also find English as a Second Language class offerings at Gwinnett Tech’s CE department. Our ESL classes focus on both academic English as well as conversation accuracy and fluency. Our cadre of seasoned instructors can help both non-English speakers and students seeking to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam to pursue college and further their education.
If interested in these areas, call the following:
- For general questions about Continuing Education, call: 770-995-9697.
- For questions about Business and Industry customized training in Gwinnett County call Nikki Lawson at: 678-226-4552.
- For questions about Business and Industry customized training North Fulton County, call Mariah Lindsey at: 470-282-5397.
- For questions about the American Heart Association Community Training Center, call: 678-226-6351.
- For questions about Continuing Education’s ESL program, call Stephanie Garcia, ESL Director at: 678-226-6740.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett Foundation founders must be mighty pleased
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JULY 1, 2022 | The original founders of the Gwinnett Foundation must be smiling today, those still living, and those who have passed away, at the mounting size of its assets. When it started in 1985, the Foundation, now known as the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia, had only $170,700 in assets at the end of its first year. Today its assets top $80 million. (See table below.)
That it is a formidable size. It routinely distributes an average of $1 million each year to local nonprofits.
A capital campaign provided the initial seed money. Then in 1987, Bob Fowler, publisher of the Gwinnett Daily News, and the other owners of the Gwinnett Daily News offered a $1 million challenge grant, which was soon matched by the community, propelling the young foundation to greater heights.
The initial board of directors included Paul Duke, developer of Technology Park/Atlanta; Charles Brown; Pat Brown, the initial executive director; and J.D. Caswell; Jim Pack; Ed Heys; Glenn Harbin; Jack Sawyer; and Michael Tennant, who wrote the bylaws. Charlie Brown was the first president, followed by Ray Weeks, while Paul Duke was the third president. By the end of its third year, it had assets of $2,189,285.
Duke
Duke, in particular, was a champion of asking people to contribute to the Foundation. You could bet that in those early years, every time you got into a conversation with Duke, he would eventually turn his blue eyes on you and start talking about contributing to the Foundation, and how important that was. Though the Foundation then had very little in assets, he saw what the Community Foundation of Atlanta, and the Georgia Tech Foundation, were doing for their respective communities, and he was constantly bringing up the Foundation to everyone he met. He was a real bird dog about looking out for the Foundation, and was responsible for much of the early growth.
Meanwhile, the Foundation was reaching out to other leaders of the Gwinnett Community, asking them to serve. (See adjacent table for a list of the presidents and assets of the Foundation.)
In particular, look at the end of year asset growth in recent years. From $35 million in 2016, the Foundation has more than doubled to $80 million at the end of 2021 while Sandra Strickland of Lawrenceville and Dick LoPresti of Berkeley Lake have been chairs. That’s amazing growth!
How did the Foundation grow so quickly? Randy Redner, the outgoing CEO, says it was because “…we sat down with families who run great businesses, who care about the community. We also talk to their accountants and attorneys, so that the Foundation can be the expert at the table on their journey and generosity. And finally, we deliver on what we say. We connect people that care with causes that matter to them.”
It was in 2001 that the name was changed from Gwinnett Community Foundation to the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia. And in 2017, the title of president was changed to chairman, while the executive director was changed to president and CEO. Now DePriest Waddy steps into the leadership role, to move the Foundation ever more forward.
Through 2021, the Community Foundation has granted out more than $100 million – impacting the arts, education, faith-based organizations, community service and health care. We can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Can’t you see Paul Duke (and others) looking down from heaven and grinning at the great good the Foundation is doing each year for our area!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Yes, it’s hot outdoors, so look out for your pets, too
By Marlene Ratledge Buchanan
SNELLVILLE, Ga. | Please do me a favor? Take off your shoes and stand on the pavement for three minutes. Now, play fair and do this in the hot part of the day.
Buchanan
How did you enjoy that? Are your toes tingly pink? Did you feel the sizzle of summer?
Now consider your dog? He hasn’t the option to get off the pavement if he is tethered to you with a leash. You, in your shoes, enjoy walking and looking around you. He, in his paws, enjoys being with you because he loves you. You love him? Get him off that hot pavement! He is closer to the ground so he is also getting all the reflective heat. You think you are hot? Think about your pet, not just about yourself.
Most people think of their pets as a member of the family? Then treat him like one. If he has to walk on the street with you, then put little booties on him. Better yet, love him and leave him at home. He could care less about that festival you are so keen to attend. You can search for dog booties on the Internet.
I was at a festival recently. I saw dogs in strollers and dogs on the verge of heat exhaustion. My book table was under a huge tree and we had good shade. There was not one dog that didn’t lay down in that shade as soon as he reached it. It was too hot to be in the sun and on that pavement.
Some owners, very few, had water for their four legged loved one. I promised myself I would bring water and a bowl the next time I was at an event like this. You, dear pet owner, should do that for your animal. He is your responsibility. Do not fill a metal bowl with water and sit it in the sun. It takes only five minutes to heat up.
And why would you even consider leaving your pet in a car? Think about it.
Heat stroke in pets is very real and can happen very quickly. You are required by law to provide shelter and care for your pets. They need cool water for hydration. Signs of overheating of animals include heavy panting, excessive thirst, glazed eyes, thick saliva and rapid heart rate, among others.
Remember, it is against the law to tether or chain a dog. Heed the law if you can’t heed your heart.
And here is one more rant. I know you were not planning on me being ugly, but sometimes I just have to tell you the truth. And the truth can be ugly. Animals are frightened of fireworks. Keep them inside the house. They do not understand. They run when scared and they get disoriented by the sounds and lights of the fireworks. Keep them secure in your house, but of course, not your car.
Have a safer summer for you and your pets. And don’t make me have to be ugly again!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia Banking Company
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Georgia Banking Company (GBC) is a full-service, commercial community bank headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. This vacation season, do the most — on the go! Enjoy the convenience of GBC’s innovative and secure solutions at your fingertips with access to GBC Mobile Banking. Save time, stress less, and have peace of mind while traveling this summer with access to your account at your convenience to pay balances, check transactions, and manage cash flows all from the palm of your hand. The vision of GBC is to be the bank of choice by meeting the needs of small to medium sized companies, including not-for-profit companies, while delivering an exceptional customer experience. Increasing insight into your finances has never been easier with the GBC Mobile App for business. Visit GeorgiaBanking.com to learn more.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
“Open Carry” phrase brings back memories
Editor, the Forum:
As I read your remark regarding “open carry”, I was again reminded of my first thought when I first heard the term. It was in lyrics from the song Pancho and Lefty say in part, “Wore his gun outside his pants For all the honest world to feel.”
–Elizabeth Truluck Neace, Harbins Community, Dacula
Clarifies exactly what Supreme Court ruling was about
Editor, the Forum:
Thanks as always for staying on top of the news. As you note, there has been much consternation regarding several recent Supreme Court decisions.
There has been a thought that in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed or removed a woman’s right to an abortion. That was not the finding. What the court did find, as outlined on page one of the 213 page opinion, is that “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.” This section goes on to say that Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.
In effect, this was a 10th amendment ruling. The 10th amendment says simply: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”
The Supreme Court has been expanding federal powers since at least the time of John Marshall. The current court said, regarding the case in question, “We cannot find this right in the Constitution”. That was the sum of the ruling.
– Randy Brurson, Duluth
Rulings gives her the impetus to dust off old credentials
Editor, the Forum:
It was a sad day in our nation’s history when the two recent Supreme Court rulings came down. I guess I’ll have to dust off my National Organization for Women credentials and start anew.
– Barbara Knox Luckhurst, Duluth
Former resident writes view about the abortion question
Editor, the Forum:
Reading the views expressed in your publication on the recent Supreme Court decisions, I was struck by the absence of any dissenting opinion regarding the rabid condemnations of the court, and condemnatory references to Christianity.
Could it be that for once, the Supreme Court returned to its core purpose by applying the Constitution to its interpretation of laws and precedents, instead of creating constitutional principles where the founders failed to venture in creating that great document? Even Justice Greensburg acknowledged Roe v. Wade as a twisted and faulty ruling.
And beyond that, why is there complete failure on the part of your publication to mention that there are many who mourn daily the knowledge that unborn babies are being ripped from the wombs of their mothers at abortion clinics. That too is a reality, and is offensive to many of the sensibilities of the American public, but isn’t even slightly attended to in your comments. Legal abortion is an abhorrence that we’ve lived with for nearly 50 years, and the consistent thought of it for many citizens has sickened us.
It always amazes me that the people who support saving the planet through green initiatives, who rally in support of saving the Manatee and turtles, who scream for the rights of every possible gender combination known to man, find no room in their compassion for unborn children. Sixty million lives have been lost over the past 50 years to the wondering of what greatness, what artistry, what humanity we have allowed to be slain.
– Eric Dierks, St. Simons Island
(Editor’s note: this reader of GwinnettForum is a former local resident, who last lived in Dacula for eight years, but also lived in Duluth 20 years, and earlier in Norcross and Lawrenceville. He ran for but lost a House seat in Gwinnett in the 2020 elections.—eeb)
Find it frustrating and difficult to keep up with officials
Editor, the Forum:
The Supreme Court ruling returning authoring on abortion back to the states creates a much-needed civics lesson for Georgia voters. It forces all who are concerned with this issue to wade through the Georgia state website and figure out what district(s) they are in and who their state representative and senator are.
I think there would be fewer violent protests in this country were it less confusing to find this information out. It is as mystifying and frustrating as keeping pace with when, where, and for what office and candidates we vote for.
– Joe Briggs, Suwanee
Dear Joe: Now calm down Joe. We only have to go through this process once every 10 years. And since you are an activist, you probably have been in touch with many of your representatives often.–eb
- 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.
GGC professor studies pollinating bees to help farmers
It’s hard to ignore the importance of bees to life on earth. Bees pollinate more than one-third of the human food supply, including a large majority of the fruits, vegetables and nuts in refrigerators and pantries.
Pollinating bees are not just for growing food for humans, either. Seventy-five percent of all flowering plants on earth rely on pollinators to reproduce. These plants provide the foundation for countless food chains. Considering all that, it’s concerning that the primary commercial pollinator, the honeybee, is under significant threat from colony collapse disorder) and other factors.
According to a nationwide survey conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership in 2021, beekeepers in the United States lost 45 percent of their managed honey bee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021. Biologists worldwide have expressed acute concern over this trend, which could have devastating consequences for the U.S. food supply if solutions aren’t found to reverse it.
Dr. Mark Schlueter, a professor of biology at Georgia Gwinnett College, has dedicated his life’s work to finding solutions to these problems. Initially focused on apple orchards, he shifted his research to blueberry patches after receiving an on-farm Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education research grant (SARE). Schlueter and his team planted wildflowers adjacent to blueberry patches on the Pinefield Eco Farm in Hephzibah, Ga., and will spend the summer observing the plants in detail.
Working with farm owner Zane Redman, Schlueter’s team planted three plots on one side of the farm consisting of four rows of blueberry plants with a row of wildflower plants to attract native bees. Three plots were planted without wildflowers on the other side of the farm. Video cameras, mounted on tripods, record native bee behaviors in both areas.
The study’s primary purpose is to discover if wildflower patches increase native bee abundance and diversity during the blueberry bloom period and, if so, which wildflower species best recruit native bees.
Floral enhancements on the edge of orchards and farms could lead to farms that only have to rely on native bees instead of using honeybee hives that are typically rented and placed on the farm. The recent losses in honeybee hives have significantly increased the cost of renting honeybee hives, which adds to production costs for farmers — costs that are passed to consumers.
Schlueter has been working with bees since 2010. In that time, he has been awarded eight SARE grants and done over 100 research presentations with students. He created a new course for the blueberry research project, BIOL 4570 Experimental Methods, that will give 10 students the opportunity to perform real-world bee research over the summer at the farm location.
Schlueter says this research is vital for many reasons:“Scientists estimate that bees contribute more than $15 billion in pollination services every year,” he said. “The honeybee is the main commercial pollinator and has been in decline since the 1970s. The best supplement or replacement for honeybees are native bees, and the best way to pull in native pollinators is to provide them with habitat enrichments.”
In addition, Schlueter says that boosting native bee abundance will also lower farmer expenses since they won’t need to rent honeybee hives for pollination. The better a crop can be pollinated, the better the yield. All of this leads to more food production for lower costs to the public and, more importantly, provides a backup plan for the potential loss of honeybees as pollinators.
Rogers Bridge work wins ASNE Project of Merit award
The Rogers Bridge project over the Chattahoochee River in Duluth earned the 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers Georgia Section Civil Engineering Project of Merit Award for the demolition of the 100-year truss.
Astra Group LLC collaborated with Heath and Lineback Engineers Inc. to remove and demolish Historic Rogers Bridge, built in the early 1900s over the Chattahoochee River. A 700-ton crane was used to execute the engineered critical lift. The removal made way for a replica pedestrian-friendly bridge to be constructed between Gwinnett and Fulton counties. The ASCE Georgia Section Project of Merit Awards are given to impactful projects showcasing contribution to communities, resourcefulness in planning and solving design challenges and innovations in construction and in the use of materials and methods.
The newly placed truss is the same 228’ in length as the original, with a similar design. However, the new model is significantly heavier weighing in at 287,000 lbs. The original truss was a mere 170,000 lbs in comparison. The truss was prefabricated and then welded and assembled on-site. Assembly took two weeks, and 47 tractor trailer loads of truss pieces. Once it was ready to be installed, an 825-ton Demag Crawler with 1.4 million lbs. of counterweights was required to safely move the massive structure into its final home over the Chattahoochee River.
- To see the placement of the bridge, check out this video. You might call this video a “swinging bridge”: Timelapse of Truss Install: https://youtu.be/d49SMhmytqk.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Practical Fairy Tales for Everyday Living,
by Martin H. Levinson
From Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain: Martin H. Levinson has captured the conundrums we get into when we do not think in logical, practical ways. This book is a compilation of 24 ingenious examples of how the characters create havoc in their lives with imperfect responses to life situations. In ‘Nathan’s Nebulous Questions,’ he learns how to think in concrete ways so that goals can be reached rather waxing in big picture philosophical questions that have no answer; and ‘Betty Blowhard’ learns that the quickest way to alienate friends and colleagues is to set up her opinions as gospel for everyone. She learns that by adding “to me” or “from my point of view” she leaves the door open for connection and sharing with others. These are just a few of the delightful stories that open the way for positive interactions with others and peace and serenity within oneself.
- 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
UGA’s Marine Institute is located at Sapelo Island
The University of Georgia Marine Institute, located on the southern end of Sapelo Island, was established in 1953 through the generosity of Richard J. Reynolds Jr. It was founded primarily as a research institute and has conducted research centered on salt marsh, watershed, and nearshore ecosystems since its inception. The goals of the research are to understand the biological, chemical, geological, and physical processes that control salt marsh systems.
Sapelo Island is a barrier island located approximately five miles off the Georgia mainland in McIntosh County. Barrier islands are found along the length of the Georgia coast and act as protection against erosion and storms. Between the barrier islands and the mainland lie estuaries, areas where freshwater mixes with seawater. These estuaries have extensive salt marshes dominated by the smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, and the black needle rush, Juncus roemerianus.
The coastal marshes of Georgia comprise almost 400,000 acres and represent nearly a third of the salt marshes on the east coast of the United States. These highly productive marshes provide a home for oysters, clams, and other organisms that spend all of their lives in the estuary and for young shrimp, crabs, and fishes that use the estuary as a nursery ground.
The Marine Institute provides a modern environmental laboratory with access to outdoor field sites that allow scientists to study these valuable natural resources. The facilities include a main laboratory building of approximately 13,685 square feet, which houses offices and laboratories for resident and visiting scientists. There are two modern instrument rooms with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, two flowing-seawater laboratories, and a scientific library with more than 6,000 volumes and sixty-three current journals and periodicals. There are 27 volumes of collected reprints from studies conducted using the Marine Institute, with contributions numbering almost 900.
To conduct studies in the estuaries, the Marine Institute operates the research vessel R/V Spartina, a forty-four-foot fiberglass boat, and maintains numerous smaller boats for use in the tidal rivers and creeks.
In addition to five resident faculty, visiting scientists are encouraged to live and study on the island for periods of one month to six months. To date, the Visiting Scientist Program has attracted renowned scientists from thirteen countries and across the United States. As a part of the University of Georgia’s School of Marine Programs, the Marine Institute does not offer formal courses, but its facilities are available for use by graduate students from any accredited college or university who wish to pursue their degree-requirement research in estuarine and marine ecological studies. The Student Intern Program allows first-year graduate students and advanced undergraduates to learn about the process of basic environmental research through actual hands-on experience under the guidance of Marine Institute faculty.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Just where is this stately structure located?
Here’s a stately structure for today’s Mystery Photo. Figure out where it is located and send your answer to elliott@brack.net. Always include your hometown.
The wooden bridge over Lake Herrick.
What didn’t seem like a difficult photograph found that only two regular spotters could identify. Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. recognized “A mystery photo was taken from the wooden boardwalk along the Boardwalk Trail at Lake Herrick in Athens Ga. It is a man-made lake that was formed in 1982 with the construction of an earth dam on one of the tributaries of the North Oconee River near the Oconee Forest Park. Commissioned by UGA in 1982 for recreational use, the lake was named for the former Dean of the School of Forest Resources, Allyn M. Herrick, who served the school for 23 years. Lake Herrick quickly became a popular public space for swimming, boating, and fishing.
“However, in 2002, all water activities were prohibited at the lake because of deteriorating water quality tied to human activities at the lake and the greater watershed. With the decrease in human visitors, the lake has become a haven for local wildlife, with over 200 bird species having been observed there, making it one of the most diverse sites for birds in Athens-Clarke County. The lake remained closed until October 2018 when, after sustained efforts by the UGA Office of Sustainabilities and UGA Researchers, the lake was reopened to the public for passive activities, including walking, trail running, birdwatching, and fishing as well the use of non-motorized boats such as rowboats, canoes, kayaks and paddle boards.” The photograph came UGA Today, the university’s daily online report.
Also spotting the photo was George Graf of Palmyra, Va. Somehow the photo inspired several readers to think it was at Fort Yargo, near Wilder. But not.
GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday.
Meet our team
- Editor and publisher: Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
- Managing editor: Betsy Brack
- Roving photographer: Frank Sharp
- Contributing columnist: Jack Bernard
- Contributing columnist: George Wilson
More
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 1365, Norcross, Ga. 30091
- Work with us: If you would like to learn about how to be an underwriter to support the publication of GwinnettForum as a community resource for news and commentary, please contact us today.
Subscriptions to GwinnettForum are free.
- Click to subscribe.
- Unsubscribe. We hope you’ll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, go to this page and unsubscribe in the appropriate box.
© 2022, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.
Follow Us