GwinnettForum | Number 22.23 | March 21, 2023
A JURIED ART SHOW will run through April 15 at the downtown Norcross Gallery and Studios One of the painting in the show is Anne Labaire’s multi-component painting entitled “Okay, everybody say CHEESE.” It shows people in various bright apparel who seem to be enjoying cocktails and each other’s company. For more details, see Upcoming below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Clearer each day why he left the Republican Party
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Georgia doesn’t need heavier trucks pounding our roadways
SPOTLIGHT: Sugarloaf Community Improvement District
FEEDBACK: Says Forum got reason wrong on comment on Lake Lanier
UPCOMING: Norcross Gallery and Studio offers first juried show of the year
NOTABLE: Winn DAR Chapter picks six students for Good Citizen Award
OBITUARY: Timothy Joseph Connolly,
RECOMMENDED: The Complete Stories by Franz Kafka
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Collin Rogers was master builder of elegant houses in 1830s
MYSTERY PHOTO: Lots of clues: Rocks, water, building, but where is it?
CALENDAR: Food tasking from vendors of Gwinnett Stripers at the ball park March 22
Clearer each day why he left the Republican Party
“The Republican majority in the House has been hard at work delivering for the American people.” — 10th District U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga.
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | The Grand Old Party ran in 2022 on its “Commitment to America Plan.” Leader Kevin McCarthy repeatedly trumpeted that if Republicans took the majority in the House, that in 2023 they would immediately address their priorities as outlined in that plan to fight inflation, secure the border and reduce illegal immigration, give parents more control over education, preserve our freedom, and support Medicare and Social Security.
Rep. Mike Collins represents the eastern part of Gwinnett County. He says that they are succeeding, giving legislation which has recently passed in the GOP House (see below). Based on the GOP’s own stated objectives, I strongly disagree with the representative.
But first some history. I have never met Mike Collins. But I knew his father, Rep. Mac Collins. My lake front house looked out over Butts County, his home county.
I was incoming chair of the Jasper County Commission when he was leaving office in 2005. We were both in the GOP (I was also chair of the Jasper County Republican Party) and we met at Republican events. I thought he was a decent guy, even though we may not have agreed on every topic.
I was still a Jasper County Republican in 2014 when Mike Collins ran against right-wing radical Jody Hice in the GOP primary. I was for Collins, having criticized Hice in various outlets, including this one. Collins lost that election, but eventually got into Congress last fall when Hice left to run unsuccessfully for Georgia Secretary of State (thank goodness for Georgia voters’ common sense in re-electing Brad Raffensperger.)
By then I had moved to Fayette County and switched to the Democratic Party. But I have tried to keep up with Congressman Collins, hoping he would be a force for moderation. However, he has not been that voice of reason that I hoped he would be.
In Collins’ recent correspondence to constituents, he stated that “delivering” means the House GOP passing laws which would:
- Repeal Covid-19 emergency laws, even though the pandemic is still with us;
- Remove the requirement for healthcare workers to be vaccinated, placing elderly nursing home patients in danger;
- Halt the ability of the City of Washington, D.C., to make its own laws governing law enforcement and voting.
Collins
Congressman Collins is also into passing meaningless resolutions, which includes complaining about President Biden not shooting down a Chinese balloon over the U.S., although the president approved the plan of action recommended by our generals, and moaning about “socialism,” a vague term used by GOP leaders in the past to vote against the creation of both Social Security and Medicare.
Once again, what does any of this have to do with the goals set out in the “Commitment to America Plan,” specifically to fight inflation, secure the border and reduce illegal immigration, give parents more control over education, preserve our freedom, and support Medicare and Social Security? The answer is clear: nothing at all.
It appears obvious to any reasonable observer that we now have a GOP-controlled House which will simply ignore important legislative priorities, such as those they themselves have outlined, to score dubious political points in an endless, meaningless culture war to “own the libs.”
Meanwhile, the House GOP leadership has not proposed any legislation to balance the budget, reform immigration, get big money out of politics, improve education, strengthen the economy and reform entitlements.
So much for what once was the Grand Old Party. It becomes clearer to me each day why I left it.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia doesn’t need heavier trucks pounding our roadways
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 21, 2023 | When driving on Interstate highways, do you notice how many people drive constantly in the left lane of Interstate highways?? Ever wonder why?
There’s a simple answer. The 18-wheel or more trucks are required to drive in the right lane. That simply means that the right lanes of the Interstate system have more bumps and are much rougher to drive on because of the pounding that the heavy trucks on the pavement.
Guess what? Roads all over Georgia could get rougher and bumpier if the Georgia legislature passes new rules allowing heavier trucks on our roads. A measure already passed the House (though by a close vote of 93-81) to allow those big trucks to increase their gross weights on the road to 88,000 pounds, up 10 percent from the present limit of 80,000 pounds. The proposed higher weight limits for trucks will sorely pulverize our roads quicker, and not only that, make our roads far less safe.
Truckers, led by the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, are pounding on the Senate doors to make sure this new proposal passes.
If so, it will cost Georgians thousands in repairs to its roads, simply because this increased weight limit will wear out our roads faster. That’s not even considering the increased safety hazards that the heavier trucks pose to every vehicle that trucks meet, follow, or pass.
Who will pay for the heavier pounding of the roads? For sure, not the truckers. Simply, Georgia’s 159 counties will have to find monies to pay for these more impacted roads, that is, Georgia’s citizens, no less than you and me.
That’s right. Counties might have to raise additional revenue (that’s called “taxes.”) to pay for the additional damage from another four tons per truck pounding damage to our roads.
Interestingly, the nation’s Interstate highways limit the gross weight of trucks to an 80,000 pound limit, the same as are the limits currently in Georgia for all roads. But now the trucking industry is insisting on raising the Georgia limit to 88,000 pounds. These trucks with the heavier weight limits therefore can’t use the Interstate system, but must use highways funded by state government.
Of course, this doesn’t limit the damages to the roads to Georgia rural counties. The cities of Georgia will also see their roads damaged more with the heavier dump trucks and 18 wheelers, et al.
Think, too, of bridges. State and local bridges in Georgia aren’t designed to exceed weights of 80,000 pounds per truck. You wonder how many Georgia bridges will fail with the heavier weights on them. For sure, costly bridge repairs will be needed much sooner with the higher weight limits of trucks crunching the pavement.
We applaud the American trucking industry for supplying a mighty benefit to our nation. It moves 80 percent of all our goods in an amazing delivery system. Our nation could not exist without trucking.
Yet heavier trucks are not the answer in Georgia, based not only on cost measures, but also based on safety levels.
Ask your legislator to hold the line on expanding the weight limits on trucks on Georgia’s roads. Keep our highways healthier and safer for our citizens by not imposing higher weight limits for the trucking industry.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Sugarloaf CID
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers the Sugarloaf Community Improvement District (CID) was formed in 2016 to ensure the long-term success of Gwinnett County’s premier business and entertainment district. This is the home to the Gas South District, a regional destination that attracts over a million visitors a year. The CID is also part of one of the region’s top ten employment centers, with 971 businesses and 16,661 employees. Since its formation, the CID has leveraged over $10 million in funding, advanced projects to help make the district safe, attractive, and connected, and expanded the CID to more than five times its initial value.
- To learn more, visit its web site at www.sugarloafcid.org.
Says Forum got reason wrong on comment about Lake Lanier
Editor, the Forum:
Let me strongly agree with GwinnettForum’s view that Lake Sidney Lanier’s name should not be changed because Private Sidney Lanier once served in the Confederate Army . However, unfortunately it ignored the story behind the proposed name change.
It claimed that the Army Base Renaming Commission actions were “understandable” in that many of the Confederate generals for which some military posts were named “were not even good leaders. That demonstrated GwinnettForum arrogance and ignorance of the underlying reasons for removing Confederate names. This “Renaming Commission” was stacked with people who are known to hate all things Confederate.
In an act of reconciliation and to promote national cohesion, some military installations in the South were named after famous Confederates, but for political and racist reasons. A Taliban-like ethnic cleansing of Confederate history and monuments is now taking place. The world-famous Confederate monument in Arlington National Cemetery, unveiled in an act of reconciliation in 1914 is slated for destruction. Long-existing National Guard Army units in the South have been ordered to remove all battle streamers from unit flags if they represent service as a Confederate unit in the Civil War. Pure madness!!
– Ernest Wade, Loganville
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 and Studio offers first juried show of the year
Norcross Gallery and Studios is having its first juried show of 2023. For the Love of Art will run through Saturday, April 15. Norcross Gallery and Studios, formerly known as Kudzu Art Zone, is a 501(c)3 organization of volunteer artists whose focus is supporting growth and development of local art and artists throughout the community.
This bright new exhibit offers original paintings from long-time noted members of the gallery along with works of several new artists.
Notable is Anne Labaire’s unique multi-component painting entitled “Okay, everybody say CHEESE” and includes a handmade photo album of the resulting photos, showingLagaire many people in various bright apparel who seem to be enjoying cocktails and each other’s company, a real party atmosphere. It makes viewers want to be there celebrating with the happy crowd.
A landscape that is more serene, untouched by human presence, is Lucy Brady’s “Serene Lake.” Western mountains are perfectly reflected in a calm lake. Is it merely peaceful or a lonely scene?
Norcross Gallery and Studios is located in downtown Norcross at 116 Carlyle Street and opening hours are Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone is 770-840-9844 and website is norcrossgalleryandstudios.org. Along with the bright front gallery, there are eight studios of working artists. Each exhibit includes an opening reception which is free to the public, featuring food and wine and an opportunity to meet the artists and catch up on what is happening in the local world of art and culture.
Duluth Rotary Car Show returns for 8th time on April 8
The Rotary Club of Duluth’s eighth annual Car Show returns on Saturday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Duluth. Cars on display will be parked in a secure area. The family-friendly event is free to the public.
This year’s event welcomes vehicles in all categories. Adults and kids who attend get one vote each to choose a favorite. Owners of the three most popular vehicles in each category will be awarded first, second and third place, and the overall winner will receive the People’s Choice trophy. The crowd will also hear entertaining announcements from Mike Booth, a professional auctioneer, singer, and Gem Shopping Network personality!
For refreshments and shopping, downtown eateries and retailers will remain open for business.
The event’s proceeds benefit Operation One Voice, www.OperationOneVoice.org. A special dedication will be made this year in memory of Bill Stevens, who founded the organization to assist fallen soldiers and police officers and their families, subsequently raising over a million dollars by operating entirely with volunteers.
The fee to enter is $20 per vehicle for those who pre-register by Friday, August 7. Online registration is available at https://duluth-rotary-car-show.cheddarup.com/. Individuals may also preregister by mail.
Registration will also be open on the day of the event for as long as space permits for a fee of $25 per vehicle.
Peachtree Corners parking decks closing for maintenance
Beginning March 21, 2023, portions of the parking deck located in the Peachtree Corners Town Center will be closed to perform maintenance, repairs and area improvements.
These closures will affect the entrances immediately in front of Lazy Dog Restaurant, the entrance entering the lower deck closest to the CineBistro parking lot, and the southern ramp section in the area of the electric vehicle charging stations.
During the closures, from March 21 to March 23, all entry into the deck must be done through the lower deck entrances across from CineBistro. The entrance nearest the traffic circle fountain will be temporarily closed to facilitate materials delivery for the project.
Following delivery, this entrance will be reopened for the duration of the project. Additionally, the ramp providing access to the upper level of the deck will remain open throughout the project.
During this time, the vehicle charging stations will also be inaccessible.
Winn DAR Chapter picks 6 students for Good Citizen Award
Philadelphia Winn Chapter Regent Lynn Jacques, left, is shown with some of the Good Citizen winners. They are Lily Azigbo, Clea Coard and Neha Dossani, plus Cheryl Hall, chair of the DAR Good Citizens Committee.
Six Gwinnett students were recently awarded Good Citizen Awards by the Lawrenceville Philadelphia Winn Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Each received a DAR Good Citizen pin, a monetary award, a yard sign, and an awards certificate.
The DAR Good Citizens program and Scholarship Contest is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship in our students. The program is open to all high school seniors enrolled in public or private schools accredited and in good standing with their state board of education. Students are not required to be United States citizens.
Lily Azigbo represents Discovery High School in Lawrenceville and was also the Essay Contest winner of the group, receiving an additional monetary award. Lily states the qualities of a good citizen facilitate good social manners, peace-making, productivity, efficiency, and the development of genuine love and care for others.
Clea Coard represents Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville. Clea states the qualities of a good citizen are important because they apply to every facet of life, such as being dependable and working as a team.
Neha Dossani represents Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology (GSMST) in Lawrenceville. Neha states the qualities of a good citizen are important because they make communities and the individuals within those communities stronger and more closely connected.
Nguyen
Han Nguyen represents Brookwood High School in Snellville. Han states the qualities of a good citizen are important because dependability is an important aspect of character and defines your relationships.
Hood
DeBerry
Chanceler Hood represents Parkview High School in Lilburn. Chance states the qualities of a good citizen are important because service such as his theater performances appeal to all demographics and encourages inclusivity in his school. His dependability is important because his fellow teammates on the yearbook staff know they can count on him to meet deadlines and keep them encouraged.
Anna DeBerry represents Grayson High School in Grayson. Anna states that the qualities of a good citizen are very important to success as a young woman. Dependability is one of the key factors to being a strong woman, not only in the workplace but in the world as well, she states.
Timothy Joseph Connolly
Timothy Joseph Connolly, 85, of Atlanta passed away on March 18, 2023, in Rome, Ga.
Born on June 6, 1937 in Philadelphia, Penn., Tim (also known as T.J. or “Poppa” to his grandchildren and great grandchildren) was the only child of Timothy John Connolly and Agnes Schumacher Connolly.
Connolly
Tim attended Admiral Farragut Academy in Toms River, N.J., and graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1959. He began his career in the real estate department of INA Insurance Company in Philadelphia. While traveling to negotiate office space for INA, he decided to relocate to Atlanta in 1962 to work in the corporate real estate department of Colonial Foods.
In 1967, he joined Tom Cousins and Cousins Properties to create and lead a new division developing retail shopping centers across the country. After a successful tenure, he started Connolly and Company in 1972, developing shopping centers and commercial land. The company, now Connolly Realty Services and currently run by his son, has developed more than 60 projects.
He was active in the community as a board member of the Georgia Board of Community Affairs, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the Georgia Greenspace Program. He was the first contributor to Camp Sunshine and a board member of CURE Childhood Cancer and Leukemia. He was a founding member of the 1818 Club and a Life Member of the Capital City Club.
While work was certainly a passion, family was most important. Tim met the love of his life, Carol Schnurr Connolly, on the steps of the Cathedral of Christ the King in 1962. They married in 1963 at the Cathedral and soon started their family. Tim and Carol recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and have enjoyed a lifetime of entertaining family and friends while also traveling all over the world. Outside of work, Tim was a private pilot, owning several airplanes. He was also an avid boater cruising up and down the East Coast in his beloved Grand Banks trawler, the Far Horizons.
Tim highly valued education (formal school as well as practical lessons) for children, grandchildren and even extended family.
Tim is survived by his wife Carol, children Tim Connolly II [“J.R.”] (Mary); Carolyn [Lyn] Schaffer (Bob); and Maryann O’Connor (Ed); grandchildren David Connolly (Michelle), Meghan Schmidt (Garrett), Erin Connolly, Kate Connolly, Maggie Schaffer, Bobby Schaffer, Caroline Schaffer, Joey O’Connor, Ryan O’Connor; and great grandchildren Owen Connolly and Elliott Schmidt.
A Funeral Mass will be held at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta on Wednesday March 22, at 10 a.m., with Monsignor Frank McNamee officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the scholarship funds of Marist School, Christ the King School, Camp Sunshine or CURE Childhood Cancer and Leukemia.
The Complete Stories by Franz Kafka
From Raleigh Perry, Buford: Kafka was born in Prague in 1883 and died there in 1924 at the age of 40. He attended the best schools from his very first year. He studied law in university but may not have practiced law. He was a prolific writer, generally of short stories of which probably the most famous was The Metamorphosis. A lot of his stories are short, but then there are a few longer stories. My favorite is entitled An Old Manuscript which I had to read in German class years ago. It is short but is power packed from the beginning to end. The last couple of paragraphs will jar your mind. He wrote three well-known novels: The Trial, America and The Castle. Art precedes history; he knew that Germany’s war was coming. This book has his stories, but not his novels. Once you get involved with one, you will stay involved.
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
Rogers was master builder of elegant houses in 1830s
Henderson-Orr House
Collin Rogers was an architect and master builder who in the 1830s designed and built large Neoclassical-style houses in west Georgia, especially in Troup County.
Rogers, whose name is sometimes misspelled Cullin Rodgers or Cullen Rogers, is believed to have been born in North Carolina in 1791. With no formal training in architecture, Rogers learned to design houses through his work as a builder and craftsman and through builder’s guides by such popular authors as Minard Lafever, Batty Langley, and Edward Shaw. Rogers sometimes worked with his brother Henry, a builder. In 1830 Collin and Henry together owned fifty enslaved people, most of whom they employed as skilled workers and craftsman.
Between 1830 and 1840 Rogers is known to have designed six houses for wealthy cotton planters in west Georgia. His first, the Magnolias (McFarland-Render House, 1830–33), was built in LaGrange as the town home for Joseph D. McFarland, one of Troup County’s wealthiest planters. In the Magnolias, as in all of his houses, Rogers used a traditional floor plan, here a Georgian plan with four rooms divided by a center hall, and Neoclassical-style elements that include an Ionic tetrastyle (four-columned) portico and elaborately carved entrance surround.
The Henderson-Orr House (1832), an I-house (one-room-deep, two-story house) in rural Coweta County, includes the original interior woodwork in which Rogers playfully altered the proportions of the pilasters that adorn the fireplace surrounds.
His last four houses, Nutwood (1833), Nathan Van Boddie House (1836), Edwards-Phillips House (1835–40), and the Fannin-Truitt-Handley Place (1835–40), represent Rogers’s mature work. Located near LaGrange, these Georgian-plan houses are dominated by two-story temple-front Ionic porticoes. The finely carved entrance surrounds and parlor mantels of these houses are also characteristic of Rogers’s later work.
In addition to his work in the building trade, Rogers served as a judge of the Inferior Court of Troup County from 1832 to 1833 and from 1837 to 1842. He had two children with his wife, Sarah Lawson Womack, and died in Troup County in 1845.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Lots of clues: Rocks, water, building, but where is it?
Clues abound in today’s mystery: there are water, rocks, mist, a monument, and even a lighthouse. All you have to do is put these clues together and find out where this is located. Send your answers to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
Sara Rawlins of Lawrenceville got the last mystery dead-on when she said: “The picture is the Little Stone Church, aka the Union Congregational Church in Mackinac Island, Mich. It was built in 1904 with local glacial-erratic fieldstone. Asbury W. Buckley of Chicago was the architect on this project. There are 14 stained glass windows representing the history of Mackinac Island. They were made by the oldest continuously operating stain glass studio in the United States, the Lamb Studio, which was founded in 1857. There is a rose window over the altar that has recently been added.”
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. noted that the church is “open only during the summer, this church has been a landmark to visitors and a popular wedding site.”
Other Forum readers getting this mystery correct include Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C. Stew Ogilvie, Lawrenceville; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex.
>>> SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: elliott@brack.net and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Food Tasting: The Gwinnett Stripers, along with concessionaire partner Professional Sports Catering, invite you to its VIP Food Tasting on Wednesday, March 22 at noon. Be the first to experience Coolray Field’s newest concession offerings for 2023, including Southern fare, upscale local brews, fresh pizza and new concession partners, including Pontoon Brewing Company, Sahlen’s Premium Smokehouse Hot Dogs, and other new offerings. Executive Chef Jamerius Sims and General Manager Erin McCormick will be available for interview opportunities. Coolray Field is located at 2500 Buford Drive in Lawrenceville.
Valor Awards of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce honor first responders and public safety officials for extraordinary acts of bravery and service. The 2023 Valor Award program will be Thursday, March 23, at 9 a.m. at the Gas South Convention Center.
Reading is FUNdamental: Building Speech, Language, and Emergent Literacy Skills will be Saturday, March 25 at 11 a.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Do you believe reading is FUNdamental? Would you like to learn how to build your child’s speech, language, and emergent literacy skills while reading together? If so, this series is for you!
Pot and plant sale on March 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Peachtree Farm, located in Peachtree Corners at 356 Research Court. There is a hydroponic greenhouse, irrigated garden beds, a chicken coop, and bee houses. Bring the family to pick out some pots and plants!
King statue unveiling: On Saturday April 1, 2023, at Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park, in downtown Atlanta, will be the unveiling of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I’ve Been to the Mountaintop statue. The statue is the work of Gwinnett artist Kathy Fincher, now of Clayton, and Artist Stan Mullin of Athens. It will be unveiled at at the World Peace Revival Movement inaugural World Peace Revival Legacy Award. The awards will be presented by Ambassador Andrew Young, passing on to the next generation of Dr. King’s Beloved Community to further his mission of peace and nonviolence. This award is being presented to nine recipients who personify these ideals and have showcased them in their dedication and commitment to the community. Two recipients are from Gwinnett: Dr. Calvin Watts, superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools, and Congressman Rich McCormick.
Food Giveaway on Saturday, April 1 at Berkmar High School, 408 Pleasant Hill Road, Lilburn., from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. First come, first served, until one meal kit per car runs out. Sponsored by FeedMyPeople.org.
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.
© 2023, 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