GwinnettForum | Number 23.07 | Jan. 23, 2024
NEW FRONT PORCH: Coolray Field, the home of the Gwinnett Stripers, will have a new premium seating area ready for the 2024 baseball season. To be called the Coca-Cola Front Porch, it’ll be the only large open-air deck located right off the stadium’s main concourse. For more details, see Upcoming below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Gransden trying to keep Big Band music alive
EEB PERSPECTIVE: And now there are two; which will be the nominee?
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett County Public Library
ANOTHER VIEW: First of kind robotic surgery occurs in Georgia at Gainesville
FEEDBACK: Condos vs. apartment suggestion really resonates
UPCOMING: Stripers, Coca-Cola team up for stadium Front Porch
NOTABLE: Ora Douglass is first Peachtree Corners Black council member
RECOMMENDED: We’re out of suggestions. Send us your book, movie or other reviews
GEORGIA TIDBIT: DeForest Kelley best known as Star Trek doctor
MYSTERY PHOTO: Snowy scene of winter asks for your recognition
CALENDAR: Free open house at Pinckneyville Park on Jan. 27
Gransden trying to keep Big Band music alive
Joe Gransden Band
(Editor’s note: We heard the other day about a musician trying to keep Big Band music of bygone days alive, and the difficulties that brought. We asked the band’s director to tell us more. His comments follow. –eeb)
By Joe Gransden
JAN. 22, 2024 | The Joe Gransden 16-Piece Big Band is becoming one of the busiest groups on the jazz scene in Metro Atlanta. Originally formed in 2012, it has continued to build momentum. The band is making appearances all around the country, as far away as California and New York City.
Gransden
Originally known for the hard bop approach of his trumpet, my singing voice has been compared to that of Chet Baker and Frank Sinatra. In the 1990’s I was on the road as a sideman with the big bands of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller. I was so impressed with the level of swing these bands could generate night after night! “It was such an incredible feeling that I knew I had to have my own band some day and strive to recreate that vibe!
I’m a New York native, who moved to Atlanta in the early 1990s. I now live in Roswell with my wife, Charissa, and son, Joey.
Our group is filled with some of the top jazz musicians and educators in the southeast, musical giants like Neal Starkey, bass; Lee King, lead trumpet; John Sandfort and Mike Walton, tenor saxophones; Vinnie Dagostino, baritone saxophone; Lee Watts, bass trombone; and Dr. Geoff Haydon, piano, just to name a few.
We play in a similar style to the great bands of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Miller etc…but we truly have developed our own sound. And the guys swing so hard!
I attribute most of that to the arrangements that were written by my band mates Wes Funderburk and Mike Walton! They can take hits from the Great American Songbook and bring them back to life with such energy and class! They have also arranged some of my original music! It’s such a pleasure to front a band of top musicians that can interpret these charts perfectly! These guys are the best!
The band has recorded five albums, “Songs of Sinatra,” I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “It’s a Beautiful Thing,” “Live at Cafe 290,” and “The Christmas Song”! The latest release entitled “Go Getta!” has sold incredibly well and is getting radio airplay all over the world including Seriously Sinatra channel 71 on XM Radio.
Our band is on a mission to bring more Jazz and Swing to the Atlanta area. Our goal is to keep Jazz alive and continue to expose this historic American Art form to our communities and to our children!
Our legion of fans continues to grow as well.
Smokey Robinson says: “Joe has an innate ability to connect with an audience. His singing and trumpet playing are world class. Throw in his 16 piece big band and you have something very special!”
Freddy Cole says: “Joe is an extraordinary musician and on top of that, a wonderful person and that ain’t no lie! With Joe singin’ and the band swingin’ It’s a Beautiful Thing!”
The band’s new shows will hit Gwinnett’s theaters in the upcoming months. Music-lovers can catch the band at:
- The Eagle Theatre in Sugar Hill on February 29, June 28, September 26; and December 12.
- The Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville on July 11.
- The Red Clay Theatre on December 20.
Visit our website for more information at joegransden.com.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
And now there are two: Which will be the nominee?
Former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley campaigning over the weekend in New Hampshire. Photo provided. Credit: Suzanne Youngblood Lane.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 23, 2024 | And now there are two.
At first there were 12 people who said they wanted to run for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.
They included Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, Tim Scott, Will Hurd, Francis Suarez, Mike Pence and Larry Elder.
All wanted to be the president of the United States.
Yet for one reason after another, even before any statewide primary (New Hampshire’s primary is today), now only two people remain standing as viable candidates for the Republican nomination: Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. All the others have been swept away.
We will know much more as the votes are counted tonight in New Hampshire: whether Donald Trump can go head-to-head against only one other person for the nomination, and come out well ahead. Yes, well-ahead. If there is even the inkling that Nikki Haley can show strength in a one-on-one race, that could cause consternation in the Trump camp, and might show a weakness that could be exploited.
Looking at the Trump support realistically, it seems that his campaign is driven by Christian evangelists, hard-core rightists, people upset with their government, and of course the MAGNA people who feel disconnected to the mainstream. Will these people be joined by traditional Republicans in support of Donald Trump?
Interestingly, old-line Grand Old Party regulars are only lukewarm (or oppose) Donald Trump. They see significant movement from long-time party principles, and often don’t like the “in-the-face” stance President Trump takes. He certainly can’t remind you of long-time Republican bulwarks such as Henry Cabot Lodge, Dwight Eisenhower, Bob Dole, John McCain or George Herbert Walker Bush.
With other candidates now out of the race, more attention will be focused on Nikky Haley, as she remains the only challenger. Assuming Haley does well in New Hampshire, she will get even more attention as the Republican presidential campaign comes to South Carolina, which has its primary about a month from now, on February 24. President Trump is strong in South Carolina, polls show, and a substantial victory over the South Carolina challenger just might wrap up the nomination for him.
- If Trump wins South Carolina significantly, it might expel Nikki Haley from the race.
- If Nikki Haley even comes close to winning, it might bring even more outbursts from Trump, and show he could be vulnerable.
Never in the history of our country has a potential presidential nominee faced the possibilities that for all his campaigning, he is facing serious criminal charges from the four big cases against him. The outcome of the court cases could mean that all the campaigning could be for naught. And should it happen that if any one of the four court actions against Trump succeed, all the polling and campaigning could be moot.
Yes, we are in uncertain times.
For more than 100 years, New Hampshire has taken pride in being first in the nation in presidential voting. Let’s see if the outcome of that election today may again signal who the GOP nominee for president is.
For now, there are only two.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett County Public Library
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First of kind robotic surgery occurs in Georgia at Gainesville
By Mark Richens
GAINESVILLE, Ga. | A Habersham County firefighter/paramedic is back on the job after getting a new heart valve in a robotic surgery that was the first of its kind ever done in Georgia. Brian Mills underwent a totally endoscopic aortic valve replacement at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville, and he was able to go home just 48 hours later.
Mills. Photo provided.
Mills, 51, says: “I asked them, ‘What do I got to do to get out of here this weekend, and that’s what we did.”
Aortic valve replacement surgery typically involves opening the patient’s chest, which leads to recovery that can take months, or somewhat less invasive techniques. But Mills’ doctor T. Sloane Guy, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Georgia Heart Institute, chose to use the DaVinci surgical robot. Dr. Guy conducted the whole procedure through a series of tiny incisions in the patient’s right armpit.
Dr. Guy says: “Aortic valve replacement has been done with sternotomy but also through minimally invasive procedures with thoracotomy. Those are great operations, but my life’s obsession has been to make incisions smaller and smaller and help patients recover as quickly as possible.”
Mills’ journey to a new aortic valve began when he got a fever that wouldn’t go down. He went to an urgent care center, where tests showed he had an extremely low white blood cell count. He then went to the emergency room at NGMC Gainesville for more tests. Preston Ball, an emergency medicine physician, drew cultures to check for infections. The day after Mills left the ER, Dr. Ball called to tell him to come back immediately. Mills had endocarditis, a serious infection of the heart tissue.
Dr. Ball says: “Brian had lived for years with a leaky aortic valve, and it hadn’t caused him any problems. Now, however, the leakage had gotten much worse, either because of the infection or having just progressed over time.”
Mills would need a new aortic valve. Dr. Guy wanted to operate immediately, but Mills says he talked the surgeon out of it. “I was ready to go home,” Mills said.
The doctors agreed to send Mills home to take IV antibiotics for six weeks. With the infection gone, he would be ready for his new valve. He had a choice between a mechanical valve or a tissue valve. Getting a mechanical valve, however, meant taking blood thinner medication. He adds: “With my job as a paramedic firefighter, there’s no way,” says Mills, who served for 17 years as a Hall County firefighter/paramedic before joining the Habersham department a couple years ago. “I would have to worry about nicking or bumping my head and having to bleed. So, we chose the tissue valve and went that route.”
Dr. Guy, who performed the first robotic heart surgery at NGMC Gainesville in February 2023, decided Mills would be a good candidate for robotic surgery – and the rest is now history. NGPG Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery is an integral part of Georgia Heart Institute, Northeast Georgia Health System’s (NGHS) comprehensive heart and vascular program.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Condos vs. apartment suggestion really resonates
Editor, the Forum:
GwinnettForum has lots to consider in its “Continuing objectives for Gwinnett County.”
I think it definitely can speak to these matters from a position of authority.
This whole condo vs. apartments has an immediate and resonant impact on all citizens and local governments. Yes, making down payment is an issue. But it can be worked around. And depending on the numbers, the cost to rent is probably similar to mortgage payments.
Who needs to hear and address this? I would start with city planners, developers, citizens groups, and most of all people on various government zoning boards.
Hopefully, people in the know, with related experience, can directly weigh in on the matter so that we all can understand the moving parts, who’s influencing what, etc.
More than ever, we need action. We all see what Gwinnett is turning into. Are we ‘gonna just let it, or are we ‘gonna attempt to modify?
I attended one of the 2045 meetings for the county. It was incredibly insightful. My bottom line: NOBODY has a clue what things will look like in 2030, much less 2045. NOBODY.
We’re guessing, hypothesizing, wondering about the impact of A-I, cultural changes, the impact of newcomers, and how local and national economic factors will affect the county. Many experts believe the majority of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been developed yet!
We don’t know what these jobs are, yet we are supposed to plan our communities going forward. That’s difficult!
Your whole apartment versus condo concept makes sense. It is viable regardless of the direction(s) we go in. Thank you for bringing something meaningful to us in Gwinnett, so we can do something about our future.
– Will Nelson, Buford
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.
Stripers, Coca-Cola team up for stadium Front Porch
The Gwinnett Stripers, in conjunction with Diamond Baseball Holdings, have announced the first major renovation project in the 15-year history of Coolray Field. The Stripers are teaming up with Coca-Cola to create a new space, the Coca-Cola Front Porch, opening this spring in the seating bowl behind home plate.
Rising from the area that was Section 100, the Coca-Cola Front Porch will be the only large open-air deck located right off Coolray Field’s main concourse. Its features include:
* Flexible accommodations (approximately 1,500 square feet) for groups up to 150 people;
* The best group space in the ballpark, with fantastic views from right behind home plate;
* Fast and convenient entry, just steps from the main gate;
* Food service provided within the space, ensuring it is a place you can eat in and stay in for the entire game;
* Protection from the elements, thanks to its location under the roof.
In front of the Coca-Cola Front Porch will be eight 4-Topps Tables (ready in time for Opening Night on April 2 and now available for full-season memberships) and 72 individual seats. Creation of the Front Porch has also allowed for development of a new Concourse Suite down the first base line, a smaller and more intimate 12-person open-air suite located off the main concourse.
Stripers General Manager Erin McCormick says: “With the ongoing goal of creating a more premium experience for fans to enjoy Stripers baseball, we are pleased to partner with Coca-Cola to launch the new Front Porch. One of Coolray Field’s main benefits has always been how close you can sit to the future stars of the Atlanta Braves. Now we’re excited to add a new group area that puts them right in the heart of the action. We know this will be a hit with Stripers fans for many years to come.”
Larimer Design Architecture of Atlanta, known for its improvement projects at ballparks including the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park and San Diego Padres’ Petco Park, designed the Coca-Cola Front Porch with input from the Stripers and DBH.
Construction begins this winter, with completion planned for May. Group dates and memberships for the space are on sale now. Contact the Stripers Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 to book your group.
Douglass is first Peachtree Corners Black female council member
Douglass
Peachtree Corners’ first Black female city councilmember, Ora B. Douglass, will be sworn in on Tuesday, January 23 during the regular City Council meeting. Douglass was elected to the seat vacated by Lori Cristopher, the only female to serve on the Peachtree Corners City Council, upon her retirement.
Douglass earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Florida A&M University and a Master of Nursing degree at Emory University. She was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, had over 13 years of service, was stationed in Hawaii and was part of the U.S. Army Reserves.
She has worked at hospitals in the Atlanta area including Emory University, Grady Hospital and. Northside Hospital. Douglass has also been at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Atlanta and VA Medical Centers in Carrollton and Oakwood. Douglass serves on the board of the Robert Fowler YMCA and is also a member of the Peachtree Corners Rotary Club. She married to Dr. Adrian Douglass and they have four children and three grandchildren. She and her husband are members of Friendship Baptist Church in Duluth.
Jackson EMC Foundation grants $60,600 locally
The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total of $110,600 in grants for organizations during its recent meeting, including $60,600 to organizations serving Gwinnett County.
- $18,600 to Creative Enterprises, Inc., Lawrenceville, which provides employment opportunities, and social and life skills training to individuals with developmental disabilities.
- $15,000 to Mosaic Georgia, Inc., Duluth, to provide assistance for its Children’s Advocacy Center program that includes family aftercare and counseling for clients in all counties served by Jackson EMC.
- $12,000 to Helping Mamas, Norcross, to purchase 105,819 diapers to distribute to women and children in need in Gwinnett and Hall counties.
- $10,000 to Fresh Wind Recovery Ministry, Inc., Athens, to provide admission fees for its Recovery Program for individuals with addiction in all counties served by Jackson EMC.
- $5,000 to Giving Health, Inc., whose goal is to improve the health and well-being of individuals and families who cannot afford access to affordable healthcare to provide fees for 25 households in need in Jackson EMC’s service area with access to virtual medical and mental health services.
We need new recommendations for movies, books, travel!
We’re out of recommendations. Send in your book or movie review, or tell us what restaurants you have recently enjoyed. Or what your best travel experience was. We need your help!
- 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
Kelley best known as Star Trek doctor
Georgia native DeForest Kelley was an actor best known for his role as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the Star Trek television series and feature films.
Jackson DeForest Kelley was born on January 20, 1920, in Atlanta. He was the second son of Clora Casey and the Reverend Ernest David Kelley. His father’s work as a Baptist minister kept the family moving throughout Georgia before they settled down in Conyers in 1930.
Following his graduation from Decatur Boys High School in 1937, Kelley traveled to Long Beach, Calif., to visit his uncle Herman Casey. He decided to stay on the West Coast, taking a series of odd jobs to support himself between theater- and radio-acting opportunities. Kelley was called into military service in March 1943, during World War II (and worked as a public relations writer and control tower operator for the Air Corps in Roswell, N.M.) During his service, he was involved in a long-distance relationship with Carolyn Dowling, an actress he had met in Long Beach a year earlier.
In January 1945 Kelley was transferred to the First Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, Calif. The unit’s purpose was to film military recruiting and training films. Kelley initially was a technical assistant, but he soon landed acting assignments alongside future U.S. president Ronald Reagan and friend George Reeves. Kelley and Dowling continued their relationship upon his return to California, and the two married on September 7, 1945.
A few months later, Kelley was released from duty, and Paramount Studios promptly offered him a seven-year contract. His first starring role was in the film Fear in the Night (1947), but a career as a leading man was not in the cards for the burgeoning actor.
In 1966 television producer Gene Roddenberry cast Kelley in the role of southern doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy on his space-based adventure show Star Trek. Kelley’s character was the emotional chief medical officer on the iconic U.S.S. Enterprise. His life and career were indelibly marked by his work on the landmark series. NBC canceled it after three seasons due to low ratings.
In the years that followed, Kelley suffered from typecasting and had difficulty landing quality roles. Star Trek found new life during this period, however, as the show gained popularity in reruns. In 1973 Kelley was given the opportunity to reprise the role of Dr. McCoy in Star Trek: The Animated Series, which ran for 22 episodes. The Star Trek series and Kelley’s acting career were revived once more with the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. Between 1982 and 1991 Kelley starred in five Star Trek feature film sequels and guest starred as Dr. McCoy on the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
On December 18, 1991, Kelley received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his significant impact on the history of television and film. He and his wife retired to their home in Sherman Oaks, Calif., but Kelley continued to make appearances on the Star Trek convention circuit. He died of stomach cancer on June 11, 1999, at the age
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Snowy scene of winter asks for your recognition
Here’s a scene of winter, such as has descended on much of the country lately. There are not many clues from this picture as to where it is located, but we are sure some of our sleuths will figure it out. Send your answer as to where this is to elliott@brack.net, and tell the town where you live.
Several readers, including some new names, recognized the last Mystery Photo. Fran Worrall of Lawrenceville wrote: ‘Today’s mystery photo is the Dhobi Ghat open air laundry in Mumbai, India. The area has about 4,000 slum tenement housing units and a sprawling laundry that was built during the British Raj in 1890. In 2011, it garnered a Guinness Book of World Records entry under ‘most people hand-washing clothes at a single location’”.
The photo came from Miriam Machida of Watkinsville. Jay Altman of Columbia, S.C., added: “The market is located at Mahalaxmi railway station in southern Mumbai. The washers, known as dhobis, work in the open to clean clothes and linens from Mumbai’s hotels and hospitals. It was constructed in 1890.” Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., called the photo “an open-air laundromat.”
Also recognizing the photograph were Jean Harrivel, Duluth; Stew Ogilvie, Lawrenceville; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; Shannon Taylor, Lawrenceville; Blake Williams, Buford; Michael Perdue, Conyers; and Lou Camerio, Lilburn.
- 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.
Free open house at Pinckneyville Park on Jan. 27
Author talk about the recently published book, Gwinnett County, Georgia, and the transformation of the American South, 1818-2018. This will be January 25 at 2 p.m. in the Cisco Auditorium in Building C at Georgia Gwinnett College. Speaker will include Authors Michael Gagnon and Matthew Hild, plus others contributing to the book: Richard Cook, Jr., Carey Olmstead Shellman, and David Mason. Historian Ellen Rafshoon will interview the contributors onstage.
Free open house at Pinckneyville Park on January 27, from 10 a.m. until l p.m. Find your creative spark in an array of arts programs. Enjoy a complimentary lunch with pre-registration. To register, call 678-277-0920. The address is 4650 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Berkeley Lake.
Last lecture: come hear Dr. Michael Gagnon’s last lecture and celebrate his retirement. He will speak January 30 at 3:30 in Cisco Auditorium in Building C at Georgia Gwinnett College. His subject will be “Judge Augustin Smith Clayton (17830-1839), a life in the early republic. Refreshments and brief reception will be held immediately following the event in the Cisco foyer provided by the School of Liberal Arts.
Writing Workshop on “Remembering Black Food Traditions” will be held February 1 at the Centerville Branch Library at 11 a.m. Come write about your favorite memories tied to Black food traditions!
Author Karen Eber will be at the Lawrenceville Branch Library on February 3 at 11 a.m. Learn about the science of storytelling as author and professional storyteller, Karen Eber provides a sneak peek into her book, The Perfect Story. Books will be available for sale and signing.
Tickets are available for the February 3 concert by the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra. Center Stage Rhapsodies will feature Pianist Awadagin Pratt in the concert at the Johns Creek Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m. Pratt will be the featured soloist on Florence Price’s “Piano Concerto in One Movement.” The Symphony will also perform William Grant Still’s Festive Overture, Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement, and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World. Secure your seats by calling 678-748-5802, go to this site online.
Historic Cemetery Tour of Norcross City Cemetery will be held on Sunday, February 4, at 2 p.m. Join Gene Ramsay for a historic tour. Discover Norcross’s history, decode street names, and hear captivating stories. Don’t miss this chance to connect with Norcross’s past! For details, visit here.
Meet Author Hank Phillippi Ryan at the Lilburn Branch Library on February 8 at 7 p.m. She will be discussing her new psychological thriller, One Wrong Word. Books will be available for sale and signing.
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