GwinnettForum | Number 23.01 | Jan. 2, 2024
GWINNETT’S CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is reopening its offices at 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway after nearly a year of renovation. For more details, see Today’s Focus below. One of the innovations of the work is a new outdoor courtyard off the main floor. This is a conceptual drawing of how it will look.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Gwinnett Chamber completes $5.4 million renovation
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Throw out this 47 year old coat? Why it won’t happen
SPOTLIGHT: Georgia Banking Company
ANOTHER VIEW: The way the GOP is going, democracy is in peril
FEEDBACK: Sad to see Mary Kay Murphy leaving School Board
UPCOMING: Norcross Gallery and Studio mark banner year
NOTABLE: Educational neighbors collaborate on STEM programs
OBITUARY: Marcia Lynn Oden
RECOMMENDED: The Kingdom, The Power and The Glory by Tim Alberta
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Detroit group founds Atlanta’s Black Madonna Shrine
MYSTERY PHOTO: Cross on building may be one way for identification
CALENDAR: Detroit group founds Atlanta’s Black Madonna shrine
Gwinnett Chamber completes $5.4 million renovation
By Lisa Sherman
DULUTH, Ga. | The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce today unveils a $5.4 million renovation that will set the stage for a new era of innovation and inclusion. This monumental undertaking signals the Chamber’s commitment to championing business and fostering a collaborative environment that reflects the organization’s core values.
Sherman
It was 23 years ago when Gwinnett Chamber leaders including Richard Tucker, Wayne Mason, John D. Stephens, and others, built an impressive three-story building to centralize and grow the Gwinnett business community. Now, with its renovation, the Chamber seeks to preserve its legacy while modernizing the environment to champion business for the next generation of members and investors. This commitment to both tradition and progress is at the heart of the Chamber’s vision for its revitalized space.
Recent developments show that the revamped office spaces and meeting rooms have been meticulously outfitted with contemporary furniture and state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment. The strategic planning and execution of the renovation project are evident in the installation of modern light fixtures that illuminate the carefully designed spaces, creating an atmosphere conducive to productivity and collaboration.
New lighting fixture
Among the standout features is the newly installed atrium chandelier, a symbol of the organization’s dedication to connectivity and collaboration. This striking centerpiece mirrors the iconic pinwheel logo of the Gwinnett Chamber, representing the intricate connection that the Chamber has fostered for generations between business, education, government, and the community.
Adding to the design’s intentionality, an open and modern community room with roll-up doors that access the Chamber’s all-new outdoor patio provides the ideal backdrop for networking and business growth. Not only will the new space meet the needs of current members but will lay the foundation for future growth and ensure that the Gwinnett Chamber remains a dynamic and influential force in the community.
Garrard Construction was the general contractor. Precision Planning, Office Creations, Lose Designs, and Planning Interiors were all engaged in designing and bringing the project to full fruition.
As construction reaches its final stages, the Gwinnett Chamber anticipates the grand reopening of its facilities. Attention to detail in these concluding phases will ensure that the renovated space seamlessly aligns with the Chamber’s vision for the future. The organization will soon communicate specific dates for the reopening, inviting leaders, members, and investors to explore the revitalized facility firsthand. For more information or to view the latest photos of the space, visit GwinnettChamber.org/Renovation.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Throw out this 47-year-old coat? Why it won’t happen
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 2, 2024 | How often do you throw old items out? Some of us may not do it often enough.
As a nation, we save a lot of worthless items. This sometimes shows in our offices, in homes, even for towns. You often see far too much junk.
But why throw out an item just because it is old?
This came to mind the other morning when I walked the 50 feet to the street to pick up my two newspapers. Since I am cold-natured, in these near-freezing temperatures (anything under 50 degrees), I always don a still presentable, 47-year-old coat.
It still looks nice, and has no significant problems, but would some would say it comes close to junk.
Not me. It covers from my head (with a furred hood) to my hips, and is the perfect cover for these chilly mornings. I wear the coat in cooler weather when walking dogs around the block. With our recently departed dog with short legs, this dog didn’t want to go as far as around the block. Our last stop each day was to pick up the papers.
That jacket was originally purchased about 46 years ago as the warm winter coat for our son to wear to high school. You can tell it was bought ages ago, since the label in the coat says “Lord and Taylor.” That company pulled out of Atlanta in 2003, and closed all its locations in 2020.
Our son also wore that coat while in college. But eventually, it returned home…..where one morning when starting to walk the dog, it looked mighty warm to me, so I donned it. It’s been my cold-weather coat since.
And why not? It’s still presentable. Every now and then it goes through our washer, coming out fresh and clean, though with its limited use, it really doesn’t get heavily dirty.
But mainly, it works. Why in the world would I not continue to use it? Discarding something just because it’s old isn’t my way of thinking. Yeah, I recognize that I know the value of a nickel (and shudder to think what I pay for a candy bar now.)
But look at the savings I have stacked up by using this well-made and still presentable jacket each cold morning. That amounts to not buying another coat for some 40 years! Yes, when you get my age, you don’t need additional items, since you already have plenty of stuff to get you through the days. So you are more into savings, it seems, than spending.
But throw out a still-useful item like that old coat? Not me.
New year
With today’s publication, GwinnettForum begins its 23rd year of publication. We thank all the people and companies who have made it possible, which includes our underwriting supporters, our readers and our many contributors who continue to pepper us with material that many enjoy in this distinctive and original Gwinnett operation. Look for continued information about our county in the coming year. And tell others about this publication, so they, too, can be more informed about this amazing county!
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The way the GOP is going, democracy is in peril
“I am considering a run only because I am convinced the major parties have lost their way. The Republicans are captives of their right wing. The Democrats are captives of their left wing. I don’t hear anyone speaking for the working men and women in the center.”
– – Donald Trump (1999, The Wall Street Journal).
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | Turns out, Donald Trump successfully appealed to the uneducated working class. But not as an independent…as a Republican. And he completely ignored fiscal conservatism, zeroing in on wacko cultural issues instead. He is a spoiled New York City billionaire who had been a Democrat.
Many believe that Trump has caused the moral demise of the Republican Party. He clearly has helped, especially regarding evangelicals, who have chosen to support a known philanderer and liar.
The Republican Party has gone from a party that supported civil rights and Social Security to the party that now wants societal equity out of the way so that the party of “white grievance” can rule. There are no longer many fiscally oriented moderates left in the party, as evidenced by the fact that the annual deficit grew from about a half trillion under Obama to $3.1 trillion under Trump.
In 1935, only 15 percent of Republican House members voted against the creation of Social Security; only 20 percent of GOP Senators did. But in recent years, GOP leaders wanted to do away with Social Security as we know it.
Since the Civil War, the GOP was the party of civil rights. In 1964, 80 percent of House Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act, versus only 60 percent of Democrats. The Senate was the same story with 82 percent of GOP Senators in support versus a little over two thirds of Democrats. The GOP showed similar support for the Voting Rights Act
But in 2013, a Supreme Court dominated by anti-government GOP appointees, gutted the Voting Rights Act and was cheered on by GOP leaders. MAGA GOP activists have engaged in voter suppression and attempted election-stealing on the state level in Georgia and elsewhere.
So, how did this change in the GOP come about? The rightward turn of the GOP was a draconian Nixonian tactic known as the “Southern Strategy,” followed by other GOP leaders.
In his 1980 campaign, Ronald Reagan gave a speech near Philadelphia, Miss., where three civil rights workers had been murdered just 16 years before. Per Reagan:“I believe in states’ rights”, letting the reactionary forces know that he was on their side. Trump also let the Charlottesville white supremacists know how he felt: “You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”
There is no longer a Republican Party. There is a Re-Trumpican Party following Trump down the road to unconstitutional authoritarianism, as shown by the GOP refusal to remove him after the January 6 insurrection.
Trump is the most popular candidate with the GOP base. His loss in 2024 might open the eyes of Republican leaders, but Trump appears headed for nomination….and possible victory. What does that say about our democracy?
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Sad to see Mary Kay Murphy leaving school board
Editor, the Forum:
It is sad to see Mary Kay Murphy deciding not to run for the school board. She never had a personal agenda and always made decisions on the best interests of the students. What a contribution she has made to Gwinnett!
– Cathy Loew, Peachtree Corners
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 marks banner year
Artists of Norcross Gallery and Studio have seen growth in membership, an increased revenue, more classes, and presented a workshop by a nationally recognized oil painter (Bill Davidson). The Gallery saw many successful new projects and a greater collaboration with the city of Norcross.
Two of its most significant events were joint projects with Norcross organizations and residents. The first of these was ‘Reflections at the Rectory,’ an exhibition of the work of the 24 students of Advanced Placement Art at the Norcross high schools. The second was its most ambitious project ever, the photography competition, “Norcross: Life through the Lens.”
Growth in 2023 was primarily because of better organization, new members and strong, sustained efforts by current members. The Gallery grew by a third. Additional classes, events in coordination with other organizations, and a new “Artist of the Month” celebrated artists whose work was on display at Café 45 South. All of these things helped bring growing awareness and recognition of the value of having a prominent art center in Norcross. The events also stimulate the local economy.
The Gallery and Studios also launched a photography competition to appeal to diverse communities in Norcross. It appealed to the Hispanic neighborhoods with postcards and posters in Spanish, promoting Norcross: La vida a traves del lente. The People’s Choice winning photograph was taken by Lisa Mobley, a member of that community. The Gallery has been awarded project grants from the Gwinnett Creativity Fund, as well as Arts Recovery funds through the county and a similar Bridge Grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts.
Educational neighbors collaborate on STEM programs
A mere one half mile apart on Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee, Gwinnett County Public Schools and PCOM Georgia regularly collaborate to provide Gwinnett students with STEM opportunities.
The two entities became neighbors in 2004 when the Gwinnett County Board of Education moved to an existing manufacturing facility to house the school system’s instructional and support personnel. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine renovated a former distribution facility just down the road and began offering classes in the fall of 2005.
Ten years later, PCOM Georgia signed up to be the presenting sponsor of the Gwinnett Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair, an annual event that encourages Gwinnett County’s elementary, middle and high school students to delve deeply into the sciences. The relationship between the two organizations has flourished ever since.
PCOM Georgia Chief Campus Officer Bryan Ginn serves on the GCPS Superintendent’s Business Leader Council, while osteopathic medicine Dean and Chief Academic Officer Andrea Mann, and Brian Mann, chief of simulation operations for the College, serve on a district-wide advisory board.
In addition, the college sponsors the Principal for a Day event and the STAR Student luncheon held annually. The Office of Diversity and Community Partnerships sponsors an annual weeklong free summer Opportunities Academy to introduce Gwinnett County high school students to the healthcare professions. The college is also hosting quarterly Stem Saturdays to provide enrichment activities for about 25 high school students each quarter.
From September through April, a senior high school student from the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology in Lawrenceville, Ritika Vakharia, is completing a capstone project in the campus’ Sim Center. She says: “It’s been a super informative experience for me. So far I’ve learned a lot about what exactly medical school is. Observing the simulations that students go through has allowed me to gain a better understanding of what my future entails.”
In turn, for the past two years, 479 Gwinnett County high school graduates who have finished college have applied to one of the six healthcare doctoral or graduate programs offered by PCOM Georgia.
For the next two months, PCOM Georgia students, staff and faculty will be busily preparing for the school system’s science fair. Jessica Holden, EdD, director of science for GCPS, says: “As one of the largest, most competitive regional science fairs in the US, the Gwinnett Regional Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair thrives on partnerships that provide real world relevance for our near 1,000 competitors each year.”
Marcia Lynn Oden
Marcia Lynn Oden, 59, of Lawrencville, passed away in her home on December 16, 2023. Born on September 14, 1964, in Raceland, La., her life was a beacon of warmth and love. Her home was a sanctuary, her arms a refuge, and her heart embodied the verse she lived by: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Oden
Predeceased by her husband, Lewis Perry Oden, and her parents, James Preston Tipton and Frances Geraldine Walston, Marcia’s nurturing spirit lives on through her siblings: Carrie and E.J. Lefort, David and Christina Tanner, James and Dorothy Tipton, Joey and Rani Norman, Kevin Combs, Lonnie Tanner, Patricia Coker, and Sherrie and Chris Pitre.
A devoted mother, she is survived by Jolene (JoJO) and Yunus Sayed of Lawrerencville; her sons Robert (Lindsey) Oden of San Francisco and Jerod (Tabitha) Oden and Justin Oden, both of Flomaton, Ala. She was a grandmother to ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Despite facing over six battles with cancer and the loss of the love of her life, Marcia’s faith never wavered. Her life was a testament to the strength and peace found in her steadfast belief.
Marcia’s funeral service was on December 23, followed by interment at Flomaton Cemetery.
The survivors mourn the loss of Marcia but take heart in the knowledge that her legacy is not in tangible achievements, but in the indelible mark of love, she left on every life she touched. We will carry her memory with us, finding strength and solace in the values she imparted. Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home was in charge of all arrangements.
The Kingdom, The Power and The Glory by Tim Alberta
From Raleigh Perry, Buford: After 35 years as a traveling salesman selling to evangelical preachers and televangelists, I had to read this book. The author is an evangelical Christian and the son of an evangelical minister in the single most republican stronghold in Michigan. His father retired, however, and his assistant pastor was named the Senior Pastor. This man was evangelical but not in the same vein as the retired minister. When he took over the church and started preaching, the congregation began to get smaller and smaller every Sunday until, eventually, the church closed. My assessment is that evangelical Christians…..are neither. What happened to the church after his father died and retired, has happened multiple times with the same results – some or all of the congregations leave and go down the road. It is not the gospel of Jesus Christ they want to hear; all they want is the gospel of politics.
- 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
Detroit group founds Atlanta’s Black Madonna shrine
The Shrine of the Black Madonna in Atlanta was founded as the ninth congregation of the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church in 1975.
The denomination was originally founded in the 1950s by the Holy Patriarch Jaramogi Abebe Agyeman (born Albert B. Cleage Jr., the father of writer Pearl Cleage) in response to the theological, spiritual, and psychological needs of the African American people of Detroit, Mich.
The church’s central theological belief is that God supports the freedom of African Americans from all forms of oppression. Jesus is called the “Black Messiah.” The Hebrew nation of the Bible is understood to be a Black nation. While Jesus is viewed as the savior of Black people, he is also seen as the savior of all humankind. He who supports all struggles for liberation.
The congregations were named after the Black Madonna to emphasize the point to members that the mother of Jesus was Black, to recognize other images of the Black Madonna that are worshiped around the world, and to honor Black women. Belief in a Black savior and Madonna helps to counteract the damage of what the denomination calls AMBI: acceptance of the myth of Black inferiority.
In 1975 around 40 members (all between the ages of 18 and 30) left Detroit to found a new congregation in Atlanta. By 1996 Shrine 9 had approximately 500 members. After leadership changes during that year, and the death of the founder in February 2000, the membership declined to approximately 200 members by 2001. However, the membership is still active and committed to maintaining their traditions and the vision of their founder.
Worship services combine elements from Roman Catholic, charismatic, and African traditions. The congregation observes eleven sacraments. The Eucharist is practiced as the “Sacrament of Commitment.” The emphasis of this ritual is upon committing oneself to serve sacrificially and to walk in the steps of Jesus.
Training in the arts of Pa-Kua, which includes such ancient practices as meditation, yoga, and tai chi chuan, helps members of Pan African Orthodox congregations to integrate their minds, bodies, and spirits. This integration is deemed necessary in order to heal the long-term fragmentation in the Black communities resulting from the traumas of slavery and oppression.
Social services and the education of children are central to the Atlanta church. The shrine operates the West End Learning Center and the Shrine Cultural Center and Bookstore. The West End Community Services Center, which opened in September 2001, offers referral services to doctors, lawyers, and other volunteer professionals, as well as direct aid to residents of Atlanta’s West End. The learning center teaches children about their cultural and religious heritage, as well as computer skills and other academic subjects. Similarly, the goal of the bookstore and cultural center is to promote knowledge of African and African American heritage and art.
One of the shrine’s main concerns is the Beulah Land Farm Project. The goals of this Shrine-owned farm in Abbeville County, S.C., are to provide food for urban communities and to open a retreat center and a boarding school on the land. The Beulah Land Farm Project embodies the shrine’s values of self-sufficiency and communal living for African Americans.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Cross on building may be one way for identification
The cross on this building is your first clue for the first Mystery in 2024. Your job is to determine the exact area where this building is located. Go to it. First correct answer in the new year gets our biggest applause, and top listing for the next edition. Send your guess to elliott@brack.net and include your home town.
The Mystery Photo for the last issue in 2023 was easily identified by Marilyn Haritos of Duluth: “The beautiful stained glass window is by Bruce Hippel of New Jersey and is found in the narthex of Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, Ga.” Marilyn is one of its worshipers.
Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex. wrote: : “When I first saw this, I thought that it would be easy. But as you noted, it really was rather difficult. Today’s mystery photo is of the stained glass windows that were originally installed at the Christ Episcopal Church when it was located on West Peachtree St. in downtown Norcross. The church moved to its current location at 400 Holcomb Bridge Rd in 1998, and the windows were kept in storage for 10-years. Then in July 2008, the windows were moved from storage to the new church location on Holcomb Bridge Road.
“There are eight stained glass windows that depict the events of Holy Week. Rather than individual stained glass panels, they are now adjoined within wooden framing that together spans 8-feet wide x 22-feet tall. They are now backlit along a wall in the entryway to the new church. The windows were created by Bruce Hippel, a stained glass artist originally from Villas, N.J. and who now lives in Summerville, S.C.”
Others recognizing the photo included John Titus, Peachtree Corners; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; and Lou Camerio, Lilburn; who added: “Hipple also has a similar piece at 0ur Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church at Cape May, N.J.”
- 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.
A new mural has been completed for Lawrenceville along Jackson Street, just east of its Post Office. The mural is the conception of Teresa Abboud, a native of Lebanon, who now lives in Atlanta. The actual painting was by many local volunteers. For more of Teresa Abboud’s work, go to https://www.teresaafternoon.com/art-collection. Photos by Roving Photographer Frank Sharp.
Meet the two best friends, Gerald, the overanxious Elephant, and the outgoing, impulsive Piggie, from the popular Elephant and Piggie book series by renowned author Mo Willems. Meet these characters at one of six branches of Gwinnett County Public Library: on Tuesday, January 2, at 1 p.m. at the Peachtree Corners; at 3:30 at Mountain Park; or 6:30 at Centerville. On January 3, the locations are at 10 a. m. at Buford-Sugar Hill branch; at 1 p.m. at Duluth; and at 3:30 in Lilburn.
Groundbreaking for a new program center at Annandale Village will be held Friday, January 5 at 10 a.m. at 35oo Annandale Lane in Suwanee. A light breakfast will be served.
Discover the power of effective communication and connect with an accomplished leadership development coach who’s making a difference in the community. Attend the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber First Friday Breakfast on January 5 at 7:30 a.m. to hear Linnea Miller, President and CEO of Long Table, LLC.
Gwinnett Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 8, at Rhodes Jordan Community Center, 100 East Crogan Street in Lawrenceville. The program will be presented by a panel of former students at Hooper-Renwick School led by Connie Brown.
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