GwinnettForum | Number 21.16 | Feb. 26, 2021
A PHOTO EXHIBIT is currently on display at the Hudgens Center for the Arts in Duluth, hosted by the Gwinnett chapter of the Georgia Nature Photographers Association. The overall winner for 2021 is a photo from Charles Scheff of Roswell, entitled “Water Stone Leaves Sky.” The exhibit will remain on display through April 17. The black-and-white exhibit is in the sixth year with the theme “Stand in Ansel Adams Footsteps.” Altogether, there are 130 photos displayed at the exhibit.
TODAY’S FOCUS: More Republican-dominated states seeking to pass voter restrictions
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Legislators’ meddling with Georgia’s time is a waste of energy
ANOTHER VIEW: New classes begin each month at Altierus College on Beaver Ruin Road
SPOTLIGHT: E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
UPCOMING: City of Lawrenceville buildings get upgrade for indoor air quality
NOTABLE: GGC students plant apple trees on college’s microfarm
RECOMMENDED: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Benjamin Hunt improves dairy industry in middle Georgia
MYSTERY PHOTO: Do you remember seeing this statue on some of your travels?
LAGNIAPPE: Lilburn Woman’s Club donates a Dr. Seuss chair to Lilburn Elementary School
CALENDAR: Commission chairman to give State of the County address on March 3
More GOP-dominated states seeking to pass voter restrictions
By George Wilson, contributing columnist
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. | Trump supporters are retreating into a politics of grievance and obstruction, while Democrats are embracing policy and governance.
For Republicans this will be amplified and in full view at the annual conference of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), which has turned into a pro-Trump extreme right-wing gathering. Republican Senators Mike Lee (Utah), Ted Cruz (Texas), Josh Hawley (Missouri), Tom Cotton (Arkansas), and Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee) are all scheduled to speak at the convention.
I’m sure they will all be talking about the new Democratic swamp in Washington, while we should note that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reported that Trump reported his earnings from his businesses during his four years as president at $1.6 billion. The hypocrisy and lies on the part of Trump and his supporters continue unabated.
Also, Georgia and many other states dominated by Republicans are trying to dismantle voting rights and create a new era of Jim Crow. The Republicans have only two paths to get and retain political power. The first is to rig the system with voter suppression laws and gerrymandering. The second is the hard way: encouraging multiple ethnicities and innovative solutions to local, state, and national problems. In the state of Georgia, in particular, they have so far chosen the easy way, voter suppression. It might turn out to bite ‘em.
Nationally, Republicans have conjured bogus election fraud to justify systematic voter suppression. Now they are attempting to operationally give fuel to this dangerous and “big lie” that massive fraud defeated Donald Trump. But how did it also elect more Republicans to Congress?
According to the Brennan Center, thus far this year, 33 states have introduced, prefilled, or carried over 165 bills to restrict voting access. These proposals primarily seek to: (1) limit mail voting access; (2) impose stricter voter ID requirements; (3) slash voter registration opportunities; and (4) enable more aggressive voter roll purges.
Arizona leads the nation in proposed voter suppression legislation in 2021, with 19 restrictive bills. Pennsylvania comes in second with 14 restrictive policy proposals, followed by Georgia (11 bills).
Now is the time to start planning to take back the Georgia statehouse and curtail raids on our freedoms.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Legislators’ meddling with Georgia’s time is waste of energy
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
FEB. 26, 2021 | Time in the United States is permanently set…..with our nation divided into four continental time zones. It’s been that since 1883, when pushed by the nation’s railroads, all the states began using a standard time. (The time grid is really six zones, with both Alaska and Hawaii having added time zones of their own.)
Prior to 1883, it was up to local communities to set the time. Each community set its clocks to noon, based on when the sun reached its highest position in the sky.
More recently, our Congress adopted the Uniform Time Act of 1966 for timekeeping, bringing Daylight Saving Time as uniform. As of today, Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states that do not observe DST.
For years, the various people and states have been complaining about Daylight Saving Time. Now our own Georgia Legislature is bringing up the subject. One representative from Woodstock wants to make daylight saving time applicable all year.
Another legislator, a physician from Savannah, doesn’t like switching the time twice a year, saying it’s unhealthy. He doesn’t care whether Georgia is on the saving time, or standard time, but only wants to use one standard.
Already Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana have passed legislation wanting daylight saving time all year.
But all this ballyhooing in the various legislatures is virtually for naught, since any switching of how the USA keeps time requires Congressional approval.
The big reason for a standard time is no longer much debated. After all, with our country, interconnected as we are with modern methods, standardizing time is almost essential.
The airlines (and railroads, though they now mainly haul freight), the stock markets, sports, national television channels, the military….all find using a standard time best. Now whether that standard should be “sun time,” the traditional time we mark time during late fall and winter, or the “saving” time, for spring, summer and early fall, is the key. Having parts the nation on one time, and other parts of the country on another, is fraught with problems. No one seeks such a change.
So while our Georgia legislators may introduce measures concerning time, and whether it should be all year or a half year, they are mainly talking to themselves. They have more critical problems to study, and must leave the time question to our national body, the Congress. And judging from the past, Congress isn’t going to make this change.
Speaking of time, here in Gwinnett is a good example of what time can do for you. Back in older days, you could catch a train in Gwinnett, and arrive in Atlanta before the time you left. That was because at one point, the demarcation line between Eastern and Central time was between Gwinnett and Atlanta. Therefore, though you gained by it taking less than an hour to go to Atlanta, you made up for it when returning that night!
Most of the state of Arizona (except the Navajo nation) uses standard time during the summer. Why?
It’s because of extreme summer heat. According to an Arizona Republic editorial from 1969, the argument against extending the daylight hours into the evening is that people prefer their activities in the cooler evening temperatures. If Arizona were to observe Daylight Saving Time, the sun would stay out until 9 p.m. in the summer (instead of 8 p.m., like it does currently).
Meanwhile, in Europe, The European Union voted last year to abolish the practice of daylight saving time in 2021, but concrete plans on what comes next remain elusive. So be prepared for any late breaking news on time changes. Their saving time was scheduled to begin March 28.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
New classes begin each month at Altierus College
By Chris Moder
NORCROSS, Ga. | While the pandemic brought many challenges for educators in 2020, Altierus Career College in Norcross found unique ways to continue to serve students so they could thrive in their educational journeys. Prior investments in technology-enabled coursework allowed instructors to leverage a distance-learning platform for virtual labs and workplace simulations to keep students engaged.
Altierus is part of ECMC Education of Minneapolis, Minn. and the ECMC Group. Moses Delaney serves as the campus director at 1750 Beaver Ruin Road. The career college also has campuses in Houston and Tampa. The Altierus Norcross campus currently offers the following programs:
- Dental Assistant
- Medical Assistant
- Medical Billing and Coding
- Pharmacy Technician
- Surgical Technologist
- Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning – Refrigeration (HVAC-R)
Altierus starts new classes every month, so future students don’t have to wait to begin their new career journey. Classes are now being held on-campus, conforming to CDC guidelines. Tuition varies by program, but is typically around $15,000. To learn more, visit Altierus.edu. You can take a virtual tour of the campus and look inside Altierus’ industry-equipped labs by watching a video accessed through the “Programs” tab on their homepage.
To stay abreast of industry trends and help ensure programs teach skills that match employer needs, Altierus has a network of employer partners who contribute. Employer partners provide insight into present-day skillsets, offer externships and job placement as well as speak as guest lecturers to help Altierus graduates transition seamlessly into the workforce with in-demand skills.
As soon as students enroll, Altierus surrounds them with the support to thrive. The tuition is all-inclusive, covering uniforms, a laptop and other equipment, as well as costs to sit for credentialing exams. Tuition, varying by program, is typically around $15,000. Financial aid is available to those who qualify. Once all types of available financial aid is applied, the average debt dependent students assume is about $5,500 and $9,500 for independent students.
Understanding that success in education extends beyond academics, Altierus also provides comprehensive support for students from the moment they enroll through graduation and beyond. This includes career services and help with resume writing, interviewing and job placement; emergency grants to support basic needs such as food, housing, or utility bills; and help finding transportation and childcare. Altierus also offers opportunities to lead and connect through its internal social network and student led ambassador program for peer-to-peer support.
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E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. of Snellville. Founded in the 1920s, ERS was built on Christian beliefs with honesty and integrity leading the way. Specializing in roads, bridges and culverts, its goal is to build a safe and modern highway system while preserving our natural environment. Through quality production and high safety standards, it strives to be the best contractor possible, while continuing to be a positive influence on its employees and the community.
- Visit online at www.ersnell.com.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
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. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
Lawrenceville buildings get upgrade for indoor air quality
The Lawrenceville City Council has approved expenditures to improve indoor air quality in all city-owned buildings through a variety of heating and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades. The HVAC systems at City Hall, the Police Department, and Public Works will be upgraded and retrofitted with a combination of bipolar ionization units, MERV filters, and UV lights.
Assistant City Manager Barry Mock says: “The City of Lawrenceville has placed a significant importance on creating safe and healthy spaces in each of our city-owned buildings. We will continue to look for opportunities to improve both the work environments for our employees, as well as the indoor areas that are frequented by the general public.”
The new technologies utilized in the facility upgrades will formulate an active air-cleaning strategy that will improve the air quality within the buildings to a level comparable with that in many healthcare facilities. The existing systems at the Bobby Sikes Fine Arts Building, home of the Aurora Theatre, and the newly installed systems at the Lawrenceville Performing Arts Center (under construction) incorporate these same technologies.
Funding for these improvements has been allocated with a portion of C.A.R.E.S. Act funds. Currently, the City has allocated $83,325 for these upgrades. Work is expected to be completed April 2021.
Northside Hospital offering vaccine shots to patients of affiliated providers
Northside Hospital is now providing the COVID-19 vaccine, by appointment only, to people who are age 65 or older and are patients of the hospital’s affiliated providers.
Below is an individual link to schedule an appointment and complete the online COVID-19 vaccine consent form. Please remember to bring the email or text confirmation of your appointment and your picture ID with you.
- Click here to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
You will receive your vaccine at the Perimeter Summit Building located at 1001 Perimeter Summit Boulevard NE, Atlanta, 30319. There will be staff in the parking garage directing you to the vaccine clinic. Please plan to arrive at your appointment on time and not too early, as space in the waiting area is limited. You must receive both your first and second dose at the same location.
Those having questions should contact Covid19vaccine@northside.com.
GGC students plant apple trees on campus microfarm
Students planting trees on GGC campus
The outdoors became a classroom last week as Georgia Gwinnett College (GCC) students, faculty and staff planted 20 apple trees at the college’s Microfarm. Held in recognition of Georgia’s Arbor Day, the event wrapped up GGC’s Sustainability Week, an annual event which began last year, organized by members of GGC’s faculty and staff. The apple orchard is also being used for soil research. The research will focus on the chemical and biological profiles of the soil. Dr. James Russell, associate professor of biology and chair of studies for environmental science, and his colleagues took samples of the soil during the planting as a baseline. As the trees grow, the researchers will continue to take samples to determine changes in the soil. They will also determine whether the trees have contributed to that change.
GGC has earned the Tree Campus USA designation for three consecutive years.
Senior business administration major Katherine Moron, 30, loves nature, so the event was a natural fit for her. With the recent rain, Moron knew that she was going to get muddy, but she was fascinated, excited and ready to do whatever it took. “I learned how to dig a hole,” she explained. “I learned for the first time that digging a hole in the ground is not easy, but I loved the idea. Most of all I learned the importance of an apple tree.”
Hancock
Duluth teacher is second in state DAR history competition
Jerry Hancock Jr., an American history teacher at Duluth High School, has placed second in state for the 2020 Outstanding American History Award. He was sponsored by the William Day Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Gwinnett County. He was awarded a certificate and medal and monetary award; he also spoke at the William Day in Duluth by Zoom on February 14 with a program entitled, “Dixie Progress: Sears and the New South.”
Gwinnett Stripers seeking National Anthem performers
The Gwinnett Stripers are launching a virtual search for National Anthem performers for the 2021 season.
All interested singers, vocal groups (five singers or less), and musicians must send a digital submission (video or audio) of their a capella or unaccompanied performance of the National Anthem to stripersinfo@braves.com by March 1.
Candidates will be judged on tone, pace (90 seconds or less), and clarity. Beginning March 8, top candidates will be invited to participate in virtual auditions. No in-person auditions will be held this year. Those who have been chosen from the virtual auditions will be contacted to schedule a date to sing the National Anthem.
The Gwinnett Stripers open the 2021 season in the newly-formed Triple-A East League on Tuesday, April 6 at Durham. Opening Night at Coolray Field is set for Tuesday, April 13 vs. Memphis. Secure 2021 tickets now by purchasing a membership at GoStripers.com/memberships.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: If you are bored during this time of waiting – of waiting for this world of ours to be the way it used to be – you may be enthralled or amused by a play written about waiting. “Waiting for Godot” by the Irish playwright, Samuel Beckett, is jam packed with things to ponder, to question and to debate. You can interpret it in many ways and it just might cure your boredom because it keeps you thinking. I just read this play for the third time and, each time I read it, I got something new from it. Who is Godot? Why are these two men waiting for him in the middle of nowhere? Is this just a play about trying to exist in a world with no purpose? I won’t share my interpretations because they keep changing and expanding, but I will encourage you to form your own.
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
Hunt improves dairy industry in middle Georgia
A former New York banker, Benjamin Hunt became known for his contributions to the dairy industry and livestock improvement in Putnam County and middle Georgia. Also recognized for horticultural experimentation and animal husbandry, Hunt had a lasting impact on the Georgia Piedmont.
Benjamin Weeks Hunt was born in 1847, the youngest child of Mary Quinby and Benjamin Hunt, prosperous New York Quakers. He was educated at Mount Kisco Academy in New York. Trained in business, Hunt then worked for a large financial house. In 1876, shortly after his marriage to Louise Prudden, a poet and member of a prominent Eatonton, Georgia, family, Hunt decided to make his home in Putnam County.
Upon moving to Eatonton, Hunt brought the first registered Jersey cows to Georgia. Unfortunately, half of this original herd died from splenic fever. Also called tick, Southern, and Texas fever, the disease caused the value and production abilities of cattle to drop by as much as 40 percent. Believing the Piedmont region’s climate to be ideal for livestock, Hunt began to investigate causes of and cures for the disease. Hunt was the first to immunize cattle successfully against the fever. Furthermore, he organized Putnam County’s Anti-Tick Association and lobbied, against strong opposition, for a state tick eradication law.
In his effort to improve livestock Hunt also investigated the cause of bovine osteoporosis. After collaborating with veterinarians at the University of Kentucky, Hunt determined that a dietary insufficiency in the region’s alluvial soil was the culprit and could be adjusted for by treating animals with supplements of phosphate of lime and adequate sunshine. Hunt freely shared his discoveries with local farmers and in agricultural journals.
Hunt was a friend of Louis Pasteur’s, the French scientist who invented the process of pasteurization and developed a vaccine for rabies. When a rabid cat bit Hunt in 1898, he immediately traveled to the Pasteur Institute in France for treatment. After receiving double dosages of the rabies vaccination in half the time of the normal procedure, Hunt recovered and returned home determined to establish such an institute in Georgia. Established in 1901, the Pasteur Institute in Atlanta provided all Georgians with access to Pasteur’s rabies treatment. The institute operated independently until 1908, when it was taken over by the state’s health department.
Hunt also was the force behind the first cotton mill in Eatonton, the Eatonton Public Library and the Middle Georgia Railroad. The railroad connected Covington to Eatonton and provided the means for Putnam County to export its dairy products quickly to more urban areas. He drew on his financial experience to help establish the Middle Georgia Bank, which was the first lender to make loans against agricultural commodities other than cotton.
Hunt received national recognition as a horticulturist and served as an assistant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture by receiving exotic plants to observe. Originator of the “Hunt fig,” a hearty hybrid that could withstand the Georgia winters, Hunt encouraged farmers to grow a variety of fruits that could be sold in the North. Hunt’s contributions won him admiration and gratitude. In 1922 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Georgia. He died at his home in Eatonton in 1934 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery there.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to http://georgiaencyclopedia.org
Do you remember seeing this statue on your travels?
Here’s a statue that some of you may have seen. Your job is to identify who the statue represents, and where it is located. Send your ideas to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
Two photo-spotters identified the statue of Gen. George C. Marshall at the Virginia Military Institute aat Lexington, Va. as the last edition Mystery Photo. The photo came from the late Jerry Colley of Alpharetta.
Both George Graf of Palmyra, Va. and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. were eagle-eyed with this photo. Graf reports that the plaque on the statue reads: “He is a great American, but he is far more than that. In war he was as wise and understanding in counsel as he was resolute in action. In peace he was the architect who planned the restoration of our battered European economy and, at the same time, laboured tirelessly to establish a system of Western Defense. He has always fought victoriously against defeatism, discouragement and disillusion. Succeeding generations must not be allowed to forget his achievements and his example. —Winston S. Churchill, July 30, 1958.”
The Marshall Plan
Peel sent a photo of the statue from of the Marshall Arch section of the Barracks at (VMI) He adds: “This statue was dedicated on Founders Day 1978 and is a tribute to General George Cartlett Marshall Jr (1880-1959), who graduated from VMI in 1901, and rose through the ranks of the US Army, ultimately serving as the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under Harry S. Truman. As Secretary of State, Marshall advocated for a U.S. economic and political commitment to post-war European recovery, including the 1948 Marshall Plan that bore his name. In recognition of this work, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.
Nobel medal, 1953
“My wife and I visited VMI in July 2011, and I thought I would share a few photos that I took during this visit. The first photo is a front-facing view of the statue depicted in the mystery photo. I have also included a photo of the ‘Marshall Plan’, a voluminous, 624-page book, as well as a photo of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Marshal in 1953.”
- Send your answer to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
Lilburn Woman’s Club donates Seuss chair to Lilburn Elementary
The Education and Libraries Program and Art and Culture Program of the Lilburn Woman’s Club collaborated and donated a Dr. Seuss chair to the media center at Lilburn Elementary School. Nancy Chilcoat provided an old chair and Pat Shaver and Gloria Sill designed and painted the chair. Vaccinated members from the Lilburn Woman’s Club will volunteer to read to students during Dr. Seuss week which occurs the first week of March annually. This is another way that the Lilburn Woman’s Club continues to support our community during the pandemic.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Chairman to give State of the County address March 3
State of the county address by Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Nicole Hendrickson will be Wednesday, March 3 at 8:30 a.m., at 12Stone Church, 1322 Buford Drive, Lawrenceville. The meeting is sponsored by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Quality Growth. Click here to register.
Photo exhibit “From Russia with Love and More” will be at the Pinckneyville Community Center, 4650 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Berkeley Lake, from March 1 and continues through May 27. These photos come from the camera of Roving GwinnettForum Photographer Frank Sharpe. The show will be open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m; on Friday until 4 p.m and Saturday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
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