For victims of the floods in South Carolina last week, the Salvation Army and Television Channel 46 in Atlanta cooperated in a 12-hour fund drive. During Thursday’s telethon, $24,000 was raised from Channel 46 listeners for the South Carolina tragedy. From left are Jose Valentin of the Salvation Army in Doraville, and Channel 46’s Paul Caron and Kim Passoth. If you would like to donate to the Salvation Army for the South Carolina flood victims, send a check to the Salvation Army, Metro Atlanta Area Command, P.O. Box 930118, Norcross, Ga., 30003. Please label checks “East Coast Floods.” Or you can donate online by visiting: www.SalvationArmyAtlanta.org.
IN THIS EDITIONTODAY’S FOCUS: Georgia Gwinnett College Announces New Provost
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Innovative Thinking from the Stone Mountain Memorial Association
UPCOMING: Gwinnett Seeks Input for Direction at Simpsonwood Park
NOTABLE: Time for Annual Fall Plant Sale at Gwinnett Tech
RECOMMENDED READ: Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
GEORGIA TIDBIT: See 28 Georgia Art Pieces at the Georgia State Art Collection
TODAY’S QUOTE: On the Movement away from September
MYSTERY PHOTO: Only One Recognized Recent Photo with Mountain and Tin Can
LAGNIAPPE: Some 8,000 Stand for Two Hours To Hear Donald Trump Saturday in Norcross
TODAY’S FOCUSGGC picks Arant from Pennsylvania’s York College as new provost
By Sloan Jones
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., Oct. 13, 2015 | Georgia Gwinnett College President Stanley C. “Stas” Preczewski says that Dr. T.J. Arant has been selected as GGC’s new senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs and provost. In that role, he will build upon the college’s strong foundation of academic excellence and extend it in ways that continue to support student success leading to degree completion. He will assume his duties no later than July 1, 2016.
Arant
Preczewski says: “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Arant to the GGC leadership team. His experience in higher education over the past 16 years will serve him well as he assumes this role and provides primary guidance and direction for the college in all areas of academic and student affairs and oversees GGC’s overall academic mission. His leadership will be key in the areas of faculty and staff development, research, advancement goals and activities and budget and resource allocation.”
Arant responds: “Georgia Gwinnett College is a model institution for the 21st century and is dedicated to state-of-the-art support for student success. I’m excited to join the college at this important moment in its history.” Arant earned his master’s degree in English in 1981 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Ph.D. in English in 1991 from Duke University. His undergraduate degree is from Vanderbilt University.
Arant comes to GGC from York College of Pennsylvania where he has served as interim chief academic officer on a one-year assignment devoted to helping the president and her senior staff as a new strategic planning process coincided with a national search for new academic leadership. In addition to supervising operations, he was responsible for facilitating the rollout of a new general education program, preparing the campus for an imminent 10-year accreditation visit and preparing a recommendation for the restructuring of academic affairs. In particular, his work was to build transparent systems that would interact seamlessly with both administration and faculty, giving each ownership in a dynamic new strategic plan.
Before his service as interim chief academic officer at York College of Pennsylvania, Arant was the interim chief academic officer at Misericordia University for the 2014-15 academic year during which he assisted the institutional transition to a renewed understanding of mission and vision in an environment of increased transparency and trust.
He is a native of West Virginia. He and his wife, Susan, from Cleveland, Ohio, have two adult children, ages 27 and 25.
Arant served as president of Friends University, a private university of 2,500 students, from 2011 to 2014. During his presidency, he was charged with building new structures and processes for the changed environment of the 21st century. The university was recognized as a College of Distinction, an NAIA Champions of Character Institution with 44 Academic All-Americans in 2013, and as a member of the Gardner Institute’s Foundations of Excellence program.
Arant has an extensive experience base in the areas of higher education, instructional technology, leadership development and faculty development. He has a proven record of service and scholarship which includes national and state presentations, teaching awards, and service on academic and civic organization committees.
EEB PERSPECTIVEThree cheers to Stone Mountain board for innovative proposal
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher
OCT. 13, 2015 | Every now and then something comes down the pike that you know immediately it’s the proper thing to do, and that it just plains makes sense. You also wonder why no one has come up with this obvious idea before.
We refer to the story of this week that the Stone Mountain Memorial Association is planning to build a memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. atop the granite mountain. Not only that, but the Association has already earmarked monies to build it, and if all goes well, it will be a done-deal next year.
We particularly like the fact that the proposed monument would be focused on one phrase from the Rev. King’s 1962 speech which says: “Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.” Then, too, the proposal includes development of an African-American Museum on the property, a new element to attract visitors to the park.
Coming at a time when some African-Americans have questioned the carving on the mountain face depicting one part of the Civil War and the Confederacy, it opens the way to more accommodation, while still preserving the past for all people of our area. This should be especially welcoming to the Georgia immigrant community.
We applaud the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, with encouragement from Gov. Nathan Deal, for moving in this direction. It will make the park even more of a mecca not only for Georgians, but it is a welcoming sign to all Americans, even to the entire world.
Two persons on the board of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association are from Gwinnett. They are Vice Chairman Greer Johnson of Duluth and Perry Tindol of Dacula.
We also particularly like that it is thinking in the right direction, progressive and innovative, while seeking to heal the divisions that can come between people of different backgrounds and diverse races. Then, too, we feel that this proposal shows that Georgians “think right,” instead of the backward mode you see in some other parts of our country. It makes us proud to be a Georgian.
Each time we hear Dr. King’s speech, it sends chill bumps up our spine. It is such a powerful speech. And the ending is so awesome. It says:
“…And I say to you today my friends, let freedom ring.
From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring.
From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring.
From the mighty Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snow capped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only there; let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain in Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill in Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we’re free at last!”
Doesn’t it make you proud that Georgia is leading in this new way to honor one of its own, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King?
Indeed, let freedom ring so that we will not only hear it here in Gwinnett, but all over the world.
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County seeks input for what Simpsonwood Park master plan should be
Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation will hold a public meeting to discuss the master planning of Simpsonwood Park on November 12 at 7 p.m. in the theatre at Norcross High School. The 2013 Parks and Recreation Capital Improvements Plan pointed out a need for a large open space park in western Gwinnett. Funded by SPLOST, Simpsonwood Park provides an opportunity to preserve green space and provide passive recreational opportunities for residents of Gwinnett. The property is predominantly forested with hardwood and evergreen trees with approximately 2,140 linear feet of river frontage along the Chattahoochee River.
Residents can also apply to serve on the Citizen Steering Committee, which will work collaboratively to help formulate a master plan for the park. Simpsonwood Park is located at 4511 Jones Bridge Circle in Peachtree Corners. For more information, call 770-822-8855.
Library, AARP plan seminar about financial challenges
Retirement should be a time to savor and be worry-free from monetary and financial challenges. Now is the time to begin saving and planning for a more safe and secure tomorrow. Come join Gwinnett County Public Library, in partnership with AARP, as they continue their “Live Longer, Live Smarter” series: Finance and Wishes.
Meaningful insight and valuable information will be offered to assist you in preparing for the “golden years”. This timely and free seminar will be held on October 22 at 2:30 p.m. at the Suwanee Branch, 361 Main Street in Suwanee. Take charge of your future now and enjoy retirement as it’s meant to be!
- For more information, please call 770-978-5154 or visit www.gwinnettpl.org.
Gwinnett Tech plant sale runs Tuesday through Thursday
Whether planning ahead for spring or looking for autumn color to enjoy right now, gardeners and other plant enthusiasts will find plenty of inspiration at the Gwinnett Technical College Horticulture Program’s Fall Plant Sale. Scheduled for Tuesday, October 13 through Thursday, October 15, the plant sale will be held in the campus greenhouse near Building 600.
Horticulture Program Director Aaron Poulsen says “Experts know that the secret to a beautiful garden is to get started in the fall, laying the groundwork for great blooms throughout the year. It’s the ideal time for planting, when the weather’s cooler and the days are shorter.”
The Gwinnett Tech Horticulture Program holds a community plant sale twice a year to sell the plants the students have grown as a part of the curriculum. A variety of annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs, as well as fall vegetables, will be available for purchase by check or cash only.
- For more information on the plant sale, contact Roni Trimble at 678-226-6298 or rtrimble@gwinnetttech.edu.
7th annual Fort Daniel Frontier Faire takes place Oct. 17
Fort Daniel Foundation and Gwinnett Archaeological Research Society are co-sponsoring the seventh Annual Fort Daniel Frontier Faire on Saturday, October 17. It will be at the Fort Daniel Archaeological site, located at 2505 Braselton Highway (Georgia Highway 124) near Hog Mountain. Hours are 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Individual admission is $2 and family admission is $5. Parking is provided free of charge on the site.
Activities include: community archaeology throughout the day, re-enactors, archeology lab, Fort Daniel Museum, trading post, food, demonstrations, and Native American storytelling by Barry Stewart Mann at 10 a.m. Music by Skillet Lickers will take place at 1 p.m.
Many natives of Gwinnett County can recall driving by the historical marker at Hog Mountain, but knowing little about the history of the site. Thanks to the archaeological work done at the site and the research through archives, detailed information is now available through The Fort Daniel Foundation’s website and through scheduled onsite public events. Today, the Fort Daniel Archaeological site is owned by Gwinnett County and managed by The Fort Daniel Foundation.
- For more information, visit www.thefortdanielfoundation.org.
City of Sugar Hill now has Little Free Library in near Suite Spot
The City of Sugar Hill has added a Little Free Library in its community! This small structure houses books available Free to the whole Sugar Hill area, all the time! The Little Free Library allows citizens of Sugar Hill to have easy, quick access to all different kinds of great books.
The Little Free Library idea began in 2009 when co-founder Thomas Bol built a birdhouse-sized structure modeled after a one-room schoolhouse. Bol’s project was a tribute to his mother, a teacher who loved reading, so he filled the schoolhouse with books and placed it on a post in his yard with a sign that said “FREE BOOKS.” His idea grew popular in his area, and since the formation of the Little Free Library organization, over 25,000 Little Free Libraries have been placed throughout the world. The organization continues to encourage reading and togetherness in communities through their small libraries.
Sugar Hill’s Little Free Library is located on the corner of Alton Tucker Boulevard near the Suite Spot. Easy to spot from the road, it offers quick access. The books placed within the library are free for anyone to take home to keep. Meanwhile, people bring books to take its place.
Good Samaritan Clinic celebrates 10 years, plans November fete
June 2015 marked ten years of operation for the Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett, located at 3700 Club Drive Lawrenceville, near Pleasant Hill Road. It provides access to affordable primary healthcare services to uninsured residents of the Gwinnett Metro area. Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett has provided more than 60,000 medical appointments to uninsured patients since opening its doors.
Gregory E. Lang, executive director of the Center says: “Good Samaritan of Gwinnett has had an exciting ten years. The landscape of healthcare and the economy has changed drastically. Our clinic has not only managed to survive trying times, but we’ve experienced significant growth through increased demand for our services and have been able to meet that growing need.”
To commemorate its 10th anniversary, and celebrate the acquisition of a new facility in which it will more than triple its capacity, Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett will host “Building on a Decade of Healing” celebration in early November at Flint Hill in Norcross.
The event will come just months before Good Samaritan plans to relocate to the new facility, which is large enough to accommodate expanded capacity and new services including Dental, Pharmacy, and Pediatric Clinics – all focused exclusively on serving the uninsured.
Randy Dellinger, Gwinnett district manager for Jackson EMC and chairman of Good Samaritan’s Keystone of Health Capital Campaign, says: “The timing is very fitting. What better way to prepare for the increased impact that this Campaign will allow than by looking back and celebrating what has brought Good Sam to this point.”
RECOMMENDEDBoys in the Boat
History by Daniel James Brown
“There’s a reason this book has been on the bestseller list now for 71 weeks. It’s a stunning tale about an event that most Americans today don’t know about….an upstart University of Washington rowing team taking first the national college rowing championship, then winning the gold medal in the Olympics in Berlin in 1936, to the astonishment of Adolph Hitler. Yet this book is mainly a tale about overcoming adversity told through the story of one of the individuals on the team, who himself had to overcome first losing his mother, being banished from his father’s home after a second marriage, living homeless, and even working through college with little money. The book reminds me of two of Laura Hillenbrand’s books, Seabiscuit and Unbroken, both superb tales in themselves of individuals working against the odds. Boys in the Boat is well told and one that makes you proud to be an American.” —eeb
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb
See 28 Georgia art pieces of the Georgia State Art Collection
Inspired Georgia: 28 Works from Georgia’s State Art Collection is an exhibition featuring a selection of two-dimensional artworks from Georgia’s State Art Collection. From October 2013 to December 2014 the exhibition traveled to nine venues across Georgia, including the Quinlan Arts Center in Gainesville, the Dogwood City Art Gallery in Tallapoosa, and the Georgia Museum of Agriculture at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton. The exhibition and accompanying catalog were sponsored by the Georgia Council for the Arts, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Humanities Council, and the Georgia Museum of Art.
Inspired Georgia features 28 works, including drawings, etchings, mixed-media pieces, paintings, photographs, woodblock prints, and woodcuts, all selected from the more than 600 works that make up Georgia’s State Art Collection. The pieces, produced between the 1960s and 1990s, include examples of folk art, abstract and realist painting, landscapes, and portraiture. In the words of Georgia governor Nathan Deal, the Inspired Georgia exhibition was launched to encourage citizens around the state “to learn more about Georgia’s artistic heritage and artists, to celebrate local arts and culture community, and to explore and support the power of art and culture in shaping the future of Georgia.”
- To view these Georgia art pieces, click here and scroll through the works
- To access the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Scene is alive with color, activity, people: Just tell us where
Wow. Look at the color, the crowds, the activity in this Mystery Photo. It’s one of the most stunning we’ve seen recently. But where is it? Take a guess. Send your answers to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include the town where you live.
That tin can on a fence pole didn’t help many readers identify the recent Mystery Photo. In fact, only Logan Duke of Atlanta recognized the pasture, and the mountain in the distance. He correctly said: “That looks like the Sleeping Indian Mountain in Wyoming. I think it’s near Jackson Hole. The tin can bird house didn’t help much, but it does seem set oddly low (even if those 8-foot game management fence posts). Any idea why that is?”
Not us. Maybe someone can tell. The photo came from Mark Barlow of Peachtree Corners.
LAGNIAPPETrump wows crowd at North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross
Donald Trump’s appearance in Gwinnett Saturday saw some 8,000 people in a standing-room only crowd at the North Atlanta Trade Center to hear the Republican presidential candidate. By 10:15 a.m. the parking lot was full and people continued to come, parking at nearby office lots. Trump spoke for over an hour to continued applause from people, who came from distant parts of Georgia to hear him. Meanwhile, another GOP candidate, Dr. Ben Carson, was also a visitor in Gwinnett Saturday at Sugarloaf Mills, for a book signing, though there was not as big a crowd as the Trump gathering.
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