GwinnettForum | Number 23.23 | March 22, 2024
BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE: Get up early these spring days, and you can capture brilliant sunrises, as did Charles Anderson, formerly of Gwinnett, near his home on Lake Hartwell. Of course, you can also capture sunsets. Who’s got a good sunset photograph?
TODAY’S FOCUS: We must fight for our principles every single day
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Most of USA’s colleges started by our churches
SPOTLIGHT: Peach State Federal Credit Union
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
UPCOMING: Aurora Theatre offers five productions in 29th season
NOTABLE: JEMC Foundation makes grants of $69,575 to Gwinnett
RECOMMENDED: One Life by Ellen Holly
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia’s 1877 Constitution in force until 1945
CALENDAR: Sugar Hill’s 85th birthday celebration is March 24
We must fight for our principles every single day
By Ashley Herndon, contributing columnist
OCEANSIDE, Calif. | The United States is a paradox of freedom vs ill-liberal royalists, plantation capitalists, emperors, fascists, and theocratic zealots. The battle between the Pharisees and Sadducees is still at full tilt. How many more millions must die to gain personal liberty?
Herndon
We have fought minor skirmishes, shooting wars, and massive political battles to maintain our democratic experiment. Thus far we have kept it alive, however crippled it may have become. We are still defending those egalitarian principles every day.
There are people buying other people without a whim of conscience. Too many of them have never lifted a shovel or washed their own clothes or cooked their own meals. We unfortunately are still trying to teach, (though again are being censored) what freedom of speech and freedom of religion really mean.
This opponent is the same as all of the others, just better financed and more willing to lie and cheat. Narcissism has risen to the top. These are not differences in policy, but simple personal greed, with explosive results, it is time to:
Our two eternal preambles are still the guiding lights of democracy, world wide. Let’s remember them:
Declaration of Independence (1776): “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The Constitution: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Opposition, local or worldwide, can say and do all they want against them, but these two wordings are enshrined in history and are not to be defeated.
It matters not who and what comes against them. United we stand! The fights are sometimes furious: colonialism run rampant, the Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War 1861-1865, Re- and De-construction, Jim Crow rises and goes live, the gilded age of abusive industrialism, World War I, post-war financial abuse, rise of fascism, great depression, fascist World War II, nuclear age, communist Russia, China, Korea, Vietnam, and finally, beginning of constant regional conflicts leading to today’s internal battle between what history calls good versus evil or light against dark.
However one defines it, the battle is raging between spurious lies and indefatigable truth. We learn from history itself. One would think we would have learned by now!
Truth will win. But the fight is hard, and it hurts. Proof of liberty’s value is represented by memorials to those trials on display on The Mall in D.C and in states throughout our nation.
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and King. Two were contemporaries, one a savior, and one a fighter for what the preambles promised. For those here in 2024, we still are fighting even to this very day.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Most of USA’s colleges started by our churches
Mercer University’s chapel in Macon, Ga. Via Wikipedia.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 22, 2024 | Watching the basketball conference playoffs last weekend, you saw a lot of big-time state universities doing well, but also saw some well-known powerhouse teams from smaller colleges. We recognized something: how most of our nation’s colleges and universities were founded not by government, but by our churches.
At least one third of the schools in this week’s men’s NCAA basketball tournament come from smaller, church-affiliated institutions. And some of them are ranked teams in the tournament: Duke, Creighton, Brigham Young, Baylor, St. Marys, Dayton, Marquette and Gonzaga.
Many smaller church-affiliated teams draw attention far bigger than their enrollments. A smart college president can tell his athletic director he has so many scholarships to recruit key high school players. Then with a core of good players, these guys (or gals) can put that university on the map.
We remember when Bill Underwood became president of Mercer University in 2006, after being the interim president at Baylor University. He recognized what Baylor had done with its basketball team: giving a few really good players scholarships that made Baylor a basketball powerhouse. And several years later, with a good coach and a few key players, Mercer made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time. Remember: in 2014, NCAA number 14 Mercer upset Duke, 78-71!
Look at this year: another Baptist school, Stetson in Florida, which an enrollment of 2,561 undergraduate students, and a 23-12 record. This year it won the Atlantic Sun conference title, which gave them an automatic berth for the first time in the March Madness, and played the number one team in the NCAA East, Tennessee. Again, NCAA tournaments are where the smaller teams compete successfully against a higher ranked team, and from time to time upset the applecart. Last year Purdue, a number one, was knocked out of the tournament in the first round against Fairleigh Dickinson, ranked number 16, by a 63-58 score.
In the beginning, most universities in our country were established as institutions of faith. These colonial colleges, such as Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth (Puritan), College of William and Mary (Church of England), Princeton (Presbyterian), and Rutgers University (Dutch Reformed), were Christian schools in mission.
Seeking more detail, from the Internet, we compiled a list of key institutions of higher learning and their founding church. Check out the (limited) list of colleges begun by our various denominations. The Catholics have begun the most colleges (241), while the most Protestant colleges were started by the Methodists (107). CLICK HERE to see that list.
Jump back to 1862, when Congress recognized the need for the teaching of agriculture, military tactics and the mechanic arts, as well as classical studies, so members of the working classes could obtain a liberal, practical education. This led to the passage of the Morrill Land Grant Act. This law gave states public lands provided the lands be sold or used for profit and the proceeds used to establish one college—hence, land grant colleges—that would teach agriculture and the mechanical arts. From this we get key state colleges, such as Georgia, Auburn, Iowa State, etc. Soon states were also establishing geographical colleges to serve other areas of their states, or starting engineering schools. Many of these are key NCAA schools today.
Now, sit back and enjoy the NCAA basketball tournaments, this March Madness.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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Aurora Theatre offers 5 productions in 29th season
Prepare to indulge, as Aurora Theatre announces their 29th season, to be a Feast for the Soul lineup. Four musicals and one comedy will be presented at Lawrenceville Arts Center. The five-course menu of anticipated titles includes The Color Purple, Christmas Canteen 2024, King of Pangaea, Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy and Waitress. Season 29 is poised to captivate and inspire audiences from near and far.
Producing Artistic Director Ann-Carol Pence says: “Aurora is committed to building deep ongoing relationships with our community. We believe stories told on our stage belong to our community and that when you are here, you are home. As always, we promise to continue elevating the voices of remarkable artists, many of whom call Atlanta home. Like a curated menu, this season is filled with the distinct flavors of healing, laughter, courage and inspiration.”
The Color Purple is based upon the novel written by Alice Walker. It will be on the Grand Stage from August 15 to September 15, 2024. This Tony Award-winning musical will kick off Aurora’s Season 29. Follow the unforgettable journey of Celie as she discovers her own strength and resilience in the face of extreme adversity. The joyous musical features a score that blends gospel, jazz, and blues. Originally developed in Atlanta at the Alliance Theatre in 2004, and most recently a 2023 smash-hit movie, Aurora welcomes home this epic story that is a testament to the healing power of love.
Christmas Canteen 2024, an Aurora Original, plays from November 29 until December 22, 2024 on the Grand Stage. This has become an Atlanta favorite tradition, Christmas Canteen is returning for a 29th year to illuminate the holidays. Canteen is a stocking stuffed with a dazzling array of musical numbers, riotous bursts of comedy, a star-studded cast and the perfect sprinkle of nostalgia that delights every generation. This year, we add a new interactive twist that will “light up” your holiday season and have audiences “raving.”
King of Pangaea – A New Musical, will be on the Main Stage from January 23 to February 16, 2025. As part of Aurora’s New Musical Initiative, this folk-rock musical is inspired by the real-life story of its creator, Martin Storrow. When a sudden loss shatters the world of college student Christopher Crow, he travels back to his imaginary childhood island of Pangaea, in hopes of finding answers that will put the broken pieces back together. Like the whimsy and suspense of The Wizard of Oz, Chris’ family transforms into the fantastical characters on his island. It has been a breakout hit with audiences at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre New Musical Festival.
Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy will be on the Aurora Grand Stage March 20 -April 13, 2025. Playwright Ken Ludwig has penned many of the biggest comedic hits in Aurora Theatre history: Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo and The Fox on the Fairway. In this latest farce, Ralph, a young classics professor at a prestigious university finds a long-lost manuscript by Euripides, only for Daphne, his protégé to accidentally misplace it. With fame, fortune, reputation and the future of the University on the line, Daphne calls out to the Greek Gods for help. To her surprise, the Gods actually appear and that’s when things get really crazy.
Waitress, based on the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, will begin on the Grand Stage on May 22 and continue through June 22, 2025. Waitress is a homespun tale that features music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winner Sara Bareilles (Brave and Love Song). Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker, dreams of a way out of her small town and a rocky marriage when a pie-baking contest in a nearby county offers the winner a big cash prize. As a multi-platinum recording artist, Bareilles serves up a delicious score that brought a whole new audience to Broadway with her empowering story about the family we choose, told with extreme heart and irreverent humor.
Micro-transit anticipated in Norcross by this fall
Gateway85 Gwinnett Community Improvement District Board has allocated funding to jumpstart micro-transit in the Gateway85/Norcross region. It’s anticipated the system will be operational by September of 2024.
The Gateway85/Norcross area has been identified in numerous studies as needing significant increases in transit availability to improve economic opportunity. The proposed project will operate as an on-demand minibus ride sharing service that offers a cost-effective solution to transportation needs within specific zones. Rides are requested via an app, or call-in option for users without a smartphone, and will cost around $3.
Emory Morsberger, executive director of the CID says: “This transit innovation is critical for the economic vitality of this region. We have heard from major employers, as well as community organizations, that micro-transit will help employees get to work, customers reach businesses and will unlock economic opportunity for one of the most transit-dependent communities in the metro area.”
This project, initiated by the Gateway85 Gwinnett CID, has received significant support and partnership from the City of Norcross which voted to approve the micro-transit project on March 18, and from Gwinnett County which will vote for final approval on April 16. The project is supported by a number of major employers and community organizations including Ole Foods, CIC Flooring, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Viewpoint Health and Corner’s Outreach.
Suwanee Arts Center has summer offerings for youth
Get ready for a summer of imagination and fun at the Suwanee Arts Center.
Make this summer in Suwanee one to remember! Here’s a chance to let your child’s creativity shine with our Future Filmmakers Camp series. This thrilling three-part series gives you the opportunity to become:
- A Junior Filmmaker, master filming and equipment skills.
- A Book Builder, for young authors and illustrators and perfect for storyboarding a film.
- Fancy making your story into an animated film? Try your hand at Stop Motion Clay Animation!
Take one or take all three!!
For the Wee-Littles, the program offers seven weeks of Mini-Makers Art Camp. A blend of activities and projects that ensures every child can find their own unique means of expression.
Among the other courses offered are exploring watercolor and acrylic paintings plus a Bob Ross painting class.
JEMC Foundation makes grants of $69,575 to Gwinnett
A $15,000 Jackson EMC Foundation check to Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries will support its Emergency Housing Assistance Program to provide rent or mortgage assistance for families in the Norcross area. At the check presentation were, from left, Jennifer Fennell, Jackson EMC Gwinnett district manager; Beauty Baldwin and Dee Anderson, Jackson EMC Foundation board members; Ryan Jones, executive director of Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries; and Kenny Lumpkin, Jackson EMC Foundation representative.
The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total of $122,394 in grants for organizations during its recent meeting, including $69,575 to organizations serving Gwinnett County.
- $15,000 to Hebron Community Health Clinic in Lawrenceville, a nonprofit providing low-income, uninsured Gwinnett and Barrow County residents with medical and dental care, to fund the Next Step Program, which provides diagnostic referrals and testing and prescription medication.
- $15,000 to Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries, Inc., for its Emergency Housing Assistance Program to provide rent or mortgage assistance for families in the Norcross area of Gwinnett County who are experiencing temporary or long-term hardships.
- $15,000 to YMCA of Georgia’s Piedmont, Inc., in Winder, for its Pryme Tyme afterschool program, which provides homework help, sports, arts and crafts to children from economically disadvantaged families in Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Hall and Jackson counties.
- $12,445 to Oconee Therapeutic Riding (formerly Butterfly Dreams Farms) to provide therapeutic and hippotherapy treatment for special needs and at-risk children, youth and their families, to help families from Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Hall and Jackson counties attend therapy sessions that use a horse’s movement to improve neuromuscular function.
- $12,130 to Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett, which provides primary and preventative medical and dental care to pharmaceutical assistance for low-income and uninsured families in Gwinnett County to purchase exam tables and stools for its women’s health environmental upgrade.
Jackson EMC Foundation grants are made possible by the 218,810 participating cooperative members who have their monthly electric bills rounded to the next dollar amount through the Operation Round Up program. Their “spare change” has funded 1,909 grants to organizations and 428 grants to individuals, putting more than $20 million back into local communities since the program began in 2005.
One Life, by Ellen Holly
From Susan J. Harris, Stone Mountain: One Life is the biographical story of a talented African American actress, who though primed to be of use to her race, was unable to reach heights because of her light skin. Ellen made her debut in 1956 in a Broadway play by South African playwright Alan Paton. Though the reviews were marvelous, she walked on the stage with black dye covering her pale skin. Her life was punctuated with an on again off again affair with Harry Belafonte. She describes the excitement and glamor of Harlem in the 195os with a flair that puts the ready into every scene. The racial underbelly of the entertainment industry is brought forth in her story. She is a complicated, gifted actress who stayed the course despite numerous obstacles. I am also proud to say that she is my second cousin. The full title is One Life, The Autobiography of an African American Actress.
- 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
Georgia’s 1877 Constitution in force until 1945
The Georgia Constitutional Convention of 1877 created the state’s seventh constitution. Ratified at the end of Reconstruction (1867-76) with a firm Democratic majority in power, the Constitution of 1877 was a reaction to the perceived abuses of the Republican-dominated government that controlled the state after the Civil War (1861-65).
Many Georgians viewed the Constitution of 1868 as a product of Northern Republicans who moved south after the war. With the Democratic Party fully back in control of the state government, the legislature passed a bill in 1877 calling for a referendum to hold a new constitutional convention. The measure passed, and 193 delegates met on July 11, 1877, in Atlanta to draft the new constitution. Led by former governor Charles Jones Jenkins and supported by Robert Toombs, the constitutional convention adjourned on August 25 with a 115-page document, which voters ratified in December.
Perhaps the greatest change from the 1868 Constitution was in the power of the state to tax its citizens. Concerned about the economic depressions of the 1870s and the abuses of the Reconstruction government on the state treasury, a majority of delegates formed an economic faction that supported lower taxes and restrictions to curb state expenditures (by cutting, among other things, the salaries of judges and other state officials).
Article 7 restricted the use of tax money to support the state government, pay the public debt, support education, defend against insurrection and invasion, and provide artificial limbs for ex-Confederate soldiers injured during the Civil War.
Restricted too was the amount of debt the state, cities, and counties could accumulate.
This fear of debt limited the state’s industrial potential since the constitution denied state encouragement to private enterprises through tax subsidies and other supportive measures. Favoring the status quo instead of vigorously promoting industrialization caused Georgia to lag behind other states during the ensuing industrial revolution.
The new constitution also decreased the power of the governor while increasing the power of the legislature. The governor’s term was decreased from four years to two years, and a two-term limit, by which one could run for a third and fourth term only after four years had elapsed, was instituted.
The 1877 Constitution imbued the practice of segregation with the power of law. Article 8 provided for a free education system for Georgians but stipulated separate primary education for whites and Blacks, as well as the establishment of a separate university to educate African Americans. In addition, a poll tax was included.
Other notable provisions of the Constitution of 1877 include more stringent residency requirements to vote and to hold public office (in an effort to decrease the power of new Northern residents), the popular election of the secretary of state and state treasurer, and easier procedures for amending the constitution.
The 1877 Constitution was amended 301 times during the 68 years it was in effect. Various changes included the establishment of a literacy test (which served to further disenfranchise African Americans), the formation of the Public Service Commission to regulate utilities, and the creation of the juvenile-court system. On August 13, 1945, the Constitution of 1945 replaced the Constitution of 1877.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Familiar face in this mystery, but where is it?
Here is a photograph of a statue in which you might recognize the subjects. But this Mystery Photo is somewhat tricky. Identify the statue and tell us where it is now located. But be careful. Then send your idea of this mystery to elliott@brack.net, including your hometown.
Jay Altman was early on with the identification of the most recent mystery. The Columbia, S.C., resident wrote: “It is San Miguel Chapel, a Spanish colonial mission church in Santa Fe, N.M. Originally built around 1610, it is often referred to as the oldest church building in the continental United States. The church was rebuilt twice, once in the mid to late 17th century, and again in 1710 following the Pueblo Revolt. In both cases earlier pieces of the building may have been reused, though it is unclear to what extent. The wooden reredos, (an ornamental screen covering the wall behind the altar) which includes a wooden statue of Saint Michael, dating back to at least 1709, was added in 1798.”
The photograph came from Molly Titus of Peachtree Corners.
Others recognizing the photograph included Kay Montgomery of Duluth; Stew Ogilvie of Lawrenceville; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; and Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex., who added: “The adobe chapel is thought to have been built by Tlaxcalan Indians who came from old Mexico to New Mexico in 1598. It has undergone multiple repairs throughout its history. My wife and I visited the chapel in October 2016. As we walked into the chapel, our attention was immediately drawn toward the simple, but beautiful altar at the front of the church. (See photo at left.)
- 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.
Sugar Hill’s 85th birthday celebration is March 24
Citizenship Clinic will be March 23 at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Lilburn branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Invest in your future by applying for United States Citizenship. Pre-registration is required to attend the workshop.
Preview Days at Georgia Gwinnett College will be Saturday, March 23. The events will take place from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on GGC’s campus. Prospective students will hear from members of the Grizzly family about programs of study, admissions, financial aid, student housing and more. Participants will be able to tour GGC’s campus and talk to student ambassadors about their experiences at GGC. The party-like atmosphere will include food, music and fun giveaways. GGC team members will host selected breakout sessions in Spanish. Organizers said GGC application fees will be waived in March. About 82 percent of GGC students qualify for financial aid.
Lionheart Theatre Company in Norcross will present Chaos Theory’s Improv Comedy on Saturday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening of spontaneous laughter, geared towards ages 16 and older. Tickets are $12. To buy tickets, visit lionhearttheatre.org.
Attend the City of Sugar Hill’s 85th Birthday Celebration on March 24 at 1:30 p.m. The City and the Sugar Hill Historic Preservation Society have scheduled the Grand Master of the Masons of Georgia, Benjamin W. Polston II, to perform a rededication ceremony of the original 1940 cornerstone of the Sugar Hill School. The event will take place in Cornerstone Park, across from the Sugar Hill City Hall, near where the school was once located. Following the 1940 cornerstone rededication, the Sugar Hill Historic Preservation will dedicate the Georgia Boot Historic Marker. The ceremony will take place on Temple Drive at the entrance to the Bowl, where there will be vendors and food trucks.
“Growing Your Business with Reference Solutions” is the topic to be presented March 26 at 11:30 a.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Learn how to use the U.S. Business and Consumer Modules to target specific groups of businesses or individuals who may most likely be interested in your products or services.
The traditional Easter egg hunt at Rossie Brundage Park in Norcross will be Saturday, March 30. There will be two hunts, the first at 10 a.m. with surprises and photo opportunities. The second will be an Eggs-tra Special Needs hut at 1 p.m., offering an inclusive experience with assistive devices and beeping eggs. Both events are free and sponsored by the City of Norcross.
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