GwinnettForum | Number 23.61 | August 6, 2024
NEW IN LAWRENCEVILLE is the Preservation Hall of Fame Wall, located near the Isaac Adair House and the Lawrenceville Female Seminary at 455 South Perry Street. Constructed in early 2024, it showcases the 23 previous inductees to the Gwinnett Preservation Hall of Fame, with room for more. Each inductee has a marker on the wall explaining their significant impact to the preservation of Gwinnett’s history. There are nine days left to submit a nomination form for the 2024 Preservation Awards! If you know someone or an organization that has contributed to the historic restoration and preservation of Gwinnett, send in a form by August 15. The form is at this link.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Here’re eco-friendly tips for the upcoming school year
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Will those bright new blue automobile colors fade?
SPOTLIGHT: Gateway85 Community Improvement District
ANOTHER VIEW: On a lark, she won tickets to hear her favorite band
FEEDBACK: Seems that the electorate has mass hysteria
UPCOMING: Norcross replaces system for residents to report issues
NOTABLE: Chamber names new Ambassador Council members
RECOMMENDED: Always Believe in Love compiled by Marian Murphy
OBITUARY: Nancy Miriam “Mimi” Swaim
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Shay Youngblood books follow family themes
MYSTERY PHOTO: Many have seen this world-famous building
CALENDAR: Citizenship Info Session is August 6 at Norcross Library
Here’re eco-friendly tips for the upcoming school year
By Kasie Bolling
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | And just like that… summer winds down to a close, school supplies return to the shelves at local retailers, and routines shift to prepare for a new school year. At Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful (GC&B), we are big fans of Gwinnett County neighbors but also of Gwinnett County Public Schools.
Bolling
Each year, we partner together on the Green and Healthy Schools Program, which engages the administrations, teachers, and students at 140+ schools throughout the county. Through the program, we provide integrated environmental education while incorporating applications of Science AKS, encouraging environmental problem-solving right on their campuses, fostering the development of civic skills, and laying a foundation for green career pathways.
We also provide an opportunity for high school students from diverse backgrounds to participate in an environmental and sustainability service-learning and leadership development program. These student participants develop leadership skills while contributing to GC&B events and projects that impact local and global environmental challenges. Members act as ambassadors for our organization and serve as examples of youth service in their communities. Beyond the school system, GC&B also strives to support local families of school-age children as they journey toward a new school year.
To help you make the coming year green, clean, and beautiful from the start, we’ve curated a list of eco-friendly “back-to-school” tips.
Eco-Education Begins at Home: Just as you helped your child learn how to walk, tie their shoes and ride a bike, you are the key to their ongoing education about how to care for our environment. By pursuing eco-friendly practices at home, such as recycling, picking up litter around your neighborhood, observing water conservation measures while brushing their teeth, you’re laying the vital groundwork for raising a future environmental steward.
Purchase School Supplies Made from Recycled Materials: Purchasing items made from recycled materials supports the complete life cycle of the recycling industry. There have been so many advances in this industry that you can find virtually everything you need made from recycled materials, including pencils, erasers, composition and spiral notebooks, folders, filler paper, and even backpacks and clothing. Make your child part of the hunt for items made from recycled materials.
Incorporate Some “Vintage” Fashion in the Wardrobe: You can often find current, gently worn, and occasionally even new clothing at your local thrift store. Frequently, a family will donate their children’s clothing that they’ve simply outgrown. Since many thrift stores benefit local charities, purchasing clothing to enhance your child’s wardrobe is not only an excellent lesson, but you’ll also be benefiting a nonprofit in need within your community.
Encourage Your Child to Ride the Bus or Set Up a Carpool: Riding the bus is a practical way to minimize your child’s carbon footprint. It can also be a great social outlet for your child before and after school. If you’d prefer to take your child to school, set up a schedule with your neighbors to have the kids pile into a different car each day as you take turns.
Nix Unwanted Food and Single-Use Items from Your Child’s Lunchbox: For those families who pack a lunch each school day, to further reduce your child’s carbon footprint, make sure to use a reusable lunch box, storage containers, utensils, and water bottle. To minimize food waste, endeavor to only pack items you KNOW your child will want to eat.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Will those bright new blue automobile colors fade?
This is a blue 1946 Ford coupe, a two-door version of the similar deluxe sedan. Via Wikipedia
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 6, 2024 | My Uncle Charles Pharis was a many-year veteran of the U.S. Navy as a chief petty officer. He had served in 1926 in The Sand Pebbles insurrection in China. He was discharged with a medical condition, but lived another 11 years in Macon.
He bought a new home in Macon with two lots when house building returned after World War II. And as the nation’s automakers began to rev up again, he purchased a 1946 blue Ford four door sedan. I remember that sedan well.
You see, it and the other blue ‘46 Fords quickly faded from the sunshine. The blue that was beautiful turned into a murky color, with a tinge or rust color among the faded blue. Soon Ford stopped painting cars that color. That color of car turned ugly quickly. No doubt Henry Ford of the famous “any color, only in black,” must really have been upset by that Ford-in-blue fading so quickly.
All this comes to mind when I see many bright blue vehicles from our automakers today. They are really bright in their blue shiny metallic colors, which catch your eye. And each manufacturer has their own name for this bright color:
- BMW: Phytonic Blue Metallic
- Toyota: Voodoo Blue
- Ford: Admiral Blue
- Chevrolet: Glacier Blue Metallic
- Jeep: Blue Gold Metallic
- Subaru: Geyser Blue, Sapphire Blue Pearl
- Acura: Apex Blue Pearl
- And others.
Hopefully, the paint manufacturers have enough detail in their records to remember those early blue fading formulas, so that today’s blue vehicles will keep their charm, and stay bright.
But Old Sol, the sun, is a mighty warrior. We’ll see.
Automaking today is far different from after World War II. In those days, many people were anxious to see the new models each year. Many traded cars every 2-3-4 years, and for one reason: the American cars were not as good as they are today. It was unusual when an American car turned over 100,000 miles back then.
Then came the imports, especially from Japan, which changed automaking worldwide. The smaller Hondas and Toyotas were built far better, lasted longer and cost less. People started bragging of their low gas mileage, and soaring longevity without problems.
And in order to survive, American automakers got better. No longer do people trade cars so quickly. And going over 100,000 miles on a vehicle is standard today.
What was your first vehicle? Mine was a 1953 Chevrolet coupe, blue and gray. It was four years old when I bought it, from my accumulated savings from having the same paper route for nine years. How pleased I was. Its color did not fade.
After Barbara and I got married, there was one problem: Barbara had never driven a car without an automatic transmission. So she learned to stick-shift (rather quickly), though it took some stalling and bouncy starts to get her going.
We drove that car to Petersburg, Va., as I entered the Army in 1958 for basic officer training at Fort Lee. Then we drove it back to Georgia before we sold that first car and shipped over to Germany on the USS Darby for what turned out to be 3.5 years….returning home with a six-week old son.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Gateway85 CID
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Gateway85 Community Improvement District is a self-taxing district that includes just over 800 commercial property owners with a property value of over $1.7 billion. Gateway85 includes the southwestern part of Gwinnett County including properties along Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Buford Highway, Indian Trail Road, and Beaver Ruin Road. Gateway85 is one of five CIDs to be created in Gwinnett County and is one of the largest CIDs in the state. The community is an economic powerhouse that helps fuel the regional economy. More than 3,000 businesses employing roughly 47,400 people call Gateway85 home. The jobs in the district account for almost 16 percent of Gwinnett County’s total employment. Gateway85 provides $27.5 billion in economic output for the County and $36.4 billion economic output for Georgia. Gateway85’s mission is to improve property values through increased security, decreased traffic congestion, and general improvements to the curb appeal and infrastructure of the area. In September, 2024, Gateway85 will help to launch a new micro transit system in conjunction with the City of Norcross and Gwinnett County to provide on-demand shuttle service from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, designed to help more than 36,000 area residents. Gateway85 CID’s office is located at 6305 Crescent Drive, Norcross, Ga. 30071. For more information visit https://www.gateway85.com/ or call or call Emory Morsberger at 770-409-8100.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
On a lark, she won tickets to hear her favorite band
By Alana Moss
DULUTH, Ga. | Have you ever watched a musician performing on a television show, and thought, “I wonder how someone gets lucky enough to be there?” Me, too. So, when I found out my favorite band, Green Day, was going to perform on Good Morning America’s Summer Concert series on Friday, July 26, I decided to enter a lottery for tickets.
Moss
I decided that if I was lucky enough to win, I was going (even though transportation to New York City wasn’t included). Because the audience is limited to about 250 people, I knew that it would be the best opportunity I would ever see the band up close. About 10 days before the show date, I got a message confirming my lottery ticket victory!
I actually already had tickets to see Green Day at Truist Park in August! But since they tend to play arenas, this was my chance to see them in an intimate setting.
My friend and I flew to NYC on Thursday afternoon. The next morning, at 5:45 a.m. (in the dark), we arrived at an entrance to Central Park and got in line. The tickets said not to get in line until 6 a.m., but since it was a general admission show, we figured we’d arrive a bit early.
Well, we weren’t the only ones with that idea—the line was already really long! But, the good news was that everyone was friendly, and in a great mood. The weather was perfect—sunny and cool—we couldn’t have asked for anything better.
At 6 a.m., the staff let the barricade down, and let us wind our way about ¼ mile around the park to get to the venue, where they checked our tickets and let us through security. We rounded a corner, and there it was: an intimate stage brightly lit showcasing the band’s instruments and surrounded by three large television screens glowing like embers with sunny promotions for Good Morning America (GMA). There was a small, grassy area in front of the stage (standing only), but we opted to sit near the back on bleachers, which were elevated for a better view.
About 7 a.m. a GMA staff emcee instructed us about how the morning would unfold and directed us when (and how) to clap, cheer, and wait. There would be a lot of waiting.
Basically, we would see the band rehearse a song, the staff would give feedback, wait, then another song, more feedback, more waiting, then the band would go backstage to wait for the beginning of the televised show. While we were in wait mode, the emcee kept us busy by calling on fans to sing Green Day songs acapella. The fans didn’t disappoint. They picked out favorite songs to sing. They knew the lyrics and sang on key.
Around 8:30 a.m., the show began. Green Day played about five songs, weaved in between brief interviews with Ginger Zee, Sam Champion, and Eva Pilgrim. It was incredible to be so close to the performers. The fans stood and sang throughout the show. It was a fantastic time.
Would I do it again? Absolutely. If you’ve ever thought about doing something crazy and impulsive, take the plunge. You won’t regret it!
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Seems that the electorate has mass hysteria
Editor, the Forum:
As a former psychologist, I am concerned that our electorate is suffering from mass hysteria. This is a condition characterized by severe irrational thinking shared by a large group of people.
Irrationality is defined by a large group of people believing information in spite of the facts. For many Republicans such irrationality underlies their voting preferences.
A belief that Trump won the last election is irrational. A belief that Trump is not a sexual abuser is inconsistent with the fact that two juries of his peers found him guilty. It is irrational that Democrats dictated his guilty conviction of 34 felonies. It is a worry that so many Christians believe that Trump has divine inspiration.
A shared hysteria is a significant danger for the future of our country.
– Alan Schneiberg, PhD, Sugar Hill
Questions accomplishments of Biden Administration
Editor, the Forum:
I respectfully disagree with the accomplishments of President Biden. About 10 million illegal immigrants is all he has done for this country.
AND women should not vote for a woman just because she’s a woman. Of course, Dems can’t even define a woman.
– Karan Waid, Duluth
First to offer the Pink Pig was the original Rich’s
Editor, the Forum:
Yes, I remember the Pink Pig. My little girls rode at Rich’s, back in the old days before Macy’s bought Rich’s. It was a childhood delight for thousands of young’uns in simpler times.
– Barbara Dawson, Dahlonega
Did you hear of this gracious and meaningful gesture?
Editor, the Forum:
All Americans are pleased by the return of our illegally detained citizens from Russia. The longest held, Paul Whelan, a former Marine, was the first down the steps from the plane. He displayed the military custom of recognizing superior officers by saluting the Commander in Chief, President Biden.
Reportedly, he said that while imprisoned he sang our national anthem every day. Perhaps hearing that is what caused President Biden to remove his American flag lapel pin and pin it on Whelan. What a gracious and meaningful gesture — perfect for the occasion!
– John Titus, 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 by to: ebrack2@gmail.com.
Norcross replaces system for residents to report issues
The City of Norcross is partnering with CivicPlus, a government technology company and existing Norcross website provider, to release a new tool to empower residents to report quality-of-life issues and request government services.
The application SeeClickFix is available for residents to download on any iOS or Android device. They can also access the system from a desktop computer via the City of Norcross website at norcrossga.net/seeclickfix. While residents can create an account, no sign-in is required to submit a request.
Replacing the city’s existing RequestTracker platform, the SeeClickFix portal allows Norcross residents to submit photos, location information and request details directly to Norcross administrative staff members.
The technology allows community members to report problems to their government leaders and view, comment on, and follow issues submitted by their neighbors. Residents can even create their own “watch areas” to receive notifications about all the reports in their community, enabling them to follow the progress of all service requests—not just the ones they submit.
Learn about Transit Plan to Atlanta airport
More than 10,000 Gwinnett residents travel daily to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for work or travel. Gwinnett’s Transit Plan proposes an airport ride that would operate up to seven days a week with shuttles coming every hour to provide residents with a convenient, affordable, and timely connection.
- Visit GwinnettCounty.com/YourRide to learn more about the transit plan before you cast your ballot in November.
Key intersection to get traffic improvements
Improvements are coming to the intersection of Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Buford Highway. Gwinnett Transportation will partner with the Georgia Department of Transportation for upcoming improvements to the intersection, which is located in Norcross and Peachtree Corners.
The County’s $2.2 million contribution to the construction cost will come from Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds, as well as the cities of Peachtree Corners and Norcross.
Chamber names new Ambassador Council members
Several members of this year’s cohort came together for a photo. Pictured from left are Charbel Aoun, Georgia First Generation Foundation; Brett Russell, Atlanta Landscape Group; Reno Borgognoni. Reno M. Borgognoni, CPA PC; Anitra Moodie, New York Life Insurance Company; Andrew Clark, AJC Digital LLC; Scott Self, SMS-ITC LLC; Alicia Cole, Lillies Boutique; Melanie Hoit, Creative Enterprises; Jon Cook, Fraser Roofing LLC; Beth Fleck, Brenau University; Brianna Dillard, DLC CPAs; Brittany Lowe, Rainbow Village; Rob Drake, Synchronize Solutions; Shelby Crews, Worth Clark Realty; Kelley Wagner, CityWide Home Mortgage; Jill Pennamon, Georgia Power; Jay Patel, JMS Family Companies; Nancy McGill, Cartridge World, Lawrenceville; Quentin Moses, HealthMarkets; Roshan Nagendran, Comcast Business; Lucy Mejia, The Junkluggers of Atlanta Metro East; and Darryl Workman, Central Bank.
The Gwinnett Chamber Ambassadors Council announces its 2024-25 Cohort. As an extension of the Gwinnett Chamber staff, these members serve the local business community, volunteering their time and talent to engage, encourage, and expand professional relationships on behalf of the organization.
During their recent orientation, the Ambassador Cohort heard detailed information on their benefits, responsibilities, and commitment as Ambassadors. The event also provided an opportunity for networking among cohort members, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.
This year’s distinguished Ambassador Cohort members include:
- AJC Digital LLC: Andrew Clark
- American Family Protectors: Candy Hilliard
- Atlanta Landscape Group: Brett Russell
- Baker & Company Law Group: Ronald Baker
- BB Watkins Agency – State Farm: Bianca Watkins
- Beyond the Ribbon: Bobbie Menneg
- Brenau University: Beth Fleck
- Cartridge World Lawrenceville: Nancy McGill
- Central Bank: Darryl Workman
- Citywide Home Mortgage: Kelley Wagner
- Comcast Business: Roshan Nagendran
- Creative Enterprises: Melanie Hoit
- DLC CPAs: Brianna Dillard
- Empire Contracting LLC: Chad Gaffney
- Fraser Roofing, LLC: Jon Cook
- Georgia Banking Company: Jennifer Bridwell
- Georgia First Generation Foundation: Charbel Aoun
- Georgia Power: Jill Pennamon
- Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett: Greg Johnson
- HB Consulting Co: Heather Bellew
- HealthMarkets: Quentin Moses
- Home of Hope at Gw. Children’s Shelter: Maureen Kornowa
- JMS Family Companies: Jay Patel
- Junior Achievement of Georgia: Nelmaris Alvarez
- Lillies Boutique: Alicia Cole
- New York Life Insurance Company: Anitra Moodie
- PrintPro Graphics: Nick Monzer
- Rainbow Village: Brittany Lowe
- Reno M. Borgognoni, CPA, PC: Reno Borgognoni
- SESCO Lighting Inc: Chelsey Reynolds
- Seven Oaks Academy: Erica Gwyn
- Silverton Mortgage: Katrina Lucisano
- SMS-ITC LLC: Scott Self
- SPARC (Single Parent Alliance & Resource Center): Joy Monroe
- Spectrum Autism Support Group: Laura Vladick
- Synchronize Solutions: Rob Drake
- The Junkluggers of Atlanta Metro East: Lucy Mejia
- Walton Gas: Ashlie Franklin, and
- Worth Clark Realty: Shelby Crews
To learn more and connect with these exceptional business leaders, visit GwinnettChamber.org/Ambassadors-Council.
Always Believe in Love,compiled by Marian Murphy
From Susan J. Harris, Stone Mountain: Elizabeth Catez was born on July 18, 1880, in an army camp in Avour near Bourges, central France. She was the oldest of two daughters. Her desire to enter the Carmel of Dijon had to wait because of her mother’s reluctance to see her enter the convent. She entered the Order in 1901, receiving the name Elizabeth Marie of the Trinity. Diagnosed with Addison’s Disease in 1903, she accepted her suffering as an invitation from Christ to share the crucible of His Passion, which she did with grace and peace. She wrote numerous letters of encouragement to her friends, wrote poetry, and also wrote a treatise called the Last Retreat, the Praise of Joy. She was canonized in 2016 by Pope Francis. Elizabeth’s message to the world is to in the midst of the busyness of the world, to open ourselves to deep intimacy and union with the triune God. The full title is Always Believe in Love Selected Writings of Elizabeth of the Trinity.
- 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. Click here to send an email.
Nancy Miriam “Mimi” Swaim
Nancy Miriam “Mimi” Swaim, born on February 13, 1945, to Robert Lee Crouch and Miriam Elizabeth Gheesling Crouch, passed away peacefully on July 30, 2024 surrounded by her family after an extended illness. Growing up in Hogansville, Newnan, and Atlanta, Mimi graduated from Briarcliff High School. After high school she was attending Georgia State University, when she met the love of her life, James “Sonny” Swaim, a Georgia Tech football player. They married and spent 56 wonderful years together.
Swaim
After college, Mimi and Sonny moved to El Paso, Texas, where Sonny was stationed with the U.S. Army, forming many lifelong friendships. The couple eventually settled in Duluth, where Mimi dedicated herself to her family and community. She especially loved raising her family alongside the other mothers in Hermitage Plantation (AKA the Hermitage Hotties).
She was a member of the Duluth First United Methodist Church She was also involved in Girl Scouts, school sports activities, and neighborhood events. Mimi was an avid tennis player and golf duffer at the Atlanta Athletic Club where she was a member for 49 years. She owned and operated Gwinnett Greenery Company for 25 years, combining her love for plants and flowers with her business acumen. She had a particular disdain for plastic flowers, preferring only the beauty of the real thing.
Known for her humor, faith in God, creativity, leadership, generous spirit, sticking her finger in any potted plant she saw, quick wit, great cooking and love for others, Mimi was a devoted wife and mother to her whole family. Her zest for life was evident in her love of dressing up for laughs on Halloween or any other occasion she saw fit.
Mimi is survived by her husband, Sonny; her son, Terry (Heather) and their children, Samantha, Reilly, and Abigail; and her daughter, Courtney Trimble (Billy) and their children, Owen and Parker. She is also survived by her brother, Terry Crouch (Cheryl), her sisters Kay Wieder, Donna Jacobson (Mark), and many nieces and nephews all of which she dearly loved. She is preceded in death by her eldest son, Jay Driskell Swaim, and her parents. May Mimi’s spirit continue to guide us as we carry her memory in our hearts until we see her again.
Celebration of life services for Mimi was on August 5 at Duluth First United Methodist Church. Burial was privately at Duluth Cemetery.
If you wish to make a donation to make a donation in Mimi’s memory, go to https://www.gwinnettparksfoundation.org/ memo Mimi Swaim. Or you may want to remember her with a favorite plant or shrub or tree in your yard in her memory. (Wait until it cools down to plant it as Mimi would advise.)
Arrangements were entrusted to Crowell Brothers Funeral Homes and Crematory, 5051 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Peachtree Corners, Ga.
Youngblood’s books follow family themes
Shay Youngblood was a distinguished Georgia writer who followed Black roots and routes. Her novels, short stories, and plays explore themes of family and community, as well as topics such as history, ancestry, and sexual identity. Though she relocated often during her career, Youngblood’s spiritual connections remained deeply rooted in the South.
Youngblood was born in Columbus in 1959 and raised by a community of Black women elders following her mother’s death. These “big mamas,” to whom Youngblood dedicated much of her writing, equipped her with an emotional intelligence and bravery that she carried far from Georgia. Their influence is present in her work, too, reflected in characters that rely on the wisdom and assistance of elders to navigate life’s challenges.
Youngblood studied mass communications and participated in a service project in Haiti that led her to join the Peace Corps after graduating in 1981. A stint at Atlanta’s Charis Books & More, a prominent feminist bookstore, provided a foothold in the city’s literary scene, and Youngblood later credited the Charis community for providing her critical, early support. 1993 she earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Brown University.
Though her plays were staged in theaters across the country, Atlanta was undoubtedly the site of the greatest number of Youngblood productions. Between the 1988 and 2010 seasons, Atlanta’s Horizon Theatre was the venue for two different productions of Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery, as well as performances of Amazing Grace, Square Blues, and Talking Bones.
Youngblood’s first collection of short fiction, The Big Mama Stories (1989), is an intimate reflection on the community of African American women that shaped her.
Youngblood’s debut novel, Soul Kiss (1997), follows seven-year-old Mariah as she leaves her Kansas home to stay with family in Georgia and California while her mother undergoes treatment for drug abuse..
Eden, the main character of Youngblood’s second novel, Black Girl in Paris (2000), is another young woman in the process of self-discovery. In Flying Blind (2013), Youngblood again depicted travel as a means to self-understanding and personal fulfillment.
Youngblood’s fictive community cannot be distilled to one place or time: not the Columbus of her youth or the Paris of her literary imagination. Instead, she has constructed an expansive and limitless world for Black women to enter and thrive.
Youngblood died in June 2024 of ovarian cancer at the age of 64.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Many have seen this world-famous building
Look at those soaring arches on this world-famous building. But which one is it? Send your thoughts on this Mystery Photo to ebrack2@gmail.com, to include your home town.
Two members of the Daughters of the American Revolution were quick to identify the last mystery. Sara Burns of the William Day chapter in Duluth wrote: “The picture is of the fabulous DAR Library in Washington, D.C., and its 100+-year-old lay lights. Each of the 25 panels measures 9 feet 1 inch, by 8 feet 4 inches, and there are three different designs: One design around the perimeter, another in the 8 center panels, and a third in the very center panel. A complete restoration of the lay light ceiling was started in 2012 and is now complete.”
Sara Rawlins of the Philadelphia Winn chapter in Lawrenceville wrote: “The big giveaway, besides the ceiling itself, is the clock. The ceiling has been a restoration project of then President General Lynn Young. It is very impressive when you see it in person. It houses numerous volumes of research material for people wanting to look up their ancestors. It’s open to the public to visit in Washington, D.C. If you want to research your ancestors, there are people there to assist you in your search.”
Others making the identification were Stew Ogilvie, Lawrenceville; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex.
- 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: ebrack2@gmail.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Citizenship info session is Aug. 6 at Norcross Library
Snellville Commerce Club will meet on August 6 at noon at the Snellville City Hall. Speaker will be Laura Drake, director of the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry. Reservations are required. To reserve a spot, use this link.
Citizenship Information Session will be August 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Norcross branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Understand the requirements for citizenship and the naturalization process in our information session.
Seventh annual downtown Wine Walk will be August 8 in Braselton from 5 to 9 p.m. At each sipping station, businesses will welcome walkers with a wine sample paired perfectly with a fabulous food bite–some provided by Braselton’s finest restaurants. Sip, stroll, shop and enjoy! Tickets include a souvenir wine glass, punch card with map of locations, a wine tasting and food sample at each sipping station, plus a chance to win a Buy Local Braselton e-gift card.
Join Author Jeanie Chang for K-Dramas and Mental Health at the Suwanee Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library on August 10 at 10 a.m. Discover how Korean dramas can improve your well-being and provide a sense of belonging as therapist and author Jeanie Chang discusses her book, How K-Dramas Can Transform Your Life. Books will be available for sale and signing.
Saving the Chattahoochee: Film Screening and Talkback will be August 12 at 11 a.m. at the Lilburn Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Enjoy a free screening of the film, and a talk with director Hal Jacobs and riverkeeper Sally Bethea.
Open House at the Centerville OneStop to share your feedback on project recommendations and redevelopment ideas on Wednesday, August 14 from 3 to 7 p.m. Have a hand in shaping the future of Centerville. Get involved and learn more about the plan by visiting GwinnettCounty.com/CentervillePlan. OneStop Centerville is located at 3025 Bethany Church Road in Snellville.
Jazz in the alley will be Augusts 17 at 7:30 in Betty Mauldin Park in Norcross. Enjoy a night of smooth rhythms and vibrant melodies with top jazz artists. Headlining the event will be Teresa Kay Williams, followed by Tulani, a harpist known for her high energy performances.
GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday.
Meet our team
- Editor and publisher: Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
- Managing editor: Betsy Brack
- Roving photographer: Frank Sharp
- Contributing columnist: Jack Bernard
- Contributing columnist: George Wilson
More
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 1365, Norcross, Ga. 30091
- Work with us: If you would like to learn about how to be an underwriter to support the publication of GwinnettForum as a community resource for news and commentary, please contact us today.
Subscriptions to GwinnettForum are free.
- Click to subscribe.
- Unsubscribe. We hope you’ll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, go to this page and unsubscribe in the appropriate box.
- © 2024, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.
Follow Us