7/20, full issue: Georgia’s under-appreciated treasure; Vote on Tuesday

EVER SEEN THIS?  Above is a shot of today’s Mystery Photo.  It may be more difficult than usual, but take a look at the two flags that may signal something special.  Figure out where and what this photo represents and send your answer to elliott@brack.net.  And please include the name of the town you live in.

EDITOR’S NOTE:  The next edition of Gwinnett Forum will appear on Tuesday, July 31. –eeb

TODAY’S FOCUS: Georgia State University Is State’ Under-Appreciated Treasure

EEB PERSPECTIVE: May Gwinnettians Have Big Turnout in the Runoff Election on Tuesday

SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett County Public Library

FEEDBACK: Takes Issue with Wilson Statement about New York Winner

RECOMMENDED:  The Little Paris Bookshop, by Nina George

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Influential Savannah Editor Has Great Influence on State Politics

MYSTERY PHOTO: Two Flags Could Give Some Clue about Today’s Mystery Photo

CALENDAR: Workshop, ribbon-cutting, more

Georgia State University is state’s under-appreciated treasure

By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga.  |  We hear a lot about the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, but not much about the university of higher learning in the state: Georgia State University (GSU). This university has not been given nearly enough credit by my fellow Georgians for its positive impact on the business and social/racial atmosphere in the greater Atlanta area.

Frankly, most Georgians do not know the history of Georgia State and how it has evolved. Here is a brief synopsis:

• GSU began in 1914 as the Evening School of Commerce, downtown, as part of Georgia Tech.
• In 1915, seven people graduated; they were all working full-time, a GSU hallmark even now.
• The Evening School grew, became accredited in 1952 and was renamed the Georgia State College of Business Administration in 1955.
• It became Georgia State College in 1962 and Georgia State University in 1969.
• Over the years, GSU has become synonymous with the rise of Atlanta as a progressive city and an international center for business. GSU now:
• Has a $2.5 billion annual economic impact on the Metro Atlanta area.
• Consists of 51,000 students (after a 2016 merger with Georgia Perimeter College).
• It is ranked Number 4 in innovation and  Number 8 in undergrad teaching by   US News and World Report.
• Graduates more minority graduates than any other college or university, according to The New York Times.
• GSU has become a major force for the redevelopment of downtown Atlanta, countering the move by many businesses to the suburbs.
• Has 60 percent of the student body coming from low-income families or minority families, providing upward mobility for the area.
• Provides over 250 majors for students to choose from, more than any University in the state.
• Has areas of emphasis include business, education, health professions, stem, humanities, social science and law.

GSU became more widespread known by beginning a football program in 2010, and currently competes at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The team plays its games at Georgia State Stadium, previously known as Turner Field.

One of the reasons the GSU basketball Panthers became more well known was with the hiring of Charles “Lefty” Driesell in 1997. Its basketball court is named for Driesell. More recently, Coach Ron Hunter took the team to the NCAA tournament for the first time. A new basketball arena, seating 8,000, adjacent to Georgia State Stadium, expected to be completed in 2021, will house GSU basketball games and commencement ceremonies, as well as concerts, and conferences.  The 200,000 square foot facility is expected to cost approximately $80 million.

Let me be upright here and say that I have two degrees from GSU, obtained over a period of 10 years, from 1967 to 1976. Like many, I attended at night, working to support my wife and three young children. I would never have been able to be a highly successful business executive without GSU.

For many years, I had season tickets to GSU basketball and football. What impressed me most was that the audience was very diverse with people of all races and nationalities. And, they all got along famously… true brothers and sisters cheering on the home team. In that way, GSU is a model for what America can become, rather than what it is at present.

• Have a comment? Send to:  elliott@brack.net

May Gwinnettians have big turnout in the runoff election on Tuesday

By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum

JULY 20, 2018  |  Next Tuesday, July 24, Gwinnett and Georgia voters will return to the polls for runoff primaries of the two major political parties and in non-partisan races. Runoffs are required under current voting rules when no candidate wins 50 percent of the vote, plus one, that is, a majority of the votes cast.

We urge Gwinnett residents, if you have not early voted, to return to the polls on Tuesday and select your candidate in the runoff.  Here’s why.

If results from previous runoff voting are any indication, Georgia will see an abysmal turnout. Perhaps no more than 10 per cent of the 500,000 registered voters in Gwinnett will go to the polls. The total voting could even be less than 10 per cent.

Let’s examine what a turnout of even as much as 10 per cent would mean. Mainly, it would show that by gathering five per cent of the total number of people eligible to votes in Gwinnett in a particular race, a candidate would win this runoff and be the party’s nominee in the November General Election. Yes, a small majority would send that candidate forward.

Look it another way. While the county has 900,000 or so residents, with as many as 500,000 registered to vote, if only 50,000 voted, a candidate could win the election by gaining 25,000 voters, just five percent of those registered. That means a super minority of people would send that candidate into the primary.

Such a poor voting turnout is not the type of elections that our Founding Fathers anticipated. Such apathy at the polling place speaks badly of democracy.

Remember, this is a runoff that picks a party nominee for the General Election. However, in one race, that determines a Gwinnett Superior Court, whoever runs this becomes elected, and will take office in January. (Why the Georgia Legislature provides judges to be elected on the days that the political parties pick nominees is anyone’s guess. It’s not right, and is one of GwinnettForum’s Continuing Objectives to improve our state by selecting judges at the time of the General Election, when most people vote.)

So, the upshot is that if you have not yet voted, please do so.

Now we reiterate our runoff endorsements, first printed in the July 3 edition, for the Tuesday runoff:

Republicans

Governor: GwinnettForum did not make recommendations in this race, since by design we have not spent 30 minutes with these candidates. We figure voters know more about this race than any other, and have made up their minds.

Lieutenant Governor: State Senator David Shafer.

Secretary of State: Brad Raffensperger

State House District: 97: Kipper Tabb

State House District 102: Paula Hastings

State House District 105: Donna Sheldon

Democrats

U.S. Congress, District 7: Carolyn Bourdeaux

State School Superintendent: Otha E. Thornton Jr.

Nonpartisan election

For Judge of Superior Court: Tracey Mason

LET US EMPHASIZE once more: if you are registered to vote in Gwinnett or any other county in Georgia, and have not voted yet, go to the polls on Tuesday, and do your part for democracy in participating in our state’s run off primaries.

Of course, if you have early voted already … one time is enough.

• Have a comment? Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Gwinnett County Public Library

The award winning Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) system was formed in 1996 after the dissolution of the Gwinnett-Forsyth Regional Library. For more than 20 years, GCPL has provided resources and services that enrich and inspire our community. The Library has 15 branches that offer free access to computers and Wi-Fi, classes, materials, and programming for people of all ages. In 2016, more than five million items were checked out at GCPL, more than any other library system in Georgia. GCPL was recognized as a Top Workplace by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution in 2017 and 2018.

• For more information about Gwinnett County Public Library programs and services, visit gwinnettpl.org.
• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.

Takes issue with Wilson statement about New York winner

Editor, the Forum:

This is about the excitement of George Wilson on the election of Ocasio-Cortez who ran for office in New York.

Unfortunately, Mr. Wilson did not vet her very well as a representative for “social justice.”  She represented herself as just a poor girl from the Bronx who remembers 40 minute commutes on the bus to a better public school system in Yorktown, N.Y. and a mother who had to clean toilets for a living.  She will fit in well with the “swamp” of provocateurs and liars.

In reality, her father, an acclaimed architect, moved his family from the Bronx to a wealthy Yorktown suburb when she was five years old.  It was not her mother who cleaned toilets, but her grandmother who was a housekeeper in Puerto Rico.  It sounds like capitalism did all right by that family.

More lies?  She has stated that ICE (who has been accused of ripping babies from mothers’ arms) is required to keep 34, 000 beds filled every night with detainees.  In reality, ICE is simply required to maintain 34,000 beds to be available.

She is appealing to many because they think the world is unfair and she would love to take the money from people who are earning it and give it to those who won’t earn it.  And many anti-Trump people, along with Mr. Wilson, are all too anxious to believe her.

— Roberta Cromlish, Stone Mountain

Raises International Questions, Then Gets Very Local

Editor, the Forum:

There are raging dogs clawing at the imaginary barrier between the media and Trump.  Well, he walked by and rattled their cages without a meal.  My life has little change, but the political theater is intense, still determining exactly what Russia did or didn’t do.  What we are supposed to believe? What effect has it? How can we create an insulated election system? What are the retaliations for cybersecurity attacks between countries? And what am I having for dinner?

— Byron Gilbert, Duluth

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.  We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length.  Send feedback and letters to:    elliott@brack.net

The Little Paris Bookshop, by Nina George

Reviewed by Billy Chism, Toccoa:  Every now and then, you read a novel you know you will want to reread years later.  Why? Because it deals with the great themes… love, friendship and life itself.  This is such a book. Set in Paris, the 370-page novel is about a 50-year-old French bookstore owner who believes in the power of books, and feels each individual needs a certain book at a certain time in his or her life. The bookstore owner even refuses to sell a best-seller to one of his customers because he believes it would be bad for her. The action moves from Paris to a boat trip down the Seine River on a beat-up barge – a floating bookstore, really – headed toward the Mediterranean. This book should be read slowly, to allow the reader to savor every sentence and enjoy getting to know the wonderful characters.

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.  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Influential Savannah editor has great influence on state politics

(Continued from previous edition)

Major Jones’s Courtship is one of the earliest examples in American literature of a fictional narrative written completely in dialect from the down-to-earth narrator’s point of view. This was an approach later used by other writers, including Mark Twain in his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The circus scene in Twain’s book was apparently inspired by Great Attraction! or The Doctor Most Oudaciously Tuck In: A Sketch from Real Life, which Thompson included in Chronicles of Pineville, a volume that portrays a small antebellum Georgia community.

Thompson

In the sketches composing the book, William Tappan Thompson presents eccentric characters and comic situations, along with descriptions of dueling, fire-hunting, drinking, pranks, and clever legal maneuvering. He wrote in the preface that he had attempted to portray the American backwoodsman, “to catch his ‘manners living as they rise,'” before the effects of education and progress caused him to disappear.

Major Jones’s Sketches of Travel, originally published as humorous letters in the Western Continent, describes the Major’s adventures on a tour from Georgia to the North and Canada. His naivete as a rustic in the big city is the source of much of the book’s humor, but the Major’s comments on slavery give the volume a serious undertone reflecting the growing controversy between the South and the North.

In 1850 Thompson became the founding editor of the Savannah Daily Morning News. Except for a short period during the Civil War, he edited this newspaper until his death. When the Civil War erupted, he vigorously championed the Southern cause until he was forced to leave Savannah as General Sherman’s army approached. For a while after the war, the Daily Morning News was owned and edited by a Northern journalist under whom Thompson worked.

Thompson traveled to Europe in 1867 to collect material for a new book, Major Jones in Europe, but he never finished the manuscript. In 1868 he resumed the editorial chair of the newspaper, now known as the Savannah Morning News, and became a leading spokesman for the South during the postwar years. Joel Chandler Harris worked for the paper during the 1870s before accepting a position with the Atlanta Constitution. Thompson served as a mentor for Harris as Longstreet had for him many years earlier.

During the last years of his life, Thompson had a significant influence on Georgia politics. He vigorously supported conservative Democratic principles in his editorials for the Savannah Morning News. His loyalty to such political figures as John B. Gordon and Alfred Holt Colquitt sometimes resembled blind devotion, but he regarded himself as a defender of Democratic Party unity against the schemes of the Radical Republicans. Although he made some enemies with his outspoken editorials, few people doubted his integrity or sincerity. He died on March 24, 1882, at his home in Savannah. His daughter prepared an appropriate memorial by gathering some of his uncollected writings and publishing them in 1883 as John’s Alive; or, The Bride of a Ghost.

• To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Two flags could give some clue about today’s Mystery Photo

Today’s Mystery Photo may prove difficult to some readers. There are few clues looking at you, though two flags may signal something special. Figure out where and what this photo represents and send your answer to elliott@brack.net. However, with the next edition being July 31, you have more than a week to get your answer in.

That Bronze Statue Had Several of You Confused!

Dear Readers: several of you recognized the statue of Pat Summitt, the late former University of Tennessee basketball, which is located in Knoxville. Frank Sharp of Lawrenceville sent in the photo. Unfortunately, a problem caused several of your answers to be “eaten by the computer.”  We apologize for losing your answers.

However, we saved one answer, from V. Lee Thompson Jr. of Lawrenceville. He said: “The mystery photo in the July 17 edition of the Gwinnett Forum appears to be the statue of Pat Summitt located near the basketball complex on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.  I enjoy reading the Gwinnett Forum.  Thank you for your efforts.”

MANUSCRIPT WORKSHOP, Saturday, July 21 at 1 p.m. at the Lilburn Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library. In partnership with the Atlanta Writers Club, the Library will host Emily Murdock Baker for this Writers’ Workshop. Writing a query letter has been known to strike fear into the heart of even an experienced writer. Emily Murdock Baker will decode the querying process and provide a special focus on choosing the correct comp (comparative/competitive titles) for your manuscript.  She will discuss best practices for querying, deciding which agencies to query, understanding guidelines, how to write your query letter, and more. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

RIBBON CUTTING for the newest addition to the Eastside Medical Group, the Neurosurgery Atlanta group.  This will be on July 25 from 4 to 6 p.m. Attendees will get to meet Dr. Michael Stechison, a practicing physician for 30 years, who is Eastside’s medical director for neurosciences. Visit the event at 1700 Tree Lane, Suite 470, Snellville.

Business Breakfast of Georgia Association of Latino Elected officials, July 26 at 8 a.m. at the LACC office, 4120 Presidential Parkway, Atlanta. Speaker will be Jerry Gonzalez, executive director, with the topic “The Latino Vote in Georgia.” To register, go to http://www.laccgeorgia.org/events/details/business-breakfast-the-latino-vote-in-georgia-80.

Free Photography Workshop at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center, 2020 Clean Water Drive in Buford on July 28 from 1 to 3 p.m.. Join the Georgia Nature Photographers Association for this informal talk and Q&A photography workshop.  They will provide information about cameras, editing software, and tips for getting better photographs with the equipment you already have.

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Meet our team

• Editor and publisher:  Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
• Managing editor: Betsy Brack
• Roving photographer: Frank Sharp
• Contributing cartoonist: Bill McLemore
• Contributing columnist: Jack Bernard
• Contributing columnist: Debra Houston
• Contributing columnist: George Wilson

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