COLORFUL AUTOMOBILES and strolling viewers are on tap for the 18th annual British Car Fayre in Norcross on September 8, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Over 400 vehicles will be represented. It’s free to the public, as well as having free parking and free shuttle service. There’s also a car boot sale during the show. For more information, go to http://atlantabritishcarfayre.com/.
IN THIS EDITIONTODAY’S FOCUS: Holtkamp Is New Chairman of Gwinnett Tech Foundation
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Initiation in Frenzied Friday Night Sports Coverage Was Exciting
ANOTHER VIEW: I Had to Go To Appomattox To Look through Wilmer McLean’s Eyes
SPOTLIGHT: Gateway 85 Gwinnett
UPCOMING: 9/11 Ceremony in Duluth Has Emergency Worker Presenting Flag
NOTABLE: Second Mojitos Restaurant Now Open in Peachtree Corners
RECOMMENDED: The Other Woman by Daniel Silva
GEORGIA TIDBIT: At Turn of 20th Century, Bruce and Morgan Were Top Architects
MYSTERY PHOTO: Few Clues To Help Identify This Edition’s Mystery Photo
CALENDAR: Two Author Visits to Gwinnett on Tap Soon
TODAY’S FOCUSHoltkamp is new chairman of Gwinnett Tech Foundation
By Gordon McMahan
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Matthew Holtkamp of Buford was recently named chairman of the Gwinnett Technical Foundation Board of Trustees. He is the president of Holtkamp Heating and Air Conditioning of Suwanee.
Holtkamp
A native of Fort Madison, Iowa, he is the proud product of a technical education program. Matthew, 52, has an affinity for the valuable education that technical colleges provide. Rather than investing in four years of traditional college and a bachelor’s degree, Matthew encourages local families to consider technical education programs like Gwinnett Tech that offer real-world skills and trades that are immediately applicable in local, high-paying jobs.
He says: “I’ve enjoyed serving on the Gwinnett Tech Foundation Board of Trustees since 2015. Now that I’m serving as chairman, I look forward to emphasize our efforts in giving students in all the 140+ degree programs an opportunity for experiential learning in actual workplace environments.
“The college’s Launch Pointe program is a one-stop-shop for career development and workplace internships and apprenticeships. We are proactively growing our relationships with both large and small businesses throughout Gwinnett to increase the impact of this program.”
Holtkamp also points out: “Thanks to the expansion of the HOPE Career Grant to all areas of technical education, students with good grades in high school are now afforded the opportunity to attend schools like Gwinnett Tech tuition-free. Rather than saddling themselves with debt from a four-year school, the next generation of students are embracing technical college.”
Because of this career grant expansion, the Holtkamp HVAC Scholarship will now fund books, tools and other items instead of tuition. When students graduate with little or no debt while possessing many valuable skills, they will be ready to contribute to our community and join the local workforce right away.
The jobs for which Gwinnett Tech trains students are high-paying, career-building opportunities that will lead graduates to success, as shown by an impressive 99 percent job placement rate for graduates.
After receiving his technical degree from Indian Hills Community College (Ottumwa, Iowa) in 1985, Matthew moved to Georgia and began what would become a lifelong passion for helping people and making them comfortable. After working for Atlanta’s three largest air conditioning contractors over a 10 year period, Matthew opened his own company in Buford, in 1996.
Under Matthew’s leadership, his company became the first HVAC firm in Georgia compliant with the new ANSI/ACCA 5 QI-2007 Quality Installation Specification, a first-ever tool in the HVAC industry which defines a proper installation and helps homeowners compare HVAC companies in making an educated decision.
Matthew is past president of MAACA (Metro Atlanta Air Conditioning Association) and is past Legislative Committee Chairman. He also serves as Chairman of the Gwinnett Tech Foundation Board of Trustees and serves on the Board of Directors for CAAG (the Conditioned Air Association of Georgia). Matthew was a 2017 graduate of Leadership Gwinnett and is also a member of Rotary Club of Gwinnett County.
Suzanne Holtkamp is vice president of Marketing and Operations at the air conditioning company. After receiving her B.S. in Finance from Virginia Tech in 1990, Suzanne moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in advertising. She was in account services for Austin Kelley Advertising and Fahlgren Martin, working on accounts such as Doral Hotels and Resorts, Honda Power Equipment, Nicklaus Golf, and ATP Tour (Men’s professional tennis tour).
She currently volunteers at the Aurora Theatre, where she is an assistant designer for many shows, including camp shows. She also consults with staff on costumes for the various shows.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Initiation in frenzied Friday night sports coverage was exciting
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
SEPT. 4, 2018 | It was an exciting time for a young cub reporter.
On that first football Friday of the season, the entire staff of reporters at The Macon Telegraph were reminded to finish their news stories at least by 10 p.m., an hour earlier than the normal deadline.
For about that time, the telephones started ringing one after the other, as reports from all over South Georgia came in about local high school games. Everyone was involved, from management on down to this young cub, taking details over the phone from one source, then another, and in between calls knocking o 3-4-5 paragraphs about that particular game.
While most newsrooms in those days had the incessant clatter of manual typewriters, seldom were they all as busy as during those Friday nights. It was a frenzied time. You could barely make out what the caller on the other end of the phone was saying above the hubbub of the newsroom.
Every now and then these regular reporters, who were not up on local sports personalities, or even lingo, would shout out: “Who is the football coach at Vienna?” Or: “What’s the nickname of the Dublin team?”
You see, The Macon Telegraph’s extended geographic coverage was Middle and South Georgia, from Forsyth in the north, to Eatonton, Hazlehurst, Tifton, Fitzgerald, Perry, Roberta and others. The Telegraph was the principal newspaper of that area. The newspaper each night had a “state edition,” with stories from those areas sent out in an edition that had an 11 p.m. deadline. The local edition deadline was 12:30 p.m. My first day on the job in 1957 was something of a surprise.
That summer I had been a reporter on the afternoon Macon News. When I came into the Telegraph office that first day at 4 p.m., to work on the morning paper, the managing editor simply handed me correspondence, saying, “You put out the state page today.” Though unbeknownst to him, I had never edited a state page; somehow, I got through that period, stumbling around. (Lookee, lookee, still doing it today in the GwinnettForum.)
What brought all this up is the changes that the internet has brought to reporting, in particular, sports reporting. Today both the Macon and Columbus newspapers are owned by McClatchy, Inc. out of California. The firm recently announced that they would eliminate their local sports departments entirely. (We presume they will use only wire-service news of a non-local basis.)
Those of us in Atlanta see a drop off in sports coverage in general, but most especially at the high school level. Every now and then there is a bright spot. One such spot is the way that the Gwinnett Daily Post covers high school sports at an exhilarating level. They really go about it. Gwinnett should be proud of such coverage!
Curtailing the space for reporting sports hurts newspapers, but they really harm the high school sports teams. Yes, the teams will continue to play; and yes, somehow, someone will report the sports scores. But you will no longer have an entire geographic area keeping up with each other’s sports teams throughout the years.
That early initiation to Friday night sports coverage was both intimidating and exciting. Perhaps it’s going on some place else for someone. It was a time like no other.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
I had to go to Appomattox to look through Wilmer McLean’s eyes
By Debra Houston, contributing columnist
LILBURN, Ga. | On an unending two-lane, I asked Eddie where we were headed. When he’s behind the wheel, you never know. I traded the beach for an historical vacation with Richmond, Virginia, our staging ground.
“You wanted to go to Appomattox, right?”
“Yes.” I had to go.
Later — “You don’t get excited about the Civil War, do you?”
“It saddens me,” I said. “I think about all those dead boys. They fought a rich man’s war. My great-grandfathers were dirt farmers, not slave owners.”
Absent my ancestors’ voices, I can only guess why they fought. Some people justified slavery through scripture. The Bible instructs the Israelites to show compassion for their slaves, but God also reminds them “once you were slaves in Egypt.”
Civilization disappeared on that two-lane. We passed a house here and another way down there. A sign rose up to greet us:
“Welcome to Appomattox County, where our nation reunited.” Those words stirred my heart.
McLean house
We arrived and climbed the steps to the Welcome Center. We then walked the short distance to Wilmer McLean’s house.
Understand that in 1861, McLean, a businessman, lived in Manassas, the site of the first battle of the Civil War (notwithstanding the firing at Fort Sumter). His house became Confederate headquarters and a target, as a cannonball the Union lobbed down the fireplace attested.
He survived but left Manassas for a quieter life in a village called Appomattox Court House. What lousy luck; this time his home became troop headquarters for the Union. And it was there, after another bloodbath, General Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops to General Ulysses S. Grant.
Inside the house.
On April 9, 1865, in McLean’s living room, Grant wrote the terms of surrender with Lee seated nearby. According to Grant’s autobiography, he had no idea what the first word should be.
I visualized the dead and dying on what now are empty fields and the survivors waiting for official word the war was over. Grant heard that his troops were gloating in front of the Confederates and sent word for them to stop.
I had to go to Appomattox to look through Wilmer McLean’s eyes. For the 620,000 casualties of the war, I had to see where it ended.
Heading back to Richmond, we met a Mennonite couple in a horse and buggy. I envied them because they follow the Bible and live in peace.
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UPCOMING9/11 ceremony in Duluth has emergency worker presenting flag
Dream Keepers with the flag.
On the eve of the unveiling of the Dream Keepers in April of 2017, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey representative Moises Gomez authorized a flag to be flown over Ground Zero in honor of Duluth’s 9/11 artwork dedication. Later in the summer, Mr. Gomez presented this flag to Duluth’s first responders and shared his experiences from the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
His message of the community spirit that lead in the cleanup and restoration was riveting, inspiring, and empowering. As a 30-year member of the NY and NJ Port Authority, Mr. Gomez is a member of the Emergency Service Unit stationed at the George Washington Bridge.
Mr. Gomez’s message of remembrance for responding to both terrorist attacks on our nation’s soil in 1993 and 2001, has reached over 27 states, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, New Zealand and Australia.
On 9/11, 2018 at 6 p.m. on Duluth’s Town Green, Kathy Fincher will share the story of her artwork, “The Dream Keepers,” followed by Mr. Gomez fulfilling his promise to return and share this message of “Remembrance” with the families of Duluth at the Red Clay Theatre at 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome.
As etched in the glass of The Dream Keepers 9/11 Memorial:
“May God Bless our children’s hands and hearts as keepers of the ‘American Dream.’ ”
Three fall prevention workshops scheduled during September
Every year in Gwinnett County, there are over 3,400 visits to the Emergency Room by residents age 55 and older because of falls. This results in about two Emergency Room visits per hour, and the cost just in terms of Medicare is staggering. Serious falls are NOT an inevitable part of aging. Learn how to protect yourself.
Presented by the Gwinnett County Public Library, in partnership with Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services, Georgia Department of Public Health, and Gwinnett County, this workshop is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested by emailing events@gwinnettpl.org.
- For more information, call 770-978-5154.
Three dates, times, and places are available:
- Wednesday, September 5 at 1 p.m. at Bethesda Senior Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville;
- Tuesday, September 18 10 a.m. at Centerville Senior Center, 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville; and
- Tuesday, September 25 at 11 a.m. at Norcross Senior Center, 5030 Georgia Belle Court, Norcross.
Second Mojitos restaurant now open in Peachtree Corners
A decade ago Peachtree Corners residents Luis and Yanin Fernandez opened Mojitos, a Cuban-American restaurant in downtown Norcross. The eatery was so successful, the couple decided it was time to expand and chose space in The Forum in Peachtree Corners for their second Mojitos. This new restaurant has already become a popular spot to savor Cuban-inspired dishes and take in the sounds of local musicians every night.
There is seating for 200 inside and an additional 30 on its outdoor patio. Along with an extensive menu, guests are treated to live music seven days a week. “We have a musician every evening, and on the weekends a big band plays Cuban and American tunes,” said Mojitos’ owner, Luis Fernandez.
There are both lunch and dinner menus. There is also a wide selection of appetizers, salads, soups and desserts including the Guava Cheesecake, a popular choice among diners.
Peachtree Corners Mayor Mike Mason says: “We are very pleased to welcome Mojitos to Peachtree Corners. The Fernandez’s new restaurant has already become a popular dining location in our city.”
The new Mojitos is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and is located at 5161 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 630, Peachtree Corners. Hours of operation: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
New class of 26 physician assistants at Ga-PCOM get white coats
Twenty-six members of the Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) physician assistant (PA) studies class of 2020 received their white coats on August 23, at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth.
Prior to the ceremony, PA student Saniya Ahmed says: “It’s our day now. It’s a privilege to be a part of this amazing program.”
The traditional event, attended by family, friends and faculty members, is an opportunity for first year PA students to publicly declare their intention to practice medicine. The PA students each received their white coats, which symbolize many critical aspects of students’ medical education.
Alanna Viken, PA-C, a member of GA-PCOM’s first PA graduating class of 2018, addressed the students. “The people you’re sitting next to are going to help you get through times when you know you rocked an exam, the stressful times, and the times when you doubt yourself the most. I encourage you to learn from each other every single day, boost each other’s morale, and be a good colleague and friend.”
During her time in PA school, she said, “I’ve gained confidence in my abilities and knowledge, learned to function under stress, met some amazing doctors, NPs, PAs, and nurses along the way. I’ve learned right from wrong and that you can go far with a smile, a firm handshake, kindness and hard work. With all of the stress and craziness, PA school is worth it. Keep in mind, the clock is ticking and you have two years to get to the finish line.”
The students heard from Ronald Sanders III, PA-C, an emergency medicine provider at DeKalb Medical Center, where he serves as a preceptor for both GA-PCOM and Emory University PA students. He described his love for every aspect of the profession and advised the students to one day give back to the PA profession by precepting a student.
Laura Levy, DHSc, PS-C, program director and chairperson of the physician assistant studies program advised the students on what to keep in the pockets of their new white coats. Aside from necessary supplies like a reflex hammer, measuring tape, penlight, tongue blades and cell phone, she noted that the heaviest, but most important items to keep in their pockets are courage, endurance, humility and kindness.
“Please try and remember that while illness and death may become familiar to you, it is not to those who know and love your patient.”
Members of the class include Saniya Ahmed, Snellville; James Allen, Gainesville; Nathan Ambrose, Byron, Minn.; Kenneth Anderson, Magnolia, Del.; Emily Andreano, Cumming; Stephanie Arkin, Kennesaw; Cara Blenke, Suwanee; Sara Brewer, Lawrenceville; Nicholas Caputo, Acworth; Kimberly Carroll, Chicago, Ill.; Shannon Dieffenderfer, Dawsonville; Julia Evanofski, Wilkes-Barre, Penn.; Linh Ngan, Orlando, Fla.
Stephanie Nguyen, Charlotte, N.C.; Yeimi Ortiz-Chavez, Cedartown; Annabeth Pruett, Colbert; Lyndsey Rodabaugh, Springfield, Mo.; Carolynn Saba, Walpole, Mass,; Ashlyn Smith, Griffin; Lauren Tanna, Sandusky, Ohio; Skyler Tuholski, Sugar Hill; Bobbi Webb, Mansfield, Ohiio; Brad Westerbeck, Folkston; Rachel Westerbeck, Tabor City, N,C.; Amber Wobma, Rockford, Minn,; and Abigail Zora, Brush Prairie, Wash.
Snellville is now officially a Purple Heart City
Snellville is now a Purple Heart City. A proclamation officially designating the city as one which pays tribute to the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal was read at a recent meeting. Nine Purple Heart Medal recipients were at the council meeting and recognized for their service, including Matthew Bridges, National Purple Heart Legacy and Trail coordinator. Purple Heart Medal recipients gathered in front of the Purple Heart parking spot sign at City Hall. From left are Lester Erving, James Gordon, Matthew Bridges, Bill Jones, Stan Mauldin, Don Bullard, John Hawes, Lou Zayas and Jerry Hughes.
RECOMMENDEDThe Other Woman by Daniel Silva
Reviewed by Tim Anderson, Fitzgerald | Daniel Silva is arguably in the pantheon of writers of international intrigue. In this his 21st novel, he continues the saga of his iconic Gabriel Allon. Now the head of Israeli intelligence, Allon is at heart what he has always been — a deadly assassin and defender of the Jewish people. Silva crafts a Vladimir Putin-like character called the Tsar, and he clearly dislikes all things Russian. Russians are the pinnacle of evil in Silva novels. This book is as suspenseful as they get, as Silva sends Allon in search of a mole buried deep in the intelligence community, using the real life story of 1960s British traitor Kim Philby as part of his story vehicle. As with all Silva novels, put your life on hold, setting time aside for nothing else. He’s that good.”
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
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBITAt turn of 20th century, Bruce and Morgan were top architects
Alexander Bruce (1835-1927) and Thomas Henry Morgan (1857-1940) formed the successor firm to the highly successful Parkins and Bruce architectural firm in Atlanta in 1882. Much like its predecessor, Bruce and Morgan (1882-1904) was the most successful architectural business in Georgia. Its multistate practice was based, in part, on a new concept of specialization. The two partners also led the way in promoting professionalization in their field.
Although the firm designed all types of structures from a small “baby” cottage at the Methodist Orphanage in Decatur (1899) to the massive Queen Anne style Wigwam Hotel in Indian Springs (1890), it specialized in large civic or education buildings in its early years.
An early advertisement for the firm stated, “We make a specialty of planning Court-Houses, Colleges, Churches, Opera Houses, Libraries, and all public buildings.” Most of these were picturesque in nature, often combining elements of the Romanesque revival, Queen Anne, Second Empire, and even Gothic revival. The 1883 Walton County Courthouse, for example, has a Second Empire Mansard roof, Italianate style eaves and brackets, Romanesque arches, Eastlake turned posts on a one-story porch, and an almost classical symmetry.
A second area of specialization was the design of public schools and colleges across several southern states. These were usually symmetrical in plan with great bell towers, terra-cotta decorations, and an array of Romanesque arches. Excellent examples are the Administration Building for the Georgia Institute of Technology (1888) in Atlanta and the main building for Agnes Scott College (1889) in Decatur.
After 1895, however, Morgan led the way as a noted designer of steel-frame skyscrapers,
especially in Atlanta. As one writer commented, “Atlanta is largely an office building city, and it was [Thomas Henry] Morgan who shaped its character.” Notable skyscrapers by the firm before Bruce’s retirement in 1904 were the Grant Building (1898), W. W. Austell Building (1898), Century Building (1902), and Fourth National Bank Building (1904).
Morgan continued as a major regional architect, with other partners, until 1930.
Finally, both Alexander Bruce (one of the first fellows of the American Institute of Architects to practice in Georgia) and Thomas Henry Morgan played a major role in the early efforts to professionalize architecture in Georgia. Both served as president of the ill-fated Southern Chapter of the AIA (established 1891), and Morgan later became the first president of the 1906 Atlanta Chapter. For several years, Morgan also served as editor of the Atlanta-based Southern Architect, a champion of architectural professionalization in the state and region.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Few clues to help identify this edition’s Mystery Photo
There’s not a lot to go on in identifying this edition’s Mystery Photo. But there is the sea, the stone walls, the waves, etc. Take a crack at it, and send your answers to elliott@brack.net, including your hometown.
During the past week, we suspect some of our emails were lost, since we got only one response to the Mystery Photo.
Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill wrote: “I’m pretty, pretty sure it’s the Winshape Retreat at Berry College and I think it’s the Normandy Inn, part of the retreat. “ She was right.
We’ll admit to trying to sneak this photo through, since it resembled a half-timbered house in Germany, and with a recent trip to Germany some might have thought that route. But nope, right here in Georgia, something started at Berry by the founder of Chick-fil-A, Truett Cathy.
CALENDARAUTHOR VISIT: Georgia-born, French-trained chef Virginia Willis is one of the most well respected authorities on Southern cooking. Join Gwinnett County Public Library and meet Willis on Friday, September 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center, 10 College Street, Norcross. This is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information, call 770-978-5154.
AUTHOR VISIT: Meet the author of Dewey, Bret Witter, on Saturday, September 8 at 11a.m at Gwinnett County Public Library’s Suwanee Branch, 361 Main Street, Suwanee. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, has sold over 1.2 million copies. The Friends of the Library will sponsor a silent auction of children’s baskets. Free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information, call 770-978-5154.
BACKYARD BIRD FEEDING BASICS: Visit the Southern Wings Bird Club at its meeting Monday, September 10 at 7 p.m. in Room C of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. This will be presented by Linda May, DNR, Environmental Outreach Coordinator, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Resources Division.
CANDIDATE FORUM on Monday, September 17 at 7 p.m. at the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association at the Peachtree Corners City Hall, 310 Technology Parkway. Meet candidates for the 7th District Congress; Georgia Senate Districts 40 and 41; Gwinnett House District 95; and Gwinnett Commission District 2. Jim Blum will be the moderator.
FARMERS MARKET extension in Snellville. The Market will remain open the first Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. until 12 in the parking lot behind City Hall from October through May, 2019.The market is currently open each Saturday through September from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
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