Articles by: Elliott Brack
BRACK: Remembering who runs the U.S. Senate: The “Grandees”
By Elliott Brack | The United States Senate is a marvelous and imposing palace of government, run by what one person calls the “grandees ,” almost mostly men who have been in power for years.
We lost another gentle Southerner, a “grandee” himself, the other day, as Ernest “Fritz” Hollings of South Carolina passed away at age 97. A former governor who had the level-headed insistence that South Carolina integrate its colleges without incident, he went on to serve 38 years in the Senate.
BRACK: Remembering my many good discussions with Steve Rausch
By Elliott Brack | Another close friend of mine has died, Steve Rausch, 67, of Peachtree Corners. Services for him were Monday at Perimeter Church.
Steve was also a close critic. We enjoyed each other’s company principally through our different philosophies. Yet we both reveled in talking the issues, and recognized that we agreed that we disagreed. There was no acrimony there, just straight-forward differences.
BRACK: Lawrenceville resident pens book of conversations with the Father
By Elliott Brack | When it’s your habit to rise every morning, and write down your thoughts, first saying, “Good morning, Father,” you eventually might decide to compile these thoughts together. That’s what Jeannie Barge LaBarbera of Lawrenceville has done recently, getting a book published with that title, Good Morning, Father.
BRACK: Rural broadband shows another way that there are two Georgias
By Elliott Brack | Back in the 70s, Gov. Joe Frank Harris’ claiming that there were “two Georgias” astounded some for a while. Then people began realizing that indeed, Atlanta was different, and had far more opportunities, than communities in other parts of the state. Joe Frank’s idea was basically an economic one. Yet today we have a far greater problem for the rural areas of Georgia: broadband access.
BRACK: Trying to find out what happened to some missing mess trays
By Elliott Brack | Any veteran of military service will tell you: it’s not unusual for you to be assigned for additional duty. Years ago when a commissary officer in Germany, the Northern Area Command of the U.S. Army in Europe (USAEUR) ordered me to report for temporary duty to the Frankfurt Bahnhof (rail station). I was met by a Transportation Corps sergeant who routinely ferried troops by train to the Bremerhaven port for return to the United States.
BRACK: Jekyll Island is little known among newcomers to Georgia
By Elliott Brack | If you are a native Georgian, let me suggest you almost have a duty to tell those who come here from other states about Georgia’s wonderful coastland, particularly about the gem on the Georgia coast, Jekyll Island. Actually, Georgia’s approximately 100 miles of coastland has many wonderful areas to visit, from Tybee Island on the north to almost-pristine Cumberland Island on the south.
BRACK: Tidbits of summer, including no hat, no shorts, no service
By Elliott Brack | Summer has definitely arrived well in advance of its normal start for Gwinnett, June 21, giving us a full three more weeks of hot weather here at beginning of summer. (I like hot weather; Hurrah!)
Today let’s salute people years ago who approved planting trees in the parking lot of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. By having the foresight to plant shade trees, now maturing, between the rows in the parking lot, we now enjoy their summer shade, and it just makes the area a whole lot nicer.
BRACK: Daily newspaper in Little Rock innovates, bringing more prosperity
By Elliott Brack | Daily newspapers aren’t what they used to be. They are thinner, with less news and advertising, and just plain don’t cover the news as they once did. Today most daily newspapers only cover a small geographic area close to their main city. In Gwinnett, we now see the pitiful coverage which both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Gwinnett Daily Post offer.
Gwinnett Forum | Jan. 10, 2025
“Nothing makes us feel more connected than when we are engaged in a healthy balance of thoughtful speaking and hardcore listening.”
— Belgian-American psychotherapist and relationship expert Eshter Perel (1958- ) via John Titus, Peachtree Corners.
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Continuing objectives
Gwinnett Forum publisher Elliott Brack suggests Gwinnett County needs a long-range list of continuing objectives for improving the county. His 2025 list:
- Move statewide non-partisan judicial and school board elections to the date of the General Election.
- More creative efforts to support the arts in Gwinnett.
- Advancement and expansion of city historical societies.
- Require establishments that serve alcoholic beverages to halt sales of such products at 1 a.m., and close by 2 a.m.
- Require the Georgia Legislature to meet only once every two years.
- Eliminate single-use plastic packaging and straws in Gwinnett and require instead the use of paper products.
- Gwinnett planners to encourage condos and townhouses instead of apartments.
Interested in Gwinnett history?
Now re-printed in its third edition, Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta, the award-winning history of Gwinnett County, is once again available for purchase. It sold out of its first two printings. The book won the 2010 Award of Excellence in Documenting Georgia History from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board. The book is available at Old Town Antiques at 93 Main Street in Lilburn.
- The history of Gwinnett is also available as an e-book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble for $9.95.
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