By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | It was near the start of the war in Viet Nam. This war was a long distance away, though Americans could see its action on the six o’clock news each night. But then that illusion of the war being distant was shattered when a local young soldier, was killed in Viet Nam. With modern transportation, his body soon arrived home.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Most of us feel comfortable, we had presumed, in our native surroundings. Then a comment this week made me re-think this idea. And it gives a new insight of what it means to live in Gwinnett County, at least to one individual.
This person has lived in Gwinnett four years. He asks: “How in the heck did someone like me, end up somewhere like here?”
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | With Georgia being discovered these days for filming movies and television series, who knows? A location scout could knock on your door! Your home could be in demand for filming. Recently a crew from the Oprah Television series, Greenleaf, was filming in Norcross, right next door to our home.
The filming was at the home of Bonnie and Ben Sloan, with the home picked because of its modern appearance. Ben said: “It looked like a modern contemporary home that fit the screen character of one of the young single guys in the series.”
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | One of the bright areas in Gwinnett in 2017 is the tremendous vision, funding and activity going on in some of our cities.
Partially funded by the cities of Gwinnett’s greater share of SPLOST funds, but augmented by growth in city revenues, there is a feeling of bustle and movement in some of Gwinnett’s cities that is nothing less than exciting.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher, Charleston, S.C. | There’s something special about musical recitals for young students.
From the very young newcomers and their sometimes faltering style……to the more advanced students and their confidence, to the surprise of the day (there’s usually one), the recitals are entertaining, if sometimes anticipated with nervousness…at least on the part of the parents and grandparents.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | People move to Gwinnett for all kind of reasons. For one young graduate of a technical college in Iowa back in 1985, he came to Atlanta since youth in his area of Iowa couldn’t find jobs. Those jobs were going principally to older, experienced guys, who had been laid off of jobs at factories.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | You may not be able to go back in time, but it was near that Saturday night in Duluth. Red Clay Theater audience members thoroughly enjoyed “Mayberry Moments,” a throwback to the days of the original Andy Griffith show. The theatre was packed, laughing and appreciating bluegrass music.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Groundbreakings were once not what they are today.
One of my first groundbreakings we thought was quite an occurrence. At a weekly newspaper, we were growing and had run out of room, needing to add space to our building. The three male stockholders decided to make it a public occasion, and asked our wives to come and “break the ground.”
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | There’s something about staying in a family-run hotel that just beats the chain-run stays. Older hotels have their own charm, such as the Monteleone in New Orleans, the DeSoto in Savannah, the Fairmont and the Sir Frances Drake in San Francisco, and even the Henry Grady in Atlanta. You probably have your own favorite.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | It may be one of the most important books of recent times, in that is shows our country what big money can do in government. The book is Dark Money, by Jane Mayer, a staff writer for The New Yorker. The subtitle is The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.
“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 Ester Perel (1958- ) via John Titus, Peachtree Corners.
Gwinnett Forum publisher Elliott Brack suggests Gwinnett County needs a long-range list of continuing objectives for improving the county. His 2025 list:
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