Gwinnett Forum.com -- Gwinnett County's community forum and idea exchange

TODAY'S ISSUE
Remembering Ruth Harrison of Sugar Hill,
from the viewpoint of admiring son-in-law
By Norman Baggs
Special to GwinnettForum.com

(Editor's note: Norman Baggs is a resident of Sugar Hill, and previously was editor of Gwinnett Daily Post. He is now general manager of Forsyth County News in Cumming.-eeb)

OCT. 22, 2002 -- Rather than a ’"groom's cake," the barbecue-and-beans reception after my wedding included a blackberry cobbler. That it did was due to the fact that even before I had the uncommon good sense to marry her daughter, my mother-in-law was willing to spoil me.

As a bachelor on the other side of 30 having no experience at all with the extended family that comes with a marriage, my knowledge of mothers-in-law was that of stand-up comedians with horror stories to tell.

From the beginning, her home was my home; her family my family. With open arms, a hearty laugh and usually a table overflowing with food, she made me feel at home.

Quickly I came to learn that the well-being of her children, grandchildren and, eventually, great-grandchildren was her No. 1 concern. Those she felt were good for her family became a part of it, and those who caused pain and suffering among her loved ones bore the considerable wrath of her scorn.

Not a complicated woman, nor one given to pretentious behavior, she savored simple things gardening, cooking, conversation. Emeril Lagasse and all the chefs of the cable cooking channels. Bargains and treasures to be found at yard sales. Good restaurants. Teddy bears. Pretty plants and flowers.

Hers was a green thumb. Massive fig bushes 10 feet tall in a sheltered corner of the yard provided fruit that she sold each year, a sign by the road offering it to passerbys, the money squirreled away for some special occasion.

A few days ago she left us quickly and unexpectedly, moving from this world
to that of a better place, reuniting with the husband whose death had left her a widow five years earlier. She died at the peak of fig season, fruit ripening on her bushes and awaiting harvest. Some of her fig money was already tucked away for a family dinner at Red Lobster.

There are those who make this world great by the vastness of their accomplishments, their achievements the foundation upon which statues are erected.

And there are others who make their mark with the gardens they plant, the figs they grow, the meals they cook, the homes they provide and the family members they love and nurture and protect like tender flowers.

Emeril has lost his greatest fan. Economic indicators for yard sales are pointing down. The house that provided such a loving home for so many years sits empty now, echoing with silence where once loud, heartfelt laughter bounced from wall to wall.

And in all the food delivered to our home after her funeral, there wasn't a single blackberry pie.

Ruth Harrison of Sugar Hill was a special lady. We're all going to miss her terribly.back to top

ELLIOTT BRACK
Barnes' visit to Clean and Beautiful event
says a lot about reach of Gwinnett County
By Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com

OCT. 22, 2002 -- You can read a lot into the visit of Gov. Roy Barnes to the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful annual luncheon last Friday. It marked the third consecutive year with Barnes as speaker at this meeting.

As Council President Jim Steele explained, the governor was first scheduled to arrive at noon. "Then they called back and asked if he could arrive at 11:30, because of his schedule," Jim said. "Then they called again, and wanted to push it back another 30 minutes."

The Clean and Beautiful luncheon was publicized to be 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., so the new times allowed C&B to be covered with their audience. And by 11:15, Steele and his board had corralled the group to the 65 tables inside, and had the program underway.

What governor Barnes was fighting, of course, was his need to be in Savannah on Friday for the announcement that day that Daimler-Benz would locate a plant in Georgia near Pooler. When you bring in a plant today with 3,300 good jobs, especially when that same morning Delta Air Lines had announced cutting 7,000 jobs, well, that's big news for the state. The governor simply had to be in Savannah.

Yet Barnes had committed to Gwinnett, to speak at a program that had become a fixture for him, especially since it addressed a subject important to him, the environment in Georgia.

The governor took the occasion to explain why he wants suburban Atlanta counties to set aside 20 per cent of their land area for green spaces. "You figure that there is about 15 per cent flood plain in North Georgia along our creeks and rivers," the governor said, "And you can't build on that. So what I wanted the Legislature to do was to provide incentive for counties in this area to set aside another five per cent for more green space."

He pointed out that Gwinnett has led the way in purchasing land for green space, largely funded through special-purpose sales tax monies. "You have more than quadrupled what you had in the last five or six years, from 1,600 acres to 7,000 acres today," he complimented Gwinnett. He also noted that Gwinnett leads all of Georgia in acquiring green space.

It was good to have the governor back in Gwinnett once more. Yet this time we could have excused him, in view of the major announcement out of Savannah.

But Roy Barnes came, and that is telling. Since he is a sitting governor seeking re-election this year, you may read some political maneuver in his appearance.

After all, since he ran in 1998, more than 125,000 more people have moved into Gwinnett. The county is becoming a much bigger player than ever before. No doubt even in Republican Gwinnett, the governor sees a chance to add to his 1998 pull of 41,587 votes in Gwinnett. (Guy Milner garnered 71,328 votes in Gwinnett.) No doubt that served as an incentive to be at the Friday meeting.

But the governor played his talk straight, from a political angle, not openly campaigning. On one occasion he used the phrase "if you see fit to send me back for another four years." But nothing more. No promises. No grandstanding. No bringing up of political agendas.

Yet Roy Barnes was in Gwinnett on a busy day. That says something about the mature, populous county Gwinnett is today, when candidates seek reasons to be in the county, to add to their stature and spotlight ours. Back to top

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers, Today's sponsor is The Gwinnett Citizen, published monthly from Snellville. It is Gwinnett's oldest locally-owned newspaper, established in 1988. To keep up with its activities, check out its web site daily at www.gwinnettcitizen.com.

For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm. Back to top

FEEDBACK:
10/22: Great Day of Service still needs volunteers

Volunteers are needed for Gwinnett's Third Annual "Great Day of Service" ,
sponsored by the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services, on
Friday, October 25. This community outreach day will support 59 agencies
through 145 service projects. Civic groups and corporations who wish to
volunteer can visit the website at www.gwinnettgreatdayofservice.org or
contact Paige Havens at (678) 407-5002.

10/22: Sees college president as relishing his job

Editor, the Forum:

Your recent article about Cumberland College was of great interest to me.

Peter and I serve on a foundation board which reviews proposals annually. Each year we are bowled over by the wonderful warmth in Jim Taylor's grant proposals. He does a terrific job personalizing all programs for the students while sharing the benefit the kids receive from each project.

His care and concern for the entire student body at Cumberland is evident. How refreshing it is the see someone who truly enjoys and relishes his job so very much. I appreciated reading your impressions of the school which has such a unique mission and the visionary man behind the college.

-- Carole Boyce, Dacula Back to top

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Will Rogers about what is needed for parades

"We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by."

-- Will Rogers, ( 1879-1935).

Back to top

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves or comments on any issue to Gwinnett Forum for future publication. Back to top

===========================================