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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Stone Mountain resident
helped bring electricity to county
By Greg Brooks
Walton EMC
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's note: this article first appeared
in Walton EMC's "Realite."-eeb)
LILBURN, April 23, 2004 -- Most folks can't imagine a cotton field
at the corner of State Highway 124 and Ronald Reagan Parkway in
Snellville. But Mr. J.B. Williams, 93, and a native of Gwinnett
County, can.
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J.B.
Williams (left) father of Walton EMC Director Bobby Williams
(right), has watched his neighborhood change dramatically
from his backyard swing vantage point. "I came here from
Snellville in a two-horse wagon up Highway 78 when it was
still dirt,"says the elder Williams. "Now 30,000
cars pass here every day,"adds his son.
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"I plowed 125 acres of cotton on our farm where Eastside Medical
Center sits today," says illiams. "When I moved from there,
I came up U.S. Highway 78 in a two-horse wagon. And Highway 78 was
dirt."
When Williams moved from Snellville to the Five Forks Trickum area,
there were only 16 houses on Five Forks Trickum Road (then known
as Lawrenceville-Stone Mountain Road). Today's Lake Lucerne was
called "Possum Lake."
Williams was instrumental in bringing electric lines to his community.
The big city utilities weren't interested; they thought doing business
in the country wasn't profitable enough. So Williams and his neighbors
took matters into their own hands.
Williams contacted neighbors and urged them to sign up for electric
service from Walton EMC. He then journeyed to the Monroe headquarters
and presented their request. In a short time the task began. "I
remember sitting in a rope swing watching men dig holes with long-handle
hole diggers," says Williams's son, Bobby.
But just because the co-op had new lines in the area didn't mean
everyone now had electric lights. Some families still couldn't afford
the wiring required on the inside of their home.
At first, there were only single bulbs hanging from drop cords
in the center of the rooms. "We were on the end of the line,"
says Williams. "If a thunderstorm was coming, we removed the
bulbs from sockets to keep them from exploding."
Next came a refrigerator Williams bought from a Stone Mountain
appliance dealer. "They had taken it back from someone and
it still had ice in it," he laughs. The power to run the refrigerator
came from a receptacle adapter screwed into the light socket.
"Then we got a water pump. We thought we were really something
when we had running water," says Williams. The previous water
system consisted of a hand-operated pump used to fill an above ground
tank.
"The top was open and rainwater fell in it. I guess the birds
took baths in it, too," remembers Williams.
"I never dreamed this area would grow like it did,"
says Williams. The growth began in earnest around 1961 and 62. The
first development on Williams's road was Maple Forest. Lots went
for $900.
Williams's son Bobby continues to carry the electric torch his
father lit by serving on the Walton EMC board of directors. When
he first came on the board 24 years ago, Walton EMC served 30,000
consumers. Now the number is well over 100,000, with two-thirds
of those living in Gwinnett.
Williams sums it up pretty well. "If you have enough electricity,
you can do just about anything you want to."
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Smoking
ban gets reason applied; about the Tour de Georgia
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
APRIL 23, 2004 -- Hurrah for reason!
Efforts to partially turn back the Gwinnett ordinance banning smoking
in public places by allowing a big exemption by one club was halted
by a 3-2 vote of the Gwinnett County Commission this week.
 Whew!
In our estimation, allowing that exemption would be tantamount
to opening the floodgates to one exception to the smoking ban after
another. Had the ban been partially lifted, other establishments
would have logic and fairness on their side when they concocted
reasons to be exempted for the ban.
Thankfully, Commissioner John Dunn voted along with Bert Nasuti
and Chairman Wayne Hill to form the majority on the subject.
Actually, the applicant for the exemption, Wild Bill's in Duluth,
was probably seeking the change for two reasons. We don't doubt
that the saloon probably feels that its business will be hurt if
its patrons cannot smoke while they drink and congregate. We accept
that, for many drinkers obviously smoke, though we suspect a majority
do not.
Secondly, we wonder if Wild Bill's wasn't blowing a little smoke
at the county commission. After all, though the county required
installing some equipment for their special circumstances, the reality
is that Wild Bill's is in a real, real, real large building, one
which was mostly a warehouse for Service Merchandise before. And
we all know that you do not have insulation and duct work in a warehouse
like you do for a showroom. With Wild Bill's able to get 4,800 customers
within its confines, it means that the saloon anyway would have
to spend loads of money to provide even a normal atmosphere. Such
ventilating of air doesn't come cheap, especially when a system
for cooling 4,800 warm-blooded individuals. Wild Bill's needed a
major ventilation system….anyway.
But mainly, we are thankful for the reasoned vote of the majority
of the county commission. Gwinnett dodged a big bullet with this
vote.
* * * * *
Georgia is a mini-France this week, when it comes to cycling! The
Dodge Tour de Georgia is the highest ranked stage race in North
America, and quite a plum for Georgia. The Georgia topography is
a challenge for the 120 cyclists, with Saturday's next-to-last-day
finish at Brasstown Bald's 4,784 feet an endurance any of us can
understand, whether cycling or even just walking as we huff and
puff to its highest point in the state.
Dodge promotes its vehicles with the tour, as this virtual "rolling
festival" moves through Georgia. It's all to benefit a good
cause, the Georgia Cancer Coalition. There are winners everywhere,
as the State of Georgia piggybacks along for the publicity ride.
It would be great if this could become an annual affair in Georgia.
If you want to see a portion of the race, there are three more
opportunities. Today (Friday) you could drive up to Dahlonega for
the finish of today's leg at approximately 2 p.m. The cyclists will
have left Dalton at 10 a.m. and pedaled a tough 140 miles (it's
not a straight route) to Dahlonega.
On Saturday, the tour starts at in Athens at 10 a.m. goes through
Jefferson, Gainesville, Cleveland and Hiawassee to Brasstown Bald,
a distance of 128 miles, and mostly all uphill! That last pull up
to Brasstown Bald will be a killer!
On the last day, Sunday, the tour departs Dawsonville at 1 p.m.,
goes through Tate, Nelson, Ball Ground, and Cumming and ends in
Alpharetta at approximately at 4 p.m.
Altogether, these cyclists will see Georgia up close for the 641-mile
journey. For details of the race, and tips for enjoying it, go to
a very fine web site at http://www.tourdegeorgia.org/.
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McLEMORE'S
WORLD
4/23: How to deflate
rising gas prices
The latest from cartoonist Bill McLemore:
FEEDBACK
4/23: Maintains duplicity
still rules at the White House
Editor, the Forum:
Once again, duplicity rules at the Bush White House as the president
plans to make millions of people ineligible for overtime pay. The
Senate and House already voted to prohibit overtime cuts, but President
Bush, getting pressure from corporate campaign contributors, strong-armed
Congress to prevent that from becoming law.
Again, on April 20, Bush introduced plans to take AWAY overtime
pay from workers earning more than $23,660 a year, resulting in
huge pay cuts for millions of Americans. This would allow businesses
to overwork existing staffs (for no extra pay) rather than hire
new workers, squelching any new hiring.
As usual, the President's priorities are to protect the very rich
at the expense of the working poor and middle class AND to expect
the innocent workers who will suffer most to swallow his intentionally
fraudulent spin. If he's this brazen now, what recourse will there
be if Bush is re-elected----and answerable to no one!
-- M. Buckman, Lilburn
4/23: Wonders what
Commissioner was thinking with vote
Editor, the Forum:
Congratulations. Your side won on the denial of exemption to the
smoking ban for
Wild Bill's. Chalk up another affront to property owner's rights
in the name of
the nanny state.
Any idea what Dunn was thinking...other than upping his political
controversy?
Rating?
-- Tony Rivera, Suwanee
(Mr. Rivera: My guess is that he was feeling
the heat of the majority! -EEB)
DELAYED
PHOTO
Through a computer glitch, this picture was delayed from the Tuesday's
GwinnettForum. We publish it today.
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Just
before boarding a bus for a trip into the Honduran Outreach
are Otis Jones, Charles Summerour, Alyson Hombroek, her father,
Al, and Chuck Taylor. Photo by Ishmael Pozo, a Group Leader
for the week with the team in Honduras.
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ENCYCLOPEDIA
TIDBIT
4/23: Atlanta's Fort
McPherson named to honor Union general
Fort McPherson is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Army
Forces Command (FORSCOM), which is responsible for the command
and control, unit training, and operational readiness of the
active army, National Guard, and reserve. As the home of the
Third Army, Fort McPherson is one of the largest command centers
in the U.S. military.
 The
installation was named in honor of Union Major General James
McPherson, who was killed in action during the Battle of Atlanta
on July 22, 1864. A modern hospital, Fort McPherson Barracks,
general supply depot, recruit reception center, barracks, offices,
mess hall, guest houses, officer quarters, post exchange, chapel,
and two warehouses were built at the post in 1940. Before and
during the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), the Third Army
coordinated all ground forces involved and oversaw the U.S.
Army presence in Southwest Asia. Allied with these missions,
the U.S. Reserve Command was activated at the post in 1997.
To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Home.jsp.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Suggestion about
the only way you have to accept life
"The only way to live is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable
miracle, which is exactly what it is."
-- Storm Jameson (1891-1986, British Educator), submitted
by Cindy Evans, Duluth.
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