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TODAY'S
ISSUE
College prof takes
lessons from students, yellow chair
By
Pat Mitchell
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's Note: Former Gwinnettian Pat Mitchell
had recently been on the faculty at East Carolina University
in Greenville, N.C. She sends in this remembrance of being a
professor.-eeb)
NOV. 19, 2004 -- Approximately four feet from my desk at East
Carolina University sits a yellow leather chair - wooden legs,
padded arms and brass upholstery tacks. Over the past three years,
that yellow chair has taught this professor a number of lessons
about today's young people.
Mitchell |
One of the first inhabitants of the yellow chair was a twenty-something
African-American who was struggling to finish her Master's Thesis.
She had the perfect name - Joi Flowers - she truly was a joy and
she eventually did "bloom." Joi used the chair frequently
-- she was constantly in crisis, or so it seemed. Her many feelings
and emotions were always presented with an incredible gift for
storytelling and an amazing sense of humor and exaggeration.
A second inhabitant of the yellow chair was a young man who plagiarized
an assignment for my class and got caught. Professors have discretion
in how to deal with plagiarism -- from ignoring it, to failing
the student, or referring them to the Dean of the College. While
I have failed students, I didn't fail this one. He did, however,
have to accept a "D" in place of an otherwise earned
"A" and was required to come to my office to explain
his actions. His first words to me were "Dr. Mitchell, my
parents are going to kill me -- they are both English teachers!"
I said "John, I am not going to tell your parents!"
He said, "No, but I am."
The Yellow Chair |
Another inhabitant came just last week. Bill is a tall, handsome
young man in his senior year who was scheduled to take the law
school admission exam, but who instead spent the week in Maine
attending the funeral of and burying his father -- a man he apparently
was quite close to.
He sat in the yellow chair and cried when he talked about his
dad and after pulling himself together, he thanked me for listening
and left to attend his class.
So what are some of the lessons I have learned from the yellow
chair?
- First, some young people need to verbalize and explore their
feelings so as to understand themselves. Joi is now graduated
and doing extremely well at the University of Memphis where
she provides professional development to faculty and staff.
- Second, many students today are willing to accept responsibility
and will learn from their mistakes if given the chance - as
did John.
- Third, thank goodness we are getting past a generation that
taught young men they can't cry to grieve losses. Hats off to
Bill's parents!
Very recently I have decided to leave the university to fulfill
a 20 year dream of living and working in the mountains of North
Carolina. Beginning in December, I'll be working in economic development
in a small rural county. Joi was the first student I emailed to
notify her of this change. Her response read: "Dr. M. - no
time to write - take the yellow chair - someone may need it."
While I can't take state property with me, I certainly can take
the lessons. And I will buy a new yellow chair.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Georgia
GOP's overreaching could hurt it politically
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
NOV. 19, 2004 -- Georgia Republicans, like their national counterparts,
are king of the hill these days. Being realistic, about all you
can say is that they have no way to go but down. How soon they
go down the hill can be measured by how good a job they do when
on the hilltop.
 We
are reminded of the historian Lord Acton (1834-1902), who issued
that amazing insight: "…power corrupts, and absolute
power corrupts absolutely."
With Governor Dr. Perdue now having the two legislative houses
under Republican control, the entire direction of the Republican
Party is under his sway. His efforts to win re-election will no
longer be determined by just how he and his office do; the overall
direction that he gives the GOP will determine whether voters
return him to office.
Word we hear is that some Republicans, not content on being in
the majority in the House and Senate of Georgia, now want what
you might call a super majority.
Way to do that, they figure, is to re-apportion the House and
Senate. Draw new maps so that these two bodies of the Legislature
are not just under Republican control, but tight-as-a-tick Republican
control. "Throw out the rascals," some Republicans say,
and there is no doubt about who the rascals are.
My, my, my: do these Republicans have short memories or lack
a sense of fairness? We remember what happened to the Democrats
just two years ago, after their wholehearted gerrymandering created
districts most favorable to Democrats.
Voters, you see, have a sense of fairness about them. They realized
that the Democrats were drawing such districts that would greatly
favor Democrats.
So what happened? Georgia voters tromped to the polls, and already
in a more conservative mood because of courting by Republicans,
promptly threw out the able incumbent Georgia governor, assuming
he was the architect of the political gerrymandering. And in the
meantime, they elected enough Republican senators that, in the
aftermath of the election and by skillfully getting some scared
Democrats to switch parties, gave the Republicans control of the
Georgia Senate.
"What's this?" yelled the Democrats. "It's unfair
to switch parties after you were elected by another party."
But by that time the henhouse door was closed, the deed done,
and Republicans had smiles on their faces, thinking to the future
to when they could control both houses of the Legislature. Two
years later it happened…all because of the over-zelousness
of the Democrats.
And now with absolute power, we begin the skirmish to see how
long it takes for this power to corrupt Republicans absolutely.
That time frame is in the hands of the governor. If he allows
his party to re-district the state, not at the 10 year interval
of the census, but next session just to get a little more control,
the voters will recognize it. It could be the start that leads
to a demise of power for the Republicans, for over-reaching, like
Democrats did.
The GOP has a majority in the House and Senate. And the governorship.
They should be pleased. Making changes in the Legislature will
be seen for what it is…..a power over-grab.
ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
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Management Co. The company evolved from the name change of
Hudgens Management Company in November, 1991. Tom Wheeler and
Tom Kolb have been principal owners since 1985. Wheeler/Kolb has
offices in Duluth and has 28 employees. More: http://www.wheelerkolb.com/
For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm.
McLEMORE'S
WORLD
11/19: Turkey Day
NEWS
Junior League seeking
members of new class for spring
The Junior League of Gwinnett and North Fulton Counties (JLGNF)
is gearing up for its spring class of new members. Ladies from
Gwinnett, North Fulton and South Forsyth Counties who are interested
in volunteering in their communities are invited to apply online
at www.jlgnf.org/proposedmemberform.htm.
The application deadline is December 15, 2004.
The JLGNF provides volunteer and financial help to non-profit
organizations supporting women's and children's issues. Its current
impact projects include the Foster Care Support Foundation in
Roswell and the Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville. The
League also works with domestic violence shelters and partners
with other non-profit organizations for one day projects.
The JLGNF hosts fundraisers that raise money for its impact projects
and a Teacher Mini Grants program. This November, its first American
Girl Fashion Show was attended by more than 900 excited girls,
family and friends in the Gwinnett Civic Center. In March, a Star
Ball black tie gala and auction will be held at the Fox Theatre
with a Mardi Gras theme.
For more information about JLGNF and our new membership class,
please visit www.jlgnf.org
or call 770-476-3090.
CALENDAR
Tree
lighting, Santa's arrival set in Duluth on Dec. 4
The 26th Annual Duluth Holiday Tree Lighting will be held on Saturday,
December 4, at 6:30 p.m. Come enjoy the entertainment, the lighting
of the tree and the arrival of Santa to visit with all the children.
The Duluth Holiday Festival will be held on Saturday, December
4, 2004 from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Come shop for those unique Christmas
gifts from our arts and crafts vendors. Enjoy great food and wonderful
entertainment throughout the day.
For more information please contact Alisa Williams at 678-475-3512
or visit www.duluthga.net.
Gwinnett Arena to host U.S. synchronized figure skating
The U.S. Figure Skating has awarded Georgia Figure Skating Club,
Inc the right to host the 2006 U.S. Eastern Synchronized Team
Skating Championships. This national competition will attract
teams from across the eastern region of the United States to the
Gwinnett Arena in Duluth, January. 26-29, 2006.
"This is a great opportunity for the Gwinnett Center,"
said Cheryl Gee, director of Sales and Marketing of the Gwinnett
Center. "It gives us a chance to show what excellent hosts
we can be for world-class competitions."
This event will bring in more than 1,800 skaters and 1,000 coaches,
chaperones, officials, and family members. More than 100 teams
are expected to compete coming from Maine to Florida with the
top teams advancing to compete for national titles at the 2006
U.S. Synchronized Team Skating Championships. More than 4,000
spectators will attend.
U.S. Figure Skating is the official governing body for the sport
of figure skating in the United States, recognized as such by
both the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International
Skating Union (ISU). As the governing body, U.S. Figure Skating's
mission is to provide programs to encourage participation and
achievement in the sport of figure skating.
For more information on the event, contact Ginger Lindsey at
the Gwinnett Sports Commission at 770-814-6054 or Greg Corbit
at 770-833-9189 at Georgia Skating Events, Inc., the local organizing
corporation for the 2006 U.S. Eastern Synchronized Team Skating
Championships.
BOOK
RECOMMENDATION
CUMBERLAND ISLAND: Strong Women, Wild Horses, by David
Seabrook of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is a recommendation
from the Button Gwinnett Society.
- An invitation: What books have you enjoyed? Send us your
best recent book along with a short paragraph as to why you
liked it, plus what you plan to read next. --eeb
ENCYCLOPEDIA
TIDBIT
11/19: Belatedly,
Crawford Long recognized for painless surgery
Crawford Williamson Long, (1815-1878), a north Georgia physician,
is credited as the discoverer of anesthesia. Long was born on
November 1, 1815, in Danielsville. At the age of 14 he applied
to the University of Georgia.
 Long
received his A.M. degree from the university in 1835. In the fall
of 1836 he began his medical education at Transylvania College
in Lexington, Ky, and later at the University of Pennsylvania.
Long had the opportunity to observe and participate in several
surgeries, but these were harrowing experiences, as patients were
not sedated and often experienced excruciating pain.
As he established his medical practice, Long began to experiment
with sulfuric ether as an anesthetic. He performed his first surgical
procedure using the gas on March 30, 1842. Though he performed
more surgeries using anesthesia over the next several years and
began using it in his obstetrical practice, Long did not publish
his findings.
An editorial ran in the December 1846 issue of Medical Examiner
about a Boston dentist who claimed to have used ether as an anesthetic.
The January 1847 issue featured several articles about various
experiments in etherization. After reading these accounts, Long
began writing his own account of his discovery and collecting
notarized letters from former patients. He presented his findings
to the Medical College of Georgia in 1849. Although the others
sought wealth and fame for the discovery, Long simply wanted the
recognition of his peers and to alleviate the suffering of patients.
Long did not receive full recognition for his discovery in his
lifetime.
On June 18, 1879, the National Eclectic Medical Association (an
organization that advocated using the best remedies that could
be found, from many different sources) passed a resolution declaring
Long as the discoverer of anesthesia. Since that time he has been
recognized by medical bodies all over the world and has been memorialized
by monuments, statues, paintings, a U.S. postage stamp, and Doctors'
Day, celebrated every March 30. A museum in his honor stands at
the site of his medical practice in Jefferson.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Just uttering the
thought sometimes has its own effect
"The minute one utters a certainty, the opposite comes to
mind."
-- Author May Sarton, Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids
Singing, 1965.
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