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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Gwinnett Philharmonic
observing 10th anniversary season
By
Holley Calmes
Special to GwinnettForum.com
MARCH 1, 2005 -- The Gwinnett Philharmonic's celebration of its
10th anniversary is a landmark for the Arts in Gwinnett County.
On March 7 and 14 at 8 p.m., the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center
will be filled with people enjoying favorite music from the past
decade.
The fact that both concerts are almost sold out weeks beforehand
is another encouraging fact. Who would have believed, over a decade
ago, Gwinnett could support a professional symphony orchestra? A
number of people believed and were bold enough to make the idea
a reality. The story of the Gwinnett Philharmonic is not only about
the musicians on stage, it is also about the people who built the
dream and who have continued to support it.
Monte Nichols is the first name that comes to mind. He is the most
visible representative of the Philharmonic as he is both music director
and its most frequent conductor. It was Monte's dream along with
other community leaders.
Now Monte looks back with the perspective of time and can appreciate
the effect the Philharmonic has had on local music lovers and on
the state of the arts in general. He says, "The Gwinnett Philharmonic
has found a place in the hearts of the people of Gwinnett and surrounding
communities. People are so enthusiastic about helping us celebrate
this anniversary!"
He also takes note of the growth of all of the arts in the County.
"There are so many wonderful opportunities for people to get
together and celebrate the arts. The Philharmonic is happy to be
a part of that growing arts scene as more and more people discover
what is available here."
One major factor in the Philharmonic's success has been a strong
and responsive Board of Directors. Two personalities who represent
this spirit of commitment are Steve Winterbottom and Anna Shackelford.
Mr. Winterbottom works for Scientific-Atlanta and loves classical
music. "The beauty and power of a symphony can be so overwhelming
that I want it to never end," he explains. Although he finds
it "very appealing to join the Gwinnett Philharmonic Board
so that I can help bring classical music to Gwinnett," he also
finds other, more personal satisfactions made possible by his involvement.
"Our Scientific-Atlanta employees frequently go to the concerts.
One took her nine-year-old daughter to this year's opening concert
where Dvorak's New World Symphony was performed. She said that her
daughter was totally enthralled and inspired by the music. It is
an experience like this that makes it so worthwhile."
Mrs. Shackelford's enthusiasm is contagious. "There have been
many people who pushed to have a professional symphony in Gwinnett,
and I'm proud to be counted among that number! The quality of the
music equals any I have ever heard."
Finally, it is the musicians themselves who so move us with the
art. All of the musicians who perform in the Philharmonic are professionals.
Many live in Gwinnett, and quite a few of them teach, giving them
yet another opportunity to touch the lives of our citizens. Ken
Billups is such a one. He has played bass with the Philharmonic
from its first concert, but he also serves as an orchestra conductor
in the Gwinnett Public Schools. "I am an overall encourager
of kids," he says. "I try every day to show my students
how music can enhance your life and open all kinds of doors."
The Gwinnett Philharmonic enters its second decade with such dedicated
and talented people on stage, in the boardroom, the classroom….and
in the audience! There are still tickets to be had - but hurry!
Don't miss out on this happy event. Call TicketMaster at 404-249-6400
or visit the Gwinnett Center Box Office. Visit the Philharmonic's
Web site at www.gwinnettphilharmonic.org.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Proper
introduction of speaker so important for audience
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
MARCH 1, 2005 -- We all have our pet peeves. Send us yours, and
we'll print them. But keep them short, please.
We recognized another of our pet peeves the other day, listening
to a program. The speaker had our attention, but then, as the speaker
went on, we wanted to know more about not the subject, but the speaker.
You see, the speaker had not been given what I call a "proper
introduction." That's our pet peeve.
When you think about it, an introduction is pretty simple. You
should tell about the person speaking, why that person is qualified
to speak, and a few items so that people will know the person better.
With that in mind, here is my own list of the eight points in making
a formal introduction:
1. Why the speaker is before the group: "Our speaker
today is the world's expert on basket weaving."
2. Where the person is from: "He is a native of India
and has spent months with tribal Indians learning basket weaving.
He now lives in Doraville."
3. The person's educational attainment: "Prior to
this, he earned his degree from Some University, and has a master's
degree in fine art from Another University."
4. Professional attainment: "He started a small company
from scratch, and today has cornered the world's woven basket
market."
5. Recognitions: "He has achieved worldwide acclaim
for his designs, and received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth
in recognition of his abilities in the field.
6. Something about the person: "When he is not basket
making, he enjoys long walks and photography.
7. His family: "He is married, and he and his wife
have three children and two grandchildren."
8. And finally: his name. We like to give this last, as
it is one way of building suspense: "Please welcome Sir Gene
Jones to this platform."
Sound hokey? Might be. But let me ask: do you think you have some
idea of who Gene Jones is, where he lives, what he does, and a little
something about him and his family?
Leave out any one of these points, and we maintain, the person
has not been sufficiently introduced. Note, too, that this is not
a long introduction. It would take about 40 seconds to say. Of course,
you might want to throw in more on any of the points. But we prefer
short introductions, for after all, long introductions take away
time from the speaker himself.
And though you may say to yourself: "But some people are so
well known that I can merely say, 'This person needs no introduction.'"
We disagree, and disagree sharply. Everyone deservers a proper
introduction, as mere courtesy, if nothing more. Then think, too:
you may have a visitor in the audience from far away, or someone
out there who really doesn't know much about this well-known person.
So properly introduce…even the president of the United States.
After all, how many of us know where George W. Bush was born? It
might be important!
You will have done a good job for the speaker, and for those in
the audience.
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FEEDBACK
3/1: Letter to county
government seeks relief for ball park
(Editor's Note: the following correspondence
is run with the permission of the letter writer and addressee,
to show one way citizens can get something done in government,
when they approach matters with courtesy and grace.-eeb.)
Ladies & Gentlemen,
I am a citizen of Gwinnett County and have three children that
play baseball and softball at Shorty Howell Park in Duluth. I am
writing to you today to ask that you expedite the completion of
the concession and restroom facilities at the baseball complex at
Shorty Howell Park.
The baseball complex at Shorty Howell Park was to be completed
this time last year. I am very disappointed that as of today, it
is still not completed (concesssion and restroom facilities are
built, but the county won't approve their use). You have over 400
Gwinnett County families that are adversely effected by these delays
and even worse, there is an All-County Girls Softball Tournament
at Shorty Howell Park the weekend of March 5th. Not having running
water or restroom facilities for this event will reflect badly on
our county. The existing three portable bathrooms will be inadequate
for an event of this size.
Please support the youth and children in our community and get
the baseball complex at Shorty Howell Park completely open!
Sincerely,
Michael Murphy, Duluth
Response
Dear Mr. Murphy,
Following testing of the backflow preventors at the park today,
we've received word that we will have the final inspection sign-off
tomorrow morning and will be able to occupy the restrooms at the
baseball/softball complex as early as noon tomorrow. That's the
good news....however, the completion of the concessions area will
take longer due to delays in the installation of the fire suppression
system. I do not have a definite time schedule from the contractor
for this work but we are working with the youth association on providing
other space for concession sales until the work is completed.
Thank you for your comments. This park renovation project has been
challenging due to the "phasing-in" of the program elements
and we appreciate the patience of the youth association participants.
Sincerely,
Phil Hoskins, Director, Gwinnett County Department of Community
Services
CALENDAR
Dacula commission planning oral history project
The City of Dacula has received a $5,000 oral history grant from
the Georgia Humanities Council to preserve memories and stories
of Dacula. The oral history collection project is a part Dacula's
Centennial Celebration and will serve as one of the legacies of
the Centennial.
Dr. Clifford Kuhn, professor of Oral History at Georgia State University,
provided insights into how an oral history collection project works
at a recent Centennial Commission meeting. He provided guidelines
for interviewers and interviewees. Dr. Kuhn noted that, "You
interviewers are the students, and the folks you are interviewing
are the teachers." Oral histories provide insights into contemporary
life that might be overlooked or not included in textbooks or other
written materials. The memories collected in the project will be
in the voice and words of folks who actually lived them.
People are being contacted to participate in the project. Their
oral histories will be taped and collected on video. The Commission
hopes to distill major events and remembrances on a 30 minute DVD
for use during the Centennial Celebration. Complete video collections
will be available for use at the new Dacula Library Branch. Actual
videotaping during the oral history interviews will be done by faculty
and students of Dacula High School under the direction of Jack Woodard.
Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks said, "Dacula's Oral History grant is
supported by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment
for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General
Assembly. We believe that the collection of memories by Dacula residents
is important for current and future residents of the City. It is
a matter of becoming part of the whole.
RECOMMENDED
READ
- An invitation: What Web sites or books have you enjoyed?
Send us your best recent read along with a short paragraph as
to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb
ENCYCLOPEDIA
TIDBIT
3/1: Atlanta's Cyclorama
had several stops before solid home
"Cyclorama" is the name given to the huge, century-old
painting depicting the Civil War battle fought July 22, 1864, east
of Atlanta. Housed in Atlanta's Grant Park and owned by the city,
the Cyclorama is a national tourist attraction and cultural treasure.
It is one of only two cycloramas in the United States, and at 42
feet tall and 358 feet in circumference, it is the largest painting
in the country. (The other Cyclorama is in Gettysburg, Pa. )
 Cycloramic
murals-building-sized paintings hung circularly for viewing from
the inside-were a European innovation of the late nineteenth century.
In the summer of 1885 the Milwaukee artists came to Atlanta for
field study. Twenty years after the war, histories of the battle
were in print, but the artists received most of the technical advice
from Union and Confederate veterans. After several months on site,
they returned to their Milwaukee studio, where, supervised by F.
W. Heine and August Lohr, the artists-all specialists in landscapes,
figures, and animals-completed the painting.
At its debut in Detroit in February 1887, the work was billed as
"Logan's Great Battle." The heavy canvases were draped
on wooden frames, which were moved and reassembled at Minneapolis
and then Indianapolis, where the Cyclorama opened in May 1888. Wehner
sold the painting to an Indianapolis art exhibit company, which
in turn sold it in 1890 to Paul Atkinson of Madison, Georgia.
Atkinson, already the owner of the Missionary Ridge cyclorama,
sent the Atlanta painting to Chattanooga, Tenn., and brought the
former to Atlanta, exhibiting it in a circular building on Edgewood
Avenue until February 1892. Missionary Ridge then traveled to Nashville,
Tennessee, where it was later destroyed in a hurricane; in its place,
The Battle of Atlanta opened in Atlanta on February 22, 1892. Resale
to various owners led to its purchase at the Edgewood Avenue exhibition
hall by Atlanta businessman George V. Gress, who donated the painting
to the city in March 1898 after providing it with housing in Grant
Park. Grant Park is a public park established in 1883 and named
for Atlantan Lemuel P. Grant, the donor of the park land, who as
a Confederate engineer had surveyed for the fortifications around
Atlanta.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Another way to look
at a smile
"A smile is a curve that can set most things straight."
-- Susan Decuir, Carrollton, Texas, via Cindy Evans, Duluth.
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