Note to readers: Note to readers: Our next publication will be November 15. We will resume normal publication on November 18. Thank you for your understanding.--eeb

TODAY'S ISSUE
UGA group sees devastation, helps out on Gulf coast
By Darrel Hulsey
Special to GwinnettForum.com

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga -- On Sunday, Oct. 2, 2005, our journey began to the Gulf Coast to offer assistance in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Along with three of my colleagues from the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, we were to spend two weeks helping small business owners complete U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan applications.

We soon saw obvious signs of a major wind storm: signs blown down and buildings badly damaged. An armada of large trucks, military personnel and contractors of all kinds had descended on the area. After an initial orientation, our team was directed to Bay St. Louis, about 30 miles west of Gulfport.

We also were to serve the communities of Waveland, Pass Christian, Diamond Head, Kiln, and Pearlington.

The scope and depth of devastation was becoming increasingly clear. Billboards were stripped of everything but twisted metal frames. Even some of the large metal posts holding the billboards were broken in two. Exiting Interstate 10 to Bay St. Louis, the scene was unbelievable: cars tossed about, homes and commercial buildings removed from their foundations by the tidal surge, shredded by the wind, then dumped along the roadside. It reminded you of an apocalyptic movie.

Normal life had ceased to exist. Shopping center parking lots had been converted to disaster relief centers with circus-size tents. Virtually all businesses in the town were either completely destroyed or damaged to a point that they were not operational.

A tour of the beach area revealed the violent nature of the Katrina's tidal surge. Once lofty beach homes and trendy shops were either completely washed away or tremendously damaged. In many cases, only a concrete slab remained.

More destruction at a Mississippi Episcopal church

A short distance away from the beach, street after street was filled with nothing but rubble. Only a few days before, it had been cherished possessions of coastal residents. Locals were living in disaster centers, tents, autos or whatever they could find.

Our mission began in earnest on the Monday, October 3. For the next two weeks, our team worked from a make-shift business disaster assistance center. We began seeing business owners who were in assistance in completing loan applications.

The gravity of the situation became even more vivid as our work continued. Most of the entrepreneurs had not only lost their businesses but also their homes. Their customers had also suffered the same fate. Therefore, the immediate prospects for a return to normal business activities were bleak. Faced with such a dubious situation some asked, "Is it worth trying to start again?"

In spite of the circumstances, the entrepreneurial spirit was still alive and well. "We will come back" was the determined, common rallying cry of the majority of business owners. Some were motivated by sheer economic survival, with others by a sense of commitment to employees and community.

In those two weeks, we learned several lessons on business preparedness. The reoccurring themes we heard were "I didn't think it would really be this bad" and "If only I had made a backup disc."

In summary, the devastation was beyond anything I could have imagined. But what was more impressive was the resiliency of the people we met and worked with. Stripped of most material possessions and forced to endure archaic living conditions, these people still maintained a hospitable nature and very grateful hearts. They will emerge and prosper again.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Determining name of Lake Lanier was no simple matter
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

NOV. 8, 2005 -- Naming public facilities is complicated. The recent naming of the new four year college in Gwinnett, now known as Georgia Gwinnett College, went quickly. But another landmark in the area, Lake Lanier, went through many layers before its name was decided.

The naming of the college got input locally in just a short time, then won approval from the State Board of Regents. Not so with Lake Lanier: its name had to be approved through the Congress, including both Houses, then get final approval of the president, who was Dwight Eisenhower at the time.

The story of the naming is accounted for in the monumental work, Lake Sidney Lanier, a Storybook Site, which is sub-titled, "The Early History and Construction of Buford Dam." The large-format 391-page book was written by David Coughlin, a Gwinnett educator, who now lives in Buford,and is the community school director at South Gwinnett High. It's a great history, and I am indebted to Philip Reed, the BellSouth executive, for giving me the book.

The U.S. Congress had authorized building of what would become Buford Dam in the late 1940s, with funding later approved and construction begun in 1950. Apparently, without anyone giving much thought to it, the name of the dam was referred to constantly in the process as "Buford Dam," with little early discussion on naming of the lake itself. Many early accounts refer to the reservoir as "Buford Lake." But there was nothing "official" about this.

Coughlin recounts that "just about everyone" eventually had their own idea of what to name the lake. One of the major backers of the lake, Atlanta Mayor William B. Hartsfield, was extolling naming the lake for Sen. Richard B. Russell. On April 24, 1954, Jess Baggett of Lawrenceville, the Chevrolet dealer and member of the advisory board for the lake, wrote to Russell suggesting the name of Hartsfield, "(who) has probably done more toward getting this dam than anyone else except the Congressman….."

Another naming suggestion was Bobby Dodd, the Georgia Tech football coach. (Some perhaps not too warm to this idea circulated the story that the phrase "Dodd Dam" might be inappropriate.)

Harold Martin, an AJC columnist, promoted "Will Rogers Lake," citing Rogers' Cherokee ancestry; Rogers' people were from Georgia.

Lanier

Then, on May 3, 1954, a letter came to Senator Russell from Atlanta's John Gordon Camp No. 46 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. In a letter from Clyde A. Boynton, commander, and signed by John E, Sumner, adjutant, it suggested the name of Macon poet Sidney Lanier for the "big body of water that will be formed by the Buford Dam across the Chattahoochee River."

It went on: "While Sidney Lanier has always been honored and loved throughout the South, to the best of our knowledge, this would be the first time that an honor, national in scope, would be given to him. To give the name of the poet who wrote the beautiful "Song of the Chattahoochee" to a lake formed by this river, seems to us to be a fitting memorial to Georgia's Sidney Lanier."

Interestingly, the letter did not refer to Lanier's service as a soldier for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

David Coughlin writes: "Naming the Lake for Lanier gained considerable support as that same year the Georgia General Assembly passed a proposal asking the U.S. Congress to name the reservoir after the Georgia poet." But nothing passes through Congress easily. Congressman Phil Landrum took the measure to the Congress in 1954, but it was not until 1955 that it got through the House, and a year later, in 1956, through the Senate. On March 29, 1956, President Eisenhower designed the Buford Lake reservoir as "Lake Sidney Lanier."

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(Next time: more about the namesake of Lake Lanier.)

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 Just Emissions, a firm performing State of Georgia emission testing as certified by the Georgia Clean Air Force (GCAF). Just Emissions eliminates the potential conflict of interest in the test and repair facility by performing only the test, never the needed repairs. For commercial accounts, we offer charge accounts and a single source of record keeping eliminating the need to "scramble" when it is time to purchase vehicle tags. Just Emission offers certified emission testing in minutes by our courteous, trained technicians. In Gwinnett, we are located at the corner of Scenic and Grayson Highways in Lawrenceville. There are also locations at 1830 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta, close to Emory University, and 51 S. Cobb Drive, Marietta, one block south of the Big Chicken. No appointment is needed.

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McLEMORE'S WORLD
11/8: Slip of the tongue

Another great cartoon from Bill McLemore:

UPCOMING
Republicans could lose grip by "politically-correct" stands

Editor, the Forum:

While there probably is a consensus that a true two party government structure is best for the citizens, I think it is premature to start the whining about the Republican domination of our local and state offices (GwinnettForum, October 25, 2005). We survived more than 100 years of Democratic control and we prospered and grew. I would expect similar results from the Republicans.

Surprisingly, the Democrats only need to influence less than 5 percent of Georgians to regain the lost ground. There are 8.8 million people in our state. Of these, 6.5 million are over 18 year of age and eligible to vote. Of those 3.1 million are apathetic and did not vote in 2004. Democrats make the mistake of trying to change that apathy to commitment. Bad strategy.

Consider the 3.4 million who voted: 1.5 million are Democrats and 1.5 million are Republicans. Both are so locked into their political points of view that they will almost always vote for their party's candidate.

The remaining 400,000 independents are the most powerful people in the state because their vote controlled the outcome of every statewide race in 2004 as well as most elections prior to that. If the Democrats stopped trying to be the party of the lunatic left and more closely identified with less than 5 percent of our population, we might end up with a true two party government structure.

The State and County Republicans are trying to do their part to help the Democrats as evidenced by their support of the politically correct candidate over the most competent candidate in the recent House District 106 runoff. Maybe we won't have to wait another 100 years after all.

-- Patrick Malone, Snellville

UPCOMING
New Take 5 theater pass is bargain to visit host of venues

Classics. Comedies. Dramas. Musicals. Those curious about Atlanta's arts scene now have the opportunity to sample a smorgasbord of Metro-Atlanta's professional theatre thanks to the new "Take 5 Theatre Sample Pass," an innovative passport to Atlanta's dynamic theatre scene.

With a purchase of a "Take 5" Pass, patrons may attend one performance at five of the 10 participating theatres. These theatres include 7Stages (Atlanta), Aurora Theatre (Duluth), Actor's Express (Atlanta), Dad's Garage (Atlanta), Georgia Ensemble (Roswell), Georgia Shakespeare (Atlanta), Horizon Theatre Company (Atlanta), Synchronicity Performance Group (Atlanta), Theatre in the Square (Marietta) and True Colors Theater Company (Atlanta).

The cost of each "Take 5 Theatre Sample Pass" is $50 (plus sales tax and service fee) and may be purchased by visiting www.take5atlanta.com.

The "Take 5" Pass is perfect for theater lovers, new residents, college students or as incentives or gifts for employees, teachers and care-givers. Each pass is valid for one year from the time of purchase, and patrons who purchase the pack will have over 50 productions from which to choose.

NOTABLE
County studies adding to tax bill with stormwater fee

Creating a stormwater utility for Gwinnett County is on the minds of the Board of Commissioners these days, as the cost of treating water runoff has become more expensive.

Commission Chairman Charles Bannister says: "To meet this challenge, we have to upgrade our stormwater program to become a full-fledged partner in the Public Utilities department and increase the service level for the public."

County Administrator Jock Connell adds: "Implementing a stormwater utility will not be easy, but we have to get started."

Under the proposed plan, the county would charge stormwater service fees based on the square footage of impervious surface on each parcel of property. The Georgia Supreme Court has said that the amount of impervious surface is the most important factor influencing the cost of stormwater management services.

The fee would be billed in the summer of 2006 along with street lights and other charges that are listed on the property tax bill. A home with 3,517 square feet of impervious surface (building under roof, driveway, etc.) would pay $27.08 the first year. The bill for 2007 would be $49.59 and for 2008 $70.69. For the years 2009 through 2011, the fee would be $86.52. Two-thirds of Gwinnett's homes have less than 3,517 square feet of impervious surface.

Each parcel with more than 100 square feet of impervious area would receive a bill in 2006. According to Public Utilities Director Frank Stephens, during 2006, the DPU will organize a work group representing the citizens, businesses, developers, cities, environmental groups and others that are interested to develop a credits manual. Credits would partially offset the service fee for parcels that contain eligible best management practices, known as BMPs. "A BMP measurably reduces the burden on the public stormwater drainage system," said Stephens. The plan would implement a retroactive credits program in 2007.

The County stormwater system has a huge backlog of needed repairs. Although the County banned use of galvanized steel pipe in 2001, hundreds of miles of this material that were installed before then have been deteriorating and are failing. Also, the state requires watershed protection for both new and older developments, enforced through expensive conditions on discharge permits for reclaimed water. The stormwater utility could generate up to $34 million annually to fix these problems.

RECOMMENDATION
Two recommendations for one book: 1776

Two people suggested the same book in notes to us this week. This from Jones Webb of Lawrenceville: "I'm just getting around to 1776 by David McCullough. It is a very entertaining book to get an appreciation of the trials and risks of our country's birth."

Then Al Swint of Buford sent this in: "The best book I have read recently is 1776 by David McCullough. It is easy to read and kept my interest up in telling the story of the Revolutionary War's early years. Because I enjoyed 1776 so much, I also picked up McCullough's earlier biography of John Adams. Again, McCullough does a great job of telling the story in a very interesting way. I must say that I learned a lot of details about our country's founding fathers."

• An invitation: What Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb
  
  
  

GEORGIA TIDBIT
Francis Palmer Smith was architect of note in earlier year

Francis Palmer Smith was an academic architect in the prevailing tradition of early-20th-century eclecticism. He began his career as an architectural educator and ended his long practice as an architect with a reputation as the most accomplished of his generation in Atlanta.

Photo courtesy Cathedral of St. Philip

He built collegiate buildings for the Georgia Institute of Technology, whose department of architecture he directed from 1909 to 1922; designed traditional homes for conservative clients; pioneered a new popular Modernism in Atlanta through two major skyscrapers in the city in the Art Deco style; and specialized in his late work in church design.

Born in 1886 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Francis Palmer Smith studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his B.S. in architecture in 1907. Smith was called to Atlanta to serve as professor and head of the new architectural school (founded 1908) at Georgia Tech. During the summers, served as draftsman for the architect W. T. Downing. While working for Downing, he met his future partner, Robert Smith Pringle.

In 1922, the partnership of Pringle and Smith was formed and immediately benefited from the rapid growth of architectural development in Atlanta and throughout the South. Smith's earliest ecclesiastical designs date from this period (Grace United Methodist Church on Ponce de Leon Avenue, 1922-23, and the Sunday School of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church).

The firm undertook extensive commercial work, contributing landmark skyscrapers to skylines of cities throughout the Southeast, most notably in Atlanta: the Cox Carlton Hotel (1925) and four office buildings: Norris (1926); Rhodes Haverty (1929); William-Oliver (1930); and W. W. Orr (1930); as well as others in Miami, Jacksonville, and Sarasota, Florida. Coca-Cola commissioned from Pringle and Smith standardized bottling plants.

After Pringle's retirement in 1932, Francis Smith continued to practice on his own. His late work was increasingly on churches including the sanctuary of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, Atlanta (1939-40); the Church of the Good Shepherd, Covington (1951); First Presbyterian Church, Savannah (1956); and Northside Methodist Church, Atlanta (1952-56, by which date his son Henry Howard Smith had joined him in partnership). Francis Smith's career culminated in projects for the Cathedral of St. Philip on Peachtree Road, including the Mikell Memorial Chapel (1947), Hall of Bishops (1955), and the cathedral itself (1960-63), the latter two projects in association with Ayers and Godwin.

This range of work, from domestic to commercial, collegiate to ecclesiastical, marked Francis Smith as one of the preeminent designers of his day in Georgia. His students Ed Ivey and Lewis Crook rivaled his output in quantity, and Philip Shutze surpassed it in reputation within the classical aesthetic. His practice as a church architect complemented the Classicists, led the earliest Modernists and skyscraper builders, and created, throughout the state and region, noteworthy landmarks of eclectic design in the best Beaux Arts tradition.

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
  
  

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Study the words of the Mayflower Compact, Nov. 11, 1620

"In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."

* * * * *

There followed the signatures of 41 of the 102 passengers, 37 of whom were Separatists fleeing religious persecution in Europe. This compact established the first basis in the new world for written laws. Half of the colony failed to survive the first winter, but the remainder lived on and prospered.

• Another invitation: What's your favorite saying? Share with others through GwinnettForum. Send to elliott@gwinnettforum.com.
  

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