|
Insert your email for free automatic
delivery |
|
|
|
Issue 9.91 | Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 |
Forward to your friends!  |
 HONORED DEAD: Many Gwinnettians may have visited European cities and not realized that an American military cemetery was near. This is a cemetery in Cambridge, England, where 3,812 Americans are buried. For a list of these cemeteries, read Elliott Brack's perspective below. |
FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE _:: IN THE
SPOTLIGHT: Meet a sponsor
|
SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM |
|
TODAY'S FOCUS LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., Feb. 23, 2010 -- It won't be quite as fast as NASCAR but a bed race around the Historic Lawrenceville Courthouse promises to be as much fun as the big race, and an exciting fundraiser to help homeless children and their families locally. A bed race is among the daylong events planned April 17 by Family Promise of Gwinnett County to mark five years of serving Gwinnett County's homeless one family at a time. A March 31 deadline is approaching to enter a bed-racing team. The bed race and festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Historic Lawrenceville Courthouse in Lawrenceville. A Moonlight Gala fundraiser will finish the day from 7 until 11 p.m. at 550 Trackside, 550 N. Clayton St., Lawrenceville.
Karen Olson, founder and president of Family Promise of Summit, N.J., is expected to speak at both events as is Lawrenceville Mayor Rex A. Millsaps. Five-person teams from colleges, businesses, churches and other organizations are expected to compete. The 228-yard route starts on Perry Street, takes a left at Crogan and then a left onto Clayton Street for the finish. The three streets will be briefly closed as up to 40 teams push what once were beds but have been transformed into competitive racers. Cost to enter a team is $100 and teams can find sponsors to pay the fee or more. Complete rules and entry forms are available at www.familypromisegwinnett.org. Awards will be given for fastest bed, funniest bed, most original bed, and a special merit award for fundraising.
The Moonlight Gala at7 p.m. at the 550 Trackside Center may feel like an evening at the beach with music from the Sons of Sailors, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band. Also expect to hear some Motown and other music. Tickets are $75 a person. There will be dinner, dancing, music, a live auction and a silent auction. For tickets and more information on both events go to www.familypromisegwinnett.org or contact Gala co-sponsors Carol Ray at 770-712-3740 or Julia Davis at 404-641-7976 Sponsors of the daylong event include Gwinnett Federal Credit Union, Gwinnett Magazine, Rudolph Foods, and Act1 Sales and Marketing. The mission of Family Promise of Gwinnett County is to mobilize communities of congregations that partner with social service agencies to end homelessness -- one family at a time. Family Promise of Gwinnett County, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)3, interfaith organization for families in transition. Part of a national network, Family Promise of Gwinnett County is one of more than 139 networks in 39 states. There are over 4,500 congregations and 110,000 volunteers making up these networks. The Gwinnett
County organization's mission is achieved by focusing resources on just
four families at a time. Currently, the average stay in the network is
76 days and 75 percent of the families graduate the program with full-time
employment and permanent housing. EEB PERSPECTIVE FEB. 23, 2010 -- Cemeteries are sacred places. They are the final resting place for our fore bearers, our friends and acquaintances, and many others we have never known. Such grounds are also a delight to visit, to read the tombstones of the departed, learn a little history, or just understand more about them, often by just reading the spelling of their names, or by realizing the dates these people lived.
Some cemeteries, sadly, are in disrepair, with unmarked graves, or overturned or damaged tombstones. Some grow up with vines and are virtually abandoned. In Gwinnett County, we are fortunate in that one person, Alice McCabe, made it her job to record as many of the graveyards she could, many virtually hidden. She and the Gwinnett Historical Society published 750-page book, Gwinnett County, Ga.: Deaths 1818-1989. It is a valuable book, listing the dates taken from many obscure tombstones in Gwinnett. One of the most interesting cemeteries in this area is Oakland Cemetery, east of downtown Atlanta. If you have never been there, take the occasion to visit. Even better, there are experts who can tour you through the cemetery, giving you amazing details of this beautiful area. For more details, or tours, visit http://www.oaklandcemetery.com.
Today's 48 acre Oakland Cemetery was established only in 1850. It has a beautiful tree canopy of oak, magnolia and dogwood, complemented with camellia, azalea and other flowering shrubs, a haven from the nearby hustle and bustle. It's the final resting place of 70,000 persons, including 7,000 of both Confederate and Union soldiers, who died during the Civil War. We got to thinking of cemeteries when we got an email from a friend who sent us photographs of American Cemeteries in Europe. While we had visited one or two of these cemeteries, we had also been near some places that have American cemeteries, but we did not realize it at the time, so did not visit them. Therefore, if you are headed to Europe any time soon, consider visiting the cemeteries where there are American buried. Here's a list:
That's a total of 104,366 American military buried overseas. All of us should visit these cemeteries when on European journeys. ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. The Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District was formed in mid-2006, and is a self taxing revitalization district that includes over 525 commercial property owners with a property value of over $1 billion dollars. Gwinnett Village CID includes the southwestern part of Gwinnett County including properties along Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Buford Highway, Indian Trail, Beaver Ruin, and Singleton Road. Gwinnett Village is the third CID to be created in Gwinnett County and is the largest of all 13 CID's in the state. Gwinnett Village's mission is to improve property values through increased security, a decrease in traffic congestion, and general improvements to the curb appeal of the area. For more information visit www.gwinnettvillage.com or call 770-449-6515.
FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: A distinguished neighbor in Snellville died the other day. He was Raymond Williams, a kind and very soft spoken man. He was a behind-the-scene man, someone the minister would call when there was a problem at the church, or someone who would come to you with a way to work out a problem. Raymond was the one to call when you needed to know where someone was buried in the Snellville Historical Cemetery. He was once chairman of the board of deacons of the First Baptist Church, and was chairman of the trustees of that church. He was active on the Baptist Church foundations that found location for new churches in Gwinnett County. He also served on the Snellville City Council in the 1940s. In the 1950s, Mr. Williams was part of the group to get the first doctor to move to Snellville. This was the Snellville community Health Association, where he served as president, and later secretary and treasurer. He was on this board for 30 years. The group built and furnished a home for the first doctor, with an office next to the home. In recent years, he had moved to near Watkinsville to be close to his sons and daughters. He was a good man and we will miss him.
Rob Ponder's grandmother
one of nation's oldest persons Rob Ponder of Duluth has an extra reason to be proud of his grandmother. She was celebrated in the February 22 issue of TIME Magazine! Onie Ponder is 111 1/2 years old. As of Feb. 18, Mrs. Ponder is the 15th oldest person in the United States and the 34th oldest in the world, according to a certified list of Guinness records.
Mrs. Ponder
lives in Ocala, Fla. and according to Rob, her favorite place to be taken
for dinner is Longhorn Steak House. No dietary restrictions for her!!
She consumes red meat, dairy, gluten, peanuts, etc. She even drinks alcohol
in moderation.
UPCOMING Commissioner Donald Tong, Hong Kong commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs in the United States, will be the featured speaker at the quarterly Gwinnett Global Business connection on March 1 at 11:30 a. m. at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Tong is the most senior representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in North America. As commissioner, he directs the Hong Kong government's efforts in promoting U.S.-Hong Kong economic and trade ties, and constituency-building activities in the U.S. He also oversees the work of the three Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in Washington, New York and San Francisco. During lunch with Commissioner Tong, the audience will learn:
The luncheon price is $15 for Partnership Gwinnett members; $20 for Chamber members; and $25 for non members. For reservations, contact Lindsay Myers, economic development coordinator, at lindsay@gwinnettchamber.org or by telephone at (678 957-4944. Braselton Library aims Friday night program at youngsters Young library patrons are encouraged to wear their pajamas and bring blankets to a family learning opportunity Friday evening at the Braselton Library. The library
staff will read a favorite Dr. Seuss book, then all can view the animated
movie, Up, following the reading. Events begin at 6 p.m. Space is limited at the Braselton Library. The staff asks for advanced registration at its 132 West Broadway location. Library rules prohibit food from being brought. For additional information, telephone 706-654-1992. NOTABLE What do
bacon, ice cream, and peanut butter have in common? They're not just tasty
treats---they're also sources of fats, oil, and grease, also known as
FOG. Although it adds extra flavor to your food, pouring FOG down the
drain can leave a real mess in Gwinnett County's sewer system so the County
created a public education program called "Unclog The FOG."
Jeff Boss,
Director of Field Operations in Gwinnett County's Water Resources Department,
says: "The goal of our FOG program is to inform residents about the
effects of pouring fats, oils, and grease down the drain. Better education
will help residents save money and protect natural resources by preventing
blockages in the sewer system. Over the years, we've significantly reduced
the number of overflows in our system, but we're still somewhat plagued
by FOG-caused overflows and backups. More than 70 percent of our overflows
and 90 percent of the backups into homes and buildings are caused by FOG." To find FOG-related materials, check out the website www.unclogthefog.com. If you'd like Secret Agent H20 to speak to your class, club or organization, please e-mail SecretAgentH20@gwinnettcounty.com. Suwanee seeks creativity for 27th Annual Suwanee Day logo WANTED: Creative t-shirt designs to make a real fashion statement and serve as the official logo of the 2010 Suwanee Day festival, the 27th annual. Printed and JPEG formats required. Bold, colorful, fun, creative concepts preferred. Apply online at www.suwaneeday.com by the June 1 deadline. Compensation: Satisfaction and $500 for the winning design. In addition
to being printed on t-shirts, the winning design will be used on Suwanee
Day festival posters as well as other promotional materials. Digitally
created designs and original artwork - including paintings, drawings,
and photographs - will be accepted. Last year, the Suwanee Day committee received 80 design entries from 64 individuals. Shannon Scheels of Suwanee won the competition. This year's Suwanee Day festival is September 18 at Town Center Park. Approximately 40,000 people attend the festival each year.
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
Alexander Bruce (1835-1927) and Thomas Henry Morgan (1857-1940) formed the successor firm to the highly successful architectural firm of Parkins and Bruce in Atlanta in 1882. Much like its predecessor, Bruce and Morgan (1882-1904) was the most successful architectural business in Georgia. Its multi-state practice was based, in part, on a new concept of specialization. The two partners also led the way in promoting professionalization in their field. Although the firm designed all types of structures from a small "baby" cottage at the Methodist Orphanage in Decatur (1899) to the massive Queen Anne style Wigwam Hotel in Indian Springs (1890), it specialized in large civic or educational buildings in its early years. Most of these were picturesque in nature, often combining elements of the Romanesque revival, Queen Anne, Second Empire, and even Gothic revival. The 1883 Walton County Courthouse, for example, has a Second Empire Mansard roof, Italianate style eaves and brackets, Romanesque arches, Eastlake turned posts on a one-story porch, and an almost classical symmetry. A second area of specialization was the design of public schools and colleges across several southern states. These were usually symmetrical in plan with great bell towers, terra-cotta decorations, and an array of Romanesque arches. Excellent examples are the Administration Building for the Georgia Institute of Technology (1888) in Atlanta and the main building for Agnes Scott College (1889) in Decatur. After 1895, however, Morgan led the way as a noted designer of steel-frame skyscrapers, especially in Atlanta. As one writer commented, "Atlanta is largely an office building city, and it was [Thomas Henry] Morgan who shaped its character." Notable skyscrapers by the firm before Bruce's retirement in 1904 were the Grant Building (1898), W. W. Austell Building (1898), Century Building (1902), and Fourth National Bank Building (1904). Morgan continued as a major regional architect, with other partners, until 1930. Finally, both Alexander Bruce (one of the first fellows of the American Institute of Architects to practice in Georgia) and Thomas Henry Morgan played a major role in the early efforts to professionalize architecture in Georgia. Both served as president of the ill-fated Southern Chapter of the AIA (established 1891), and Morgan later became the first president of the 1906 Atlanta Chapter. For several years, Morgan also served as editor of the Atlanta-based Southern Architect, a champion of architectural professionalization in the state and region. CREDITS GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more. Send
your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves or comments on any issue
to Gwinnett Forum for future
publication.
UNSUBSCRIBE We hope you'll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, click here. © 2010, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. |
CORRECTION
Boyoboy! Are we red-faced! Six letters under what is Rudy Bowen's photo in Friday's Forum incorrectly identified the newly-elected 7th District representative on the Transportation Board. It should have read "Bowen," but unfortunately read "Perdue." Rudy's not the governor yet! We apologize to both men. -- eeb TODAY'S QUOTE "If you stay ready, you ain't got to get ready."
Those interested in the history of Gwinnett need to know that the recently published book: Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta, has sold fast, with the first editions about sold out. Get yours before they're gone. Go to http://www.elliottbrack.com/ to order, or buy the book at a local bookstore shown on the site. The books are available at:
MORE RECENT COMMENTARY
FOR CHARITY. You can give "A Gift of Laughter," a great book of cartoons by Bill McLemore, to help raise money for Rainbow Village. At just $20, it's a fun way to help. To order, call 770-497-1888, or email to info@gwinnettforum.com. ABOUT US GwinnettForum.com is a twice-weekly online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. Contact us today. SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
© 2001-2010, Gwinnett Forum.com is Gwinnett County's online community forum for commentary that explores pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. PHONE: 770.840.1003 |
|
To
reach more people, Gwinnett County is taking the show on the road. County
staff participated in the McKendree Elementary Science Fair recently and
spoke to 10 second grade classes about the effects of FOG. With characters
like Secret Agent H20, Fats Fiend, Oil Offender and the Grease Goblin,
the students were entertained as well as informed. That evening, when
students returned for the science fair, their parents said they had been
discussing the topic at home as a result of the morning presentations.
Bowen
