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Issue 9.92 | Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 |
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 BIG OPENING: Georgia Perimeter College President Dr. Anthony S. Tricoli flanks the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, as the college opened its Engagement and Service Learning Center last week. Those in the audience rocked from laughter to moments of deep contemplation as President Carter impressed upon them the importance of how sacrificing a small amount of oneself to help others pays off in large ways. Carter shared four short parables to illustrate reasons to participate in civic engagement and service-learning. The point of all four tales, said Carter, is that things unseen such as "peace, love, justice, service, forgiveness, compassion and sacrificial love," are the true measure of success. |
McLEMORE'S
WORLD ARCHIVE FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE _:: IN THE
SPOTLIGHT: Meet a sponsor
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TODAY'S FOCUS DULUTH, Ga., Feb. 26, 2010 -- Gwinnett Ballet Theatre (GBT) will present its retelling of Lewis Carroll's famous Alice in Wonderland, on Saturday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The performances will be held at the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center, Gwinnett Center, in Duluth.
This whimsical
production is full of all the many Alice characters who readers and audiences
have come to love, from Alice herself to The Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit,
the Cheshire Cat, Tiger Lily, and of course, the mad Queen of Hearts and
her Kingdom! The production is danced to classical music favorites, and
the costumes and sets are colorful and imaginative. The first
half of the production will be filled with contemporary works and some
classical favorites. Contemporary pieces created by Norbert Nirewicz and
Robert Dekkers will be joined by new pieces choreographed by GBT company
dancers Lauren Clarke and Tori Thompson. Audiences will also be thrilled
by the beauty of the Balcony Scene Pas de Deux from Prokoviev's Romeo
and Juliet. This famous pas de deux will be danced by GBT instructor and
Kirov Academy graduate Rebecca Crawford and guest dancer Raul Peinado. EEB PERSPECTIVE FEB. 26, 2010 -- In spite of all the bad news we have had about the economy lately, we've been heartened at the continuing array of good news about Gwinnett County. These positive turns come Gwinnett's way because of one major advantage: Gwinnett has positioned itself to overcome adversity through preparing well.
Gwinnett has essentially adopted the Boy Scout attitude: "Be Prepared." This preparation has come primarily because of the foresight several years ago of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, as it launched its Partnership Gwinnett program. While it appeared to be most ambitious at the time, we are now learning that indeed, it was a forward-thinking, but practical program. The Chamber's Partnership program recognized that sitting back and moaning about negative times was not the route to take. Instead, it positioned itself to continually funding positive development activities, recognizing that many communities would be sitting on the sideline complaining, "Woe is me," and therefore, a good time to be in the game. The initial Partnership Gwinnett goal was to create 65,000 new jobs and $5.8 billion in new net wealth in Gwinnett over the five year period beginning in 2008. The continuing announcements of new firms locating in Gwinnett, or of local firms expanding, is welcomed news when we are also hearing of home foreclosures, difficulties in filling offices vacancies, and job losses.
So far, the results of Partnership Gwinnett have been impressive: 112 companies have located or expanded in Gwinnett through 2009, including two Fortune 500 firms. The firms represent $326 million in capital investment, and 5,968 jobs. This doesn't
count several announcements of major importance in 2010. These included
the expansion of Web Industries in Suwanee, a supplier to Boeing; and
the arrival of a new testing laboratory, Qualtex Laboratories to Norcross,
including 125 high wage jobs. While the Partnership program has concentrated on new and expanding industry, it also has included in its objectives the enrichment of the quality of life in Gwinnett County itself. This is seen in its efforts to improve the business climate, create redevelopment strategies, enhance our public schools and post secondary education, integrate minority and foreign-owned firms, provide workforce training facilities, expand English as a Second Language skills of residents, and strengthen the partnership between business, educational institutional and job training programs. Summed up by the current Chamber President, Bartow Morgan, he puts it this way: "Partnership Gwinnett is moving ahead in full force with unprecedented success." He attributes this success to the many Gwinnett investors that support the program. We don't want to discount the problems that many people are having, and the tough times that many businesses are going through. Yet we in Gwinnett are in position for a much quicker recovery moving ahead faster because of the foresight of the Partnership Gwinnett program. It's a commendable achievement in these difficult times. ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today GwinnettForum highlights Precision Planning, Inc., a multi-disciplined design firm based in Lawrenceville, Georgia with a 26-year history of successful projects. In-house capabilities include Architecture; LEED® Project Management; Civil, Transportation and Structural Engineering; Water Resources Engineering; Landscape Architecture; Interior Design; Land and City Planning; Land Surveying; and Grant Administration. PPI has worked diligently to improve the quality of life for Georgia communities through creative, innovative planned developments, through the design of essential infrastructure and public buildings, and through promoting good planning and development principles. Employees and principals are involved in numerous civic, charitable and community based efforts in and around Gwinnett County. For more information, visit our website at www.ppi.us or call 770-338-8103.
McLEMORE'S WORLD ARCHIVE
UPCOMING The Tannery Row Family Day at The Hudgens Center for the Arts has been rescheduled to this Saturday, February 27. Admissions to The Hudgens is free from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. this Saturday, and all exhibits and activities are open to the public. Artists from the Buford artist's colony, Tannery Row, will be present to give demonstrations and will assist with "Make and Take" art projects for the whole family. There will also be a self-guided scavenger hunt for families in the Al Weeks Sculpture Garden. There are three current art exhibits at The Hudgens, including the Herbert Creecy exhibit; the Tannery Row: Selected Works Exhibit; and the Georgia Artists from the Permanent Collection exhibit. The Hudgens is located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in the Gwinnett Civic Center complex. Call 770-623-6002 or visit www.thehudgens.org for more information. Aurora presents A Catered Affair starting March 4 In 2008,
A Catered Affair was performed on Broadway by an all-star cast
for 116 performances. This funny, poignant and oh-so-human tale of love
and marriage begins its magnificent journey into regional theatre with
its post-Broadway debut on March 4 at Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville.
Set in the Bronx in 1953, A Catered Affair chronicles a blue-collar family, the Hurleys, who must decide whether to spend their life savings on a taxicab business or on the wedding of their only daughter. The work is based on Paddy Chayefsky's original teleplay and the Turner Entertainment film that was written by Gore Vidal, A Catered Affair was adapted for the stage by Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein with music and lyrics by John Bucchino. This hit musical was nominated for three Tony awards and 12 Drama Desk awards. Mr. Bucchino joins the Lawrenceville cast on opening night for a post-show discussion and reception After the
March 4 opening, the show will continue through March 28 on Thursday through
Saturdays at 8 p.m., with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Tickets are $16-30. Call 678-226-6222 or visit www.auroratheatre.com.
The Aurora Theatre is located at 128 Pike Street in Lawrenceville. A troupe of young actors will present Twinderella -- a zany twist on Cinderella -- during March in downtown Duluth at the Red Clay Theatre. Charlie Lovett's story of Twinderella is a hilarious and up-to-date spin on Cinderella, complete with enchanted gerbils, a glass slipper and a muddy cleat. We've all never heard about Bob, the long lost twin brother. They live in the same kingdom, but with different wicked stepfamilies. Cinderella's cruel stepmother and evil stepsisters make her rotate tires and polish bowling trophies, while Bob's evil stepfather and cruel stepbrothers force him to make dried herb wreaths and organize their sock drawers. Performed by experienced young actors from Gwinnett County, this play will delight audiences with humor suitable for all ages. Show dates are March 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20 with performances on weeknights and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $8 and will be available at the door and by calling 770-573-9529 to order, or visit www.theActorsEdge.com. The Red Clay Theater is located at 3116 Main Street, Duluth. The Actor's Edge provides of high quality and affordable dramatic arts instruction for aspiring young actors and adults in the Atlanta area. Programs run throughout the school year in 12-week sessions. Their popular Summer Drama Camps will run from June 7-July 30, 2010. NOTABLE Organizers of the Greater Lilburn Business Expo are expecting another sellout and a repeat of last year's successful first time event. With over 100 exhibitors, co-directors Kim King and Diana Preston are working with school business and technology teachers and students to produce the event.
Accounting Teacher Barry Larimore and Future Business Leader sponsor Gale Green are recruiting "student ambassadors" to help exhibitors get set up on Event Day. Berkmar students are also promoting the event in their neighborhoods. According to Ms. King, "The Lilburn Business Expo provides an excellent opportunity for local business to network among themselves as well as with the public. I am very excited with the enthusiasm that the local business owners have shown in signing up and the door prizes they are giving away are great." The Greater Lilburn Business Expo will be held in the Berkmar High School gym at 405 Pleasant Hill Rd. from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., March 4. Admission is free. Go to www.lilburnexpo.com for more information. Meanwhile, graphic design students in Berkmar teacher Gerry Patureau's class are seeing their work in lights thanks to a collaborative effort with Clear Channel Outdoor billboard company. The company is providing advertising space on a digital billboard for the student produced designs. Four students submitted designs and Clear Channel graphic designers took elements from each of the designs to complete the final product. According to Patureau, "the students are really excited to have the opportunity to see their efforts in lights on U.S. Highway 29." Lawrenceville student Named Gwinnett Tech GOAL winner Tai Le,
a radiologic technology student from Lawrenceville, is the winner of Gwinnett
Technical College's 2010 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL).
The Technical College System of Georgia sponsors the GOAL program, which
recognizes outstanding technical college students and honors excellence
in academics and leadership. Local GOAL winners are selected at each of
the state's 26 technical colleges.
A 4.0 student,
Le is recognized on campus for her academic skills and leadership qualities,
as well as her passion for her field and her love of learning. RECOMMENDED
"You can't judge a book by its cover, and that goes for Olive Kitteridge the book, and Olive Kitteridge, the woman. Olive the book and Olive the woman also demonstrate the power of perspective. Like many of us, and depending on whom you ask, Olive can be loathsome, stoic, soft, stubborn, forgiving and admirable. She is worthy of contempt and admiration. She doesn't show all of her cards, and perhaps even she doesn't know them. The book is a series of inter-connected short stories, set in Maine. At first I wasn't sure what to make of either Olive -- the book or the woman. Both grew on me with each turn of the page. It was fun and enlightening to meet Olive through her community and then in a more immediate sense. I'm not sure it was only my sense of Olive that grew. Perhaps Olive was growing as well."
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
Lachlan McIntosh, a member of a prominent 18th-century Scottish Highland family that was among the earliest settlers of the Georgia colony, played an important role in the cause of American independence. He distinguished himself in a career that evolved over three critical periods in the state's early history---from colonial to revolutionary to statehood. McIntosh County, on the Georgia coast, is named in honor of his family.
McIntosh arrived in Georgia from Scotland at age 8, part of a group of Scots settlers led by his father, John McIntosh Mohr, who established the town of Darien in 1736. When his father was captured by the Spanish and imprisoned in 1740, McIntosh lived at Bethesda, the orphanage near Savannah under the direction of the Reverend George Whitefield. Two years later he left Bethesda on orders from General James Oglethorpe to serve as a cadet in the military regiment at Fort Frederica. In 1748 the 21-year-old McIntosh established residence in Charles Town (modern-day Charleston), where he was employed by South Carolina merchant Henry Laurens, the individual who played the most influential role in guiding McIntosh in his career as a businessman and a leading player in Georgia's movement toward independence. In 1756 he married Sarah Threadcraft of South Carolina. McIntosh then returned to Georgia, where he acquired acreage in the Altamaha River delta, planted rice in partnership with Laurens, and in 1767 surveyed the town of Darien established by his forebears 30 years earlier. In January 1775, he helped organize delegates to the Provincial Congress from the Darien District of St. Andrew Parish. McIntosh served during the Revolutionary War (1775-83), and by January 1776 he held the rank of colonel. He organized the defense of Savannah and repelled a British assault at the Battle of the Rice Boats in the Savannah River. Promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the Continental army, McIntosh laid plans for the defense of Georgia's southern flank from British incursions from Florida. He became embroiled in a political dispute with Button Gwinnett, who wanted the command of the Georgia forces and was resentful of McIntosh's success and advancement. The animosity between McIntosh and Gwinnett came to a head on May 16, 1777, when both men were wounded in a pistol duel in Sir James Wright's pasture outside Savannah. McIntosh recovered, but Gwinnett died of his wound three days later. Although McIntosh was acquitted at the ensuing trial, feelings among Gwinnett's supporters ran so high that McIntosh was forced to leave Georgia. He served with General George Washington at Valley Forge, Pa., in the difficult winter of 1778, then was assigned to the important command of the Western Department. With Washington's support, McIntosh was entrusted with leading an expedition against Britain's Indian allies in the Ohio Valley. McIntosh established two forts, Fort Laurens and Fort McIntosh, which helped solidify American control of the Northwest after the Revolution. After returning to Georgia in 1779, McIntosh helped organize the unsuccessful attempt to retake Savannah from the British in October. McIntosh was an organizer of the Georgia Society of the Cincinnati, a delegate to the Continental Congress from Georgia in 1784, and a commissioner representing his state during the settling of the boundary dispute between Georgia and South Carolina in 1787. He died on February 20, 1806, shortly before his 80th birthday. 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
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TODAY'S QUOTE "A successful
man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown
at him."
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 |
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