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Issue 10.09 | Friday, April 30, 2010 |
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McLEMORE'S
WORLD ARCHIVE FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE _:: IN THE
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TODAY'S FOCUS LAWRENCEVILLE,
Ga., April 30, 2010 -- On a clear, cold January night in 1986, a group
of purpose-minded people gathered in the banquet room at Northwood Country
Club to set sail on a journey. Those who gathered that night would rather
not have been there, not because they weren't of good heart, but because
their hearts were still mending from the loss of friend, brother, and
son -- Terry Franklin Barker -- at the all-too-young age of 26.
Born in 1959 and raised in Gwinnett County, Terry lived most of his life in the Duluth and Lilburn areas. While attending Berkmar High School, Terry joined the school newspaper staff and became the sports editor. He developed a passion for journalism. Terry's
other passion was the University of Georgia Bulldogs. He began college
at UGA and completed two years there before leaving to take a job at Graphic
Communications Corporation in Lawrenceville. While working at Graphic,
Terry transferred to Georgia State University to continue his education.
After only
a few months in his dream job, Terry began to experience chronic stomach
pain which was soon diagnosed as stomach cancer. Less than three months
after the diagnosis, Terry passed away in November 1985. Before Terry
left us, his friends Marc and Brenda Cain had a conversation with him
about the possibility of establishing a scholarship in his name. Journalism
students at UGA would be the beneficiaries and a golf tourney would be
the vehicle to raise the funds. Later a scholarship was established at
Georgia State University also. Through the efforts of Terry's friends and family, two scholarships have been fully endowed, and more than 45 young people have received financial aid to pursue the career in journalism that was Terry's dream. During the first tournament, a writer asked Terry's dad, Bob Barker, what Terry would say if he suddenly appeared to see the proceedings. His dad replied, "He would smile, shake his head and say simply….unbelievable!" Tournament Committee members include Kent Cain, Brett Tuggle, Chuck Underwood, Scott Tuggle, Hoyt Tuggle, Marie Tuggle, Brad Mohler, Steve Corley and Tina Barker Woodall. EEB PERSPECTIVE APRIL 30, 2010 -- We were among a group getting one of the first tours of the new $71 million Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology (GSMST) Tuesday. The five story, 464,000 square foot charter school is located near the center of the county off Old Norcross Road near Sugarloaf Parkway. It's a short walk through the woods from the Scientific Atlanta campus. The new facility will open for students in August.
The building itself is awesome and beautiful, but it's what will go on inside the building that amazes someone not familiar with modern schools. It will eventually house 1,200 students who must apply through a lottery system. Students get a "gee-whiz" atmosphere where savvy teachers will employ the most modern of techniques, involving different levels of media in their instruction in "smart" classrooms. Each student is given a personal laptop computer to use to plug into the hard-wired work tables, and to submit homework to teachers. The school has modern labs and extra-curricular spaces, but no athletic competition. The first GSMST class will graduate in 2011, since for the last three years, classes have been held in Duluth for the current enrollment of 350. The initial classes have already achieved well, with 100 percent of the current 11th graders passing the Georgia High School Writing Test, and 40 percent of these exceeding the standards. Other honors have come to these students, in such areas as debate, essay competition, fine arts, and of course, math. For instance, GSMST students have:
Meanwhile, one reason that GSMST students excel is that they tackle tough subjects, in seven classes a day. In the first two years, the class of 2011 took 430 Advanced Placement tests. By the time most of these students are in their senior year, half their classes will be AP classes. As at other schools, there are the standard core requirements, but then the instruction can go into "Stem" electives, in science, technology, engineering and math. There are other electives from classical piano to art and languages. Dr. Jeff Matthews, the GSMST principal (once at Parkview) notes that this is a Charter School. This allows the school to be exempt from some state rules, and to have a different manner of achieving results. He says that another distinguishing aspect is that each junior takes a Junior Fellowship, while seniors have a "capstone experience." There are 50 companies and colleges, who have professionals working with GSMST students. Students come from all parts of the county. They can catch the regular school bus to their home area high school, then transfer to another bus to the campus. On the return, GSMST students catch a later middle school bus to their home, giving them a slightly longer school day. (This way School of Technology students can be accommodated with no increase in transportation cost.) While the new technology school concentrates on a different approach to education, Gwinnett teachers at virtually every school are using sophisticated technology in their classrooms. And high achievements can be found in every Gwinnett school. You'll be pleased and surprised at what the new Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology is already achieving, and will present to even more students next year. ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
Today's sponsor is the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. From answering your questions and providing a host of useful information, to promoting growth in our county, there are people working every day to help make Gwinnett a place where businesses thrive and success lives. For more detail, go to www.gwinnettchamber.org.
McLEMORE'S WORLD ARCHIVE
FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: As a long
time resident of Lawrenceville (formerly of DeKalb), I'm fearful of what
Gwinnett County's airport privatization and expansion will do to the quality
of life in the county. 2) Airports aren't known to attract nice businesses. What types of businesses are usually found around airports? Of course, car rental places, but also strip clubs, "spas", and other undesirable businesses. These not only devalue the surrounding properties even more, but attract crime and prostitution. 3) An airport
will bring jobs to the area, but what kind? Relatively low paying ones
- baggage handlers, rental car workers and ticket agents. The county needs
to do things to attract high wage earners - ones who will support the
local shops and restaurants and contribute to society instead of be a
burden on it. The high wage earners don't want to live in the flight path
of an airport! They will move off to Forsyth or North Fulton. (I'm sure
those Forsyth/Fulton residents would love to have an airport in Gwinnett
for their convenience; they just don't want to live near it!)
Finds fault with the way questions put in airport poll Editor, the Forum: A recently
released poll of Gwinnett County residents, sponsored by the firm which
hopes to take the Gwinnett County airport private, purports to show residents
strongly in favor of such a move. As with all advocacy polls, however,
it is a good idea to examine how objective the questions are, and if the
poll measures what it is reported to measure.
UPCOMING The public
is invited to tour The Shoal Creek Water Filter Plant on Saturday, May
1, to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the Federal Safe Drinking Water
Act. Free kites for kids in downtown Norcross on May 8 Saturday, May 8, is time for Kids 'n Kites in Norcross. Bring your kids, your grandkids, and/or your inner child for an afternoon of free kite-flying fun in Lillian Webb Park. The City will be giving away free kite kits for the kids. They can create a kite and learn to fly it! Or bring your own kite and join the fun. There's plenty of room for everyone to launch their creations and watch them fly. The event will take place in the city's new four-acre park, located one block from downtown Norcross. That Saturday, visitors to the park will see kite making, an exhibit of unusual kites, including some once used for military purposes, and a kite-flying exhibition. Some of the kites will be so large, they require two people to fly! Kite experts from the Suburban Atlanta Kite Enthusiasts (SAKE) will be on hand to talk about the history of these wind-propelled wonders, and to give tips on how to launch your own version. The cascading fountains will be running and if the water is warm enough, kids can play in the splash pad. Bring a blanket and a picnic, or simply walk the short distance downtown for lunch at any of the city's restaurants. For additional information, visit www.aplacetoimagine.com. NOTABLE Two seniors from Gwinnett County were among a group of 15 Georgia high school students honored as 2010 Promising Scholars by the Honors Program's Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) at the University of Georgia. They are Alexis Garcia of Duluth, who is a senior at Wesleyan School, and Connor Sweetnam of Suwanee, who is a senior at St. Pius X Catholic High School. This is the sixth year that the CURO Promising Scholars Program has extended invitations for a two-day campus visit to academically outstanding seniors from Georgia high schools. The visit included roundtable and panel discussions about academic and research expectations as well as attending the 2010 CURO symposium, where more than 200 UGA undergraduates presented their research projects in late March. The Promising Scholars also had the opportunity to interact with current freshmen and sophomores who participate in CURO's Apprentice Program. The Honors Program's Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities was created to foster a culture of inquiry by providing opportunities for undergraduates to be engaged in research guided and supported by faculty mentors. For more information, visit www.uga.edu/honors/ and click on CURO. The Help winner of 2010 Townsend Prize for best fiction Kathryn Stockett, author of the bestseller The Help, has won the 2010 Townsend Prize for Fiction. The prize is administered by the Writers Institute of Georgia Perimeter College.
The Townsend Prize is presented to the Georgia writer judged to have published the best book of fiction in the previous two years. The award honors the legacy of Jim Townsend, founder of Atlanta magazine. Co-sponsors include The Georgia Center for the Book, The Atlanta Writers Club and the Margaret Mitchell House. The Help, about black domestic servants working in white Southern households in the early 1960s, has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 54 weeks. Dreamworks has acquired the rights to turn the book into a film. Stockett's mother accepted the prize on her daughter's behalf last week at the Margaret Mitchell House. Human Services honor 100 Gwinnettians at volunteer luncheon
Gwinnett County's Health and Human Services Division honored approximately 100 people at its annual Volunteer luncheon on April 22. The lunch was hosted and provided by Garden Plaza at Lawrenceville. Shawn Valadez, newly promoted Resource and Marketing Specialist, addressed the volunteers, "We could not achieve the things we do without you." The volunteer program of Gwinnett County Human Services is invaluable, since the dedicated service provided 50,000 hours which exceeded the fair market value of $1 million for 2009. The range of projects is endless to volunteer for Gwinnett Health and Human Services.
Marjorie Shuler coordinates the meals on wheels volunteers from the Harmony Grove United Methodist Joy Club. She has been volunteering for at least 15 years. Criket Marbury from the Friendship Corners Community in Buford has been delivering meals to seniors in their homes for over 10 years. Pete Stamsen from the Lawrenceville Lions Club organizes vision and hearing screenings to seniors at the Lawrenceville Senior Center. RECOMMENDED
"Nathanael Greene is one historical figure who had a key role in America's independence. He commanded George Washington's southern Army the last years of the war, winning the countryside, even though he lost several battles. A native Rhode Islander, he also paid personally for supplies for his troops, and ended the war broke. His last days were in Georgia, as the state rewarded him with a plantation (where after Greene's death, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin) for his efforts to rid the state of the British. Gerald M. Carbone has written a stirring account of Greene's military record, one well worth reading." --eeb
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
To convert live chickens into a saleable product, Georgia companies have employed workers in processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills, and chicken-catching crews. Initially, the plants employed mostly rural white women and some African Americans, as well as white farmers and construction workers during the off-season. Though processing work allowed farm women to earn a cash income, the pay was low and the work highly repetitive, unhealthy, and dangerous. In some Gainesville plants in the early 1970s, annual employee turnover rates approached 400 percent.
Conditions in some plants led to attempts at unionization. In the early 1950s a majority of workers at J. D. Jewell voted for representation by the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen, though violent attacks on union representatives pushed back the union drive. At Mar-Jac, in Gainesville, workers secured a union contract. Several other north Georgia plants were unionized, and truck drivers at several Gainesville feed mills signed up with the Teamsters Union. Chicken growing in Georgia has changed dramatically since the 1930s. Because of improving technology, advances in poultry science, and the need for constant refinancing to modernize chicken houses, the number of growers has shrunk. In Hall County only one-sixth of the number of contract growers in 1950 produced six times as many chickens in 1997. Whereas early agreements were often verbal, everything now revolves around a detailed written contract, applied to one flock of birds at a time. According to the Georgia Poultry Federation, the average return on investment while growers are paying off their mortgages ranges from 4.5 to 7 percent. But there is no guarantee that an integrator will continue to contract with growers. The resulting insecurity has led Georgia growers to band together to bolster their bargaining power with the integrators. North Georgia growers formed the Georgia Contract Poultry Growers Association. In south Georgia growers joined the United Poultry Growers Association. In the 1950s Georgia companies began turning to exports to contend with overproduction and the need to sell a surplus of dark meat. They initially succeeded in Germany, but after a disastrous trade war, integrators turned to Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. Later, Georgia companies began exporting to the former Soviet Union and China. By 2001 Georgia exported poultry worth more than $308 million annually, more than any other state. The USA Poultry and Egg Export Council is located in Stone Mountain.
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TODAY'S QUOTE "The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish."
If you have delayed ordering the history of Gwinnett published in 2009, there are only two copies left. Most fast to secure your copy of Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta. Call 770 840 1003 to reserve your copy! Hurry. No second printing is anticipated. Get this local bestseller before the supply is exhausted! 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:
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