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Issue 11.04 | Tuesday, April 12, 2011 TODAY'S FOCUS ELLIOTT BRACK'S PERSPECTIVE McLEMORE'S
WORLD FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE _:: IN THE
SPOTLIGHT: Meet a sponsor _:: LAGNIAPPE: Savannah port wins award |
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TODAY'S FOCUS DAHLONEGA, Ga., April 12, 2011 -- Retired Army Colonel Gerald Lord, a native of Lawrenceville, was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame at North Georgia College and State University on April 9, at the NGCSU Alumni Association's annual awards ceremony.
Alumni Hall of Fame inductees have distinguished themselves through outstanding professional careers or outstanding contributions to community service. Colonel Lord is the recipient of the one award presented each year. Lord is a 1956 graduate of Lawrenceville High School and graduated from North Georgia in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in physical education as a Distinguished Military Graduate. Upon graduation, he was commissioned into the U.S. Army as an infantry officer. He later earned a master's degree in history from Kansas State University. Lord also attended the Army War College and many other military schools throughout his career. Lord served in the U.S. Army for 30 years in a variety of positions including commander of the 19th Combat Aviation Battalion, staff officer at the Pentagon, and commander of three military bases, including Fort McPherson in Atlanta. During his military career, he also served as professor of military science at North Georgia College. He served a two-year term in Vietnam. His military awards and decoration include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Master Army Aviator Badge, Ranger Tab, and other awards.
Colonel Lord was deeply involved in the master plan and expansion of the campus, and with building Owen Hall, through the use of revenue generated by the enterprise funds. He also supervised the construction and privatizing of the parking deck and recreation center. (The parking deck was built under the recreation center.) Lord was responsible for purchasing smaller pieces of real estate in downtown Dahlonega and expanded campus parking. He oversaw the expansion of the campus of more than 200 acres across the Morrison Moore Parkway, and oversaw the development of recreational fields from private enterprises. Lord currently serves as a member of the Dahlonega City Council and volunteers with several community organizations. In 2003, he was awarded the Dahlonega Nugget newspaper's Magnificent Seven Award, which recognizes citizens who give unselfishly of themselves to improve the quality of life for the community. He is married to Kay Norton Lord. They have one son, Capt. Jonathan Lord, a graduate of the Air Force Academy, who is serving in the U.S. Army, most recently as a company commander at Fort Benning. Gerald Lord is the brother of Mrs. Myron (Janice) Bullock of Lawrenceville and of Stanley Lord of Lawrenceville. His parents were the late Mr. and Mrs. Homer (Carlee) Lord of Lawrenceville. EEB PERSPECTIVE APRIL 12, 2011 -- You won't recognize what was once Harry's Fresh Market building on Satellite Boulevard. It's no longer a food outlet, and it's hard to imagine, but now it is a school of aviation maintenance.
That's right, the 111,000 square foot building now houses the Aviation Institute of Maintenance, one of 10 related schools around the country. Gwinnett is the largest of the for-profit firm that runs the schools, with nearly 500 students taking courses on the Duluth campus from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. at night. The firm first opened at Gwinnett's Briscoe Field initially in 1998, when there was no school of this type in the South. Eventually, the school was located in five different buildings at the airport, and its students' cars were jamming the airport parking. As the Harry's location was available, the school moved to the Satellite Boulevard site. There's no need for the Institute to be at an airport, since it teaches aircraft maintenance, and doesn't need a runway. The high ceilings at the building allow for a hangar-type back entrance for the 10 airplanes or helicopters in varying stages of instruction readiness that are used as teaching tools. Director Reggie Baker has been with the Institute since 2004, and moved the Institute to the Harry's location last November. Students, who are often in their 20s and 30s, come to the school from all over the nation, though about three-fourths live permanently in the Atlanta area. "Many of our students are filling up the available apartments near the Institute," he notes. He says that the Institute could eventually instruct a student body of 1,600 students at this location.
The training is not inexpensive. The full 16-term Airframe course (of five weeks each) course takes 18 months to complete, plus there's an additional four terms (six months) needed to complete the Avionics (electronics and systems) component. The total cost is about $40,000. Students are eligible for Pell Grants, and the Institute is an accredited Title IV institution. Graduates of the programs earn between $15-30 per hour, depending on their experience, locations and firms employing them. We talked with Mark Stevens, who commutes to the school from Madison County, and is in his 12th term (of 20) at the school. He's the president of the Student Council, and directed us around the building. Also on hand was Jeff Campbell of Covington, vice president of the Student Council, in his 10th term. "Our classes are small," Mark told us, "Between 10-25 students, depending on the course. The instructors work closely with you." Jeff adds: "There's about a 50-50 split between lecture and hands-on instruction." Other AIM campuses are located in Dallas and Houston, Tex.; Manassas and Chesapeake, Va.; Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Mo., Oakland, Calif. and Orlando, Fla. Once students graduate, but before they can work on airplanes, the students are expected to get their Federal Aviation Administration certification. At least 98 per cent pass such tests. Baker points
out: "One person can clear for flying a big jet which carries 800
passengers. We take seriously this responsibility, wanting our students
to excel in their work for the safety of the passengers." ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
McLEMORE'S WORLD
FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: You failed to mention that Sen. Renee Unterman's appointment to the Budget Conference Committee by Lt.Gov. Casey Cagle was political payback for her help in the failed attempt to restore power to the lieutenant governor that is not granted through the Georgia Constitution. Achievement that is earned is the only achievement worthy of praise.
UPCOMING Middle
and high school students will explore computing careers, design their
own games and mobile applications, and build robots as part of the third
annual Georgia Gwinnett College School of Science and Technology Tech
Camp -- a hands-on, experience-based week of exposure to the computing
future.
College
faculty and staff teach and supervise the campers. GGC students provide
additional assistance during the program. The program fee is $185, and
financial aid is available for a limited number of students with demonstrated
financial need. To register, visit this site. The priority registration deadline is April 18. High school students may attend a coed program the week of June 13-17. Camp week for middle school boys is June 20-24, and June 27-July 1 for middle school girls. For more information, contact Nannette Napier or Kristine Nagel at 678-407-5458, or via e-mail. Aurora Theatre offering GGC Lab Series play in Spanish Aurora
Theatre continues the 2010-2011 GGC Lab Series with a Spanish-language
performance produced through our Spanish language theatre initiative Teatro
del Sol. Written by Elaine Romero, Barrio Hollywood the show runs
April 14 through May 1. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. Call 678-226-6222 for more details, or visit www.auroratheatre.com. Norcross Farmer's Market open May 17 through mid-October If you're ready to "get fresh", come on out to the 2011 Norcross Farmer's Market, opening on Tuesday, May 17 at 4 p.m. The market was voted one of the best top five markets in Georgia in 2010.
Many of
last year's favorite vendors will be on hand again with fresh breads,
baked goods, granola and yogurt, plus a smattering of new faces bringing
everything from gluten-free popsicles to organic popcorn. Nine farmers
are signed up this year; plans are to have lettuces, herbs and other spring
veggies ready to sell (Mother Nature permitting). NOTABLE The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation presented 23 awards recognizing the best of preservation in Georgia during its 34th annual Preservation Awards ceremony in Macon on April 1, including one award for a Gwinnett program. Gwinnett County's Freeman's Mill project was given an Excellence in Restoration award. Other Georgia projects winning this award included : the Coweta County Courthouse, Newnan; Hardman Farm, Helen; Old Fort Jackson, Savannah; and Hills and Dales, LaGrange. Excellence
in Rehabilitation winners were: Campus Theatre and Bookstore, Milledgeville;
Clarence Thomas Center for Historic Preservation, Savannah; E.M. Rogers
House, Adel; New College at the University of Georgia, Athens; Hallock
Cottage, Augusta; Plaza Arts Center, Eatonton; Pulaski County Board of
Education, Hawkinsville; the Rock Building, Chatsworth; and the Wynne-Claughton
Building (Carnegie Building), Atlanta. Community Foundation names 8 new board members Eight new members have been added to the board of directors of the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia (CFNEG). The new members are Doug Bridges of Suwanee; Wayne Hill of Suwanee; Barbara Howard of Norcross; Jim Pack of Lawrenceville; Greg Shumate of Atlanta; Ruth Strickland of Norcross; Sandra Strickland of Lawrenceville; and Kathryn Willis of Duluth. Long time CFNEG Board Member Mary Louise Stark recently relocated and will no longer be able to commit her time to serving the region. Judge Chung Lee, because of other community obligations, moved to the CFNEG Advisory Board. This will enable his expertise to remain available to the Foundation. Braselton moving site for annual 4th of July activities The Fourth
of July fireworks in Braselton, one of the town's most popular events,
is changing venue this year. Traditionally, the event has been held on
Georgia Highway 211 behind the Publix across from the entrance to Chateau
Elan. However, that tract of property is primed for development and the
location needed to change. Starting
this year, the fireworks display will move to downtown right off of Highway
53 at the West Jackson Intermediate School. This new venue will allow
viewing from both the Braselton and the Hoschton parks as well as Braselton
Town Hall. RECOMMENDED
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
The battle between ship and shore on the coast of Confederate Georgia was a pivotal part of the Union strategy to subdue the state during the Civil War (1861-65). U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's call at the start of the war for a naval blockade of the entire Southern coastline took time to materialize, but by early 1862 the Union navy had positioned a serviceable fleet off the coast of the South's most prominent Confederate ports. In Georgia, Union strategy centered on Savannah, the state's most significant port city. Beyond Savannah, Union forces generally focused on securing bases of operation on outlying coastal islands to counter Confederate privateers.
On the night of November 11, 1861, a daring Confederate blockade-runner, Edward C. Anderson, escaped under Union eyes and piloted his ship, the Fingal, into the port of Savannah. A native of Savannah, Anderson was the first of many who attempted to assist the Confederate cause by breaking through the Union's extensive coastal blockade, which stretched from Virginia to Florida. However, in Georgia none would match Anderson's success. The landing of Enfield rifles and cannons, as well as sabers and military uniforms, at the state's major port marked the high tide of the South's ability to penetrate the North's naval forces stationed along the Georgia shore. But Anderson's remarkable feat also signaled to the Union that it needed to bolster its blockade and close off access to Savannah, which, like Charleston, S.C., to the north, offered an access point readily able to provide Confederate armies with necessary war materiel. If the Union hoped to wear the South down by cutting it off from the outside world, then it had to put a stop to incidents like the Fingal's arrival at Savannah. Because Union forces took control of the seas around Brunswick and St. Simons Island in the war's beginning stages, the virtual closing of Savannah's port to privateers like Anderson greatly contributed to eventual Union success in Georgia. Confederate leadership and the people of Savannah came to pin their hopes of resisting Union occupation and breaking the blockade on a handful of gunboats. Three of these, the Atlanta, the Georgia, and later the Savannah, were ironclads patterned after the CSS Virginia, famous for its battle against the USS Monitor at Hampton Roads, Va., in 1862. The Macon, the Sampson, the Resolute, and the Isondiga, wooden gunboats of varying designs, constituted the remainder of the Confederate fleet in Savannah. In addition, Georgia's coastal defenses included innovative torpedoes, developed by Commodore Matthew Maury, which caused the Union navy periodic concern. Despite these innovations, the Confederate naval forces paled in comparison to Union naval strength. Despite fleeting successes by Southern naval forces, the increasingly potent Union navy ultimately enabled complete Union control of the Georgia coastline.
LAGNIAPPE
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SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM Loading
Fifth Annual Plein Air Festival: April 15-16 at Tannery Row Artist Colony in Buford. Artists will begin painting on April 15 and 16. Judging will be April 16, and the show will be open to the public at 7 p.m. The artists' work will be available for purchase. Spring Plant Sale, to benefit the Duluth History Museum: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 16 at 2956 Buford Highway. Partner for the event is Woody's Nursery. The Museum will have free admission on this date. Also available will be the Museum's hand-made birdhouses. Genealogy Class, at Duluth History Museum: 7 p.m., April 19, 2956 Buford Highway. Fee is $15. Leah Gilbreath Gonzalez, a registered Genealogist, will be the instructor. Pre-registration is necessary at 770-232-7584 or via email. Gwinnett Technology Forum: 7:30 a.m., April 19, at Gwinnett Technical College’s Busbee Center. The focus will be display technology. Presenters include Rick Cope, CEO of NanoLumens and Clif Parker, CEO of Reach 3D. 17th Annual Plant Sale: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 20 and April 21, Gwinnett Technical College campus greenhouse, Lawrenceville. In addition at this sale, on April 20, Gwinnett County Public Library will sponsor a slate of gardening experts and authors from 10 a.m. to noon. Educational networking event: 4:30 p.m., April 21, at Gwinnett Chamber Education Room. The event will feature Ryan Garvel, founder of The Atlanta Belt Line. The event is co-sponsored by the Gwinnett Chamber and the Swedish American Chamber. Garvel will speak on urban design techniques and strategic investments needed in the Metro Atlanta region. Email Lindsay for details. Art Show, "Walk Like a Gwinnettian: Through April 25, at Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, Lawrenceville. Features work of T. J. Haugh. Reception for artist is Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at the site. Flora and Fauna Art Exhibit: Kudzu Art Zone, Norcross, through April 30. There will be a flower arranging workshop April 30 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., led by Chris Sherry, noted Atlanta instructor. For more info, go to www.kudzuartzone.org, or telephone 770-945-4896.
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. © 2001-2011, 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 |
After
his retirement from the military, Lord began his second career of 20 years
of service to North Georgia College, serving as associate vice president
for business and finance and director of auxiliary services. During his
recent employment at the college, Lord re-organized auxiliary enterprises
services for the college, which includes the print shop, dormitories,
dining hall, bookstore and rental transportation fleet. He was also the
head of physical plant and public safety. 
He
adds: "We're the largest of our 10 aviation maintenance schools,
and we are really growing. Our students get good jobs in industry, and
people in the airline industry are constantly recommending us for training
to those who want to work in the field."
The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. 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 
GGC
Tech Camp engages students in the exciting ways computing is used as a
problem-solving tool, and provides a collaborative, fun environment for
students to build teamwork and leadership skills. Campers have classes
during the morning and participate in fun programs in the afternoon, including
camper favorites like the scavenger hunt and recreation day, as well as
some new activities.
Aurora
Theatre's production of Barrio Hollywood marks the world premiere
of the Spanish language version. In the play Alex Moreno, a Mexican-American
boxer, dreams of fighting his way out of poverty. When Alex is injured,
the Moreno's dreams are deferred in this gritty drama about bi-racial
romance, family loyalty and the true pursuit of happiness. Barrio Hollywood
will be presented in Spanish with English supertitles. For native speakers,
it will be a rare opportunity to enjoy a live professional play in Spanish.
For those who do not speak the language, they can follow along with supertitles,
just like when attending a foreign film. A detailed synopsis will also
be offered for those patrons who wish to read the story beforehand.
Over
35 original producers have signed up so far, offering local, regional
and artisanal treats. Comparison studies have shown that overall, shopping
at a local farmer's market costs the same or less, with the added benefit
of being fresh and produced using natural or organic practices and ingredients.
"Let's
put it this way: I finished the book at 12:08 a.m., well past my normal
bedtime, and in three days, simply because the book is so compelling.
Though self-published by a Decatur resident, it's as good a read as those
by major thriller authors. The story line focuses on the death of four
members of Congress over several months….all from apparently natural
causes. Not so, as we learn from one uniquely talented person, with innovative
techniques that go undetected. And now a fifth member of Congress is being
targeted…..and people all over the nation are getting worried. The
book is hard to put down. The author has already written a sequel, The
Only Constant, which I've not had time to read yet. But will. These
paperbacks are available at Amazon, etc., and well worth it." --
eeb 
