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Issue 11.72 | Friday, Dec. 9, 2011 TODAY'S FOCUS ELLIOTT
BRACK'S PERSPECTIVE FEEDBACK UPCOMING
NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE IN
THE SPOTLIGHT GEORGIA
TIDBIT LAGNIAPPE GWINNETT
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TODAY'S FOCUS
WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 9, 2011 -- After my whirlwind week of decorating the White House for Christmas, I'm home now. My time there still seems something like a dream to me. When I arrived in the capital on Thanksgiving Day, I had only an inkling of the size of the task that lay before me and my fellow volunteers. Before traveling I had read a blog written by the lead designer from last year's decorating team, so I knew that the first days would be spent preparing in a warehouse. When we arrived that first morning, I began to get a better sense of the scale of the project - the thousands upon thousands of ornaments that needed to be wired, the stars for spraying gold, and many purple hearts that needed to be sewn on to strips of blue cloth.
The volunteers were grouped into teams of two, three, or four people to accomplish these tasks. It was my good fortune to spend my time working with a wonderful retired decorator from Indiana, Shari Koenes. We started wiring the ornaments. The boxes of ornaments were labeled, with names like West Wing Hallway, Oval Office, VP, and NSC. When the long day was over, they were taken away. We were told to report the following morning to the East Wing guard station at the White House. We spent the evening wondering what the next day would bring. The next
morning we were escorted through checkpoints. By then, my heart was starting
to pound. We were going to the West Wing! Our assignment was to decorate
the Oval Office! We did our best to adhere to instructions that the President had left: no bows' no gold leaves; no gold painted pinecones. His felt "less is more," and wanted his tree to be understated and masculine. His words were "no fuss." I didn't get a chance to meet President Obama, but we were told he was pleased with the tree and the mantel. Standing in the Oval Office and taking in the surroundings was one of the most rewarding moments I have ever had. I felt such a sense of honor. There was JFK's desk, hand carved and stunning. President Obama's pen was on the desk. Looking at my Secret Service escort, Rick, I could tell that he knew what I was thinking. You could get very choked up. Shari and I spent the following days decorating the entry way to the West Wing, the Vice President's Office, the First Lady's Office and the National Security Council Office. Others were decorating additional White House spaces. It was a thrill to spend a week looking at the White House from the inside, discovering such treasures as the display of china patterns used during previous presidencies. On Wednesday evening, our last night in DC, Michelle Obama gave a reception at the White House for the volunteers and for the families of fallen soldiers. She spoke to us, looking so sophisticated and serene. The food and music was superb. It was a wonderful reward for our days of hard work. I had a delightful time! When the evening ended we said our goodbyes to volunteers and to White House staff whom we had come to know. Shari and I took a cab back to the Madison Hotel together prior to our departure in separate directions the next morning. I will admit that I did get a little teary-eyed at that point, for only she had really shared this "dream" week in Washington with me. EEB PERSPECTIVE DEC. 9, 2011 -- Today let's call this column nothing less than "crass commercialization."
This could be something you might benefit by reading further. Or you might consider today's effort a waste of your time. After all, today I'm book selling, specifically, the history I completed in 2008, and which sold out in early 2010. The book is Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta. It's available at a few sites in Gwinnett (see below), and on the Web at www.elliottbrack.com. The second printing of this history was completed recently, and we now have the book for sale. It's available this time in two editions: either the hardback ($75) or a soft bound version at $40. Now here's the pitch to you: it might make a great Christmas gift for someone, or a birthday or anniversary gift. Or you might just have meant to have purchased the first printing, but never got around to it. Now's the time to act, before the second printing is no longer available. Since the publication of the book, it has been recognized by the Georgia's Historical Records Advisory Board as the winner of its Award of Excellence in 2010 for documenting Georgia history. Yes, we are proud of this book. It took over three years to write, and was much more difficult that I anticipated when starting it. After all, I've told many of you already: all I wanted to do is write a short, 100-page history of the county.
But after writing for about six hours one Saturday, entirely from memory leaving blanks when I needed specifics such as dates, then looking back over about 50 pages, I realized I had not scratched the surface of what I wanted in a history of Gwinnett. And I remember thinking, as I realized the enormity of the task, "What am I getting into?" Then about halfway through the writing, I asked the Probate Judge's office "Send me a list of the previous probate judges." The person I was talking to paused, then said: "I've seen that list somewhere." That got me to realizing that I needed to have in this book a record of the people who have served Gwinnett County, not only the constitutional officers, but the individuals who have been county commissioners, officials of our cities, et al. The upshot of this was a decision to include an appendix of tables listing the various office holders. Adding miles of paved road, or number of farms in the county, and people in leadership programs, and many other details, we ended up with 143 tables about Gwinnett County you will find no where else. "Whew!" you, too, will say when flipping through this book. The books are currently on sale at Books for Less on Georgia Highway 20 near the Braves' park; at the Gwinnett Historical Society in Lawrenceville; at Parsons Gifts in Duluth; at the Vargas and Harbin Gallery in Norcross; and at the Atlanta History Center. We would like to secure other locations at Gwinnett to sell the book. On December 17 there will be a book-signing at Books for Less from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Come by and we'll personalize your book. If book clubs or other groups want me to come and talk about the book (and maybe sell some. Remember, today is Crass Commercialization Day!), just invite me. We'll tell you more about this modern history of Gwinnett County, and even update it some! ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
The WIKA sales team, along with its customer service and technical staff members, are ready to share their extensive product and industry knowledge to make your business experience with WIKA productive and progressive. WIKA provides distinctive service and support to our channel partners and customers: U.S.-based manufacturing, sales and ordering, customer service and technical support; certified technical specialists who conduct Best Practice Instrument Reviews with performance improvement reports; an in-house engineering team for product customization and innovation; convenient product training opportunities; proven capabilities to connect with customer business processes for ordering and inventory management; web-based customer support features, including Request for Quotes, literature request and competitor product cross reference; and an Online Customer Center for checking orders, shipping, product availability and lead times. More: WIKA.com. FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: Suspending one's campaign is a technicality relating to campaign debt. You cannot actually end your campaign until all the debt is retired. That is why Hilary Clinton's 2008 campaign is still open but under suspension.
UPCOMING Richard Tucker, a member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, will present the commencement address at Georgia Gwinnett College's December 16 winter ceremony, to be held at the Gwinnett Center.
GGC President Daniel J. Kaufman says: "We are delighted that Regent Tucker will address our largest graduating class to date. He has been a long-time supporter of this college, and we are honored to share this milestone with him." More than 150 students will receive their degrees at the ceremony, including the School of Education's first graduates. Tucker has served as a member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents since January 2005. He is past chairman of the board and currently a member of the executive committee. He received his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Georgia. Tucker is principal and managing partner of Arlington Capital, LLC, a private equity fund. He also is a principal in other business ventures involving investments, real estate development and retail, and former president/CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. GGC opened its doors to 118 students in August 2006. Today, it has nearly 8,000 students and offers 40 areas of study through 12 bachelor degree programs. Santa Claus, authors, to visit Books for Less on Dec. 17 Santa Claus is coming to town and he's making a stop at Books For Less on December 17. He'll be around between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. , so bring the kids, take some photos, and join in the fun! From 1 to 4 p.m. will be an "Author Extravaganza" with eight authors signing their books:
Local country artist/songwriter April Cummings will be performing Christmas songs and other original music during the signings. In addition, Sergey Khangulian will be showing and selling his pencil drawings and watercolors. Part of the proceeds from the sales of his art will go to support efforts to help stop human trafficking. Boulder Creek Coffee will have special Christmas cookies, Christmas treats and peppermint hot chocolate! Duluth planning holiday camp for kids before Christmas Are you
wondering what activities you can find for your children during their
holiday break from school? Duluth Parks and Recreation staff is planning
a Holiday Camp at Bunten Road Park December 19-22. A wide range of gift crafts, games and age appropriate activities in a seasonal holiday atmosphere are planned. Campers will make gifts for friends, plus bake yummy treats and craft tree decorations. A visit and pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus is scheduled during the week. Campers will need to bring a lunch. For more information call 770-814-6981 or email Jason Rogers. United Ebony Society planning for 12th annual MLK Parade The United Ebony Society of Gwinnett County, Inc. is finalizing plans for their annual Martin Luther King Parade in Gwinnett County on Monday, January 16, 2012. The parade will start at 10 a.m. in front of the Historic Courthouse in Lawrenceville, on the square. The parade will end at Central Gwinnett High School. Residents of the 15 cities, unincorporated areas and varied communities of Gwinnett County are encouraged to participant in the parade, says Vice President Beverly Howerton. Marlene Taylor-Crawford, president of the United Ebony Society, Inc. says, this year's theme, 'Unity in Diversity', celebrates co-operation between people in a single society and socio-ecological philosophy that describes a sense of oneness despite physical or psychological barriers. This will be the United Ebony Society's 12th parade in Gwinnett County. To volunteer, says Penny Poole, secretary, or to list your band, steppers, dancers, social and fraternal groups, floats, etc., sign-up on this page, www.unitedebonysociety.org or send an email. NOTABLE The last empty "big box" building in Norcross is now filled by Hyundai Construction Equipment America Inc. (HCEA). The firm held its opening Wednesday with Gov. Nathan Deal as the main speaker.
John Lim, president of the company, said of the firm coming to Gwinnett: "We needed a facility that was strategically located not only for access to markets in the Southeast, but to the rest of North, South and Central America. Here in Gwinnett will be ideal as we grow the business for the future." The firm also said at the opening that it anticipated opening another Georgia facility within 3-4 years. Governor Deal told them: "I only have three years left on this term, so open it in three years." Gwinnett Tech to train county fire, emergency personnel Gwinnett Technical College will help train Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services professionals as part of the recent accreditation of the county's Department of Fire and Emergency Services' paramedic training program. Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services now becomes the first fire department in Georgia to have an accredited paramedic-training program. Gwinnett Tech already has their accreditation and is the only technical college in the state to earn this credential. Gwinnett Tech will offer the additional training county personnel need to earn their accreditation …and ultimately, their associate degree. Fire department personnel can receive up to 42 credit hours towards an associate degree in paramedicine that they can complete through Gwinnett Tech. Gwinnett County Fire Chief Bill Myers says that having firefighters trained both as EMTs and Paramedics improves service and saves money. "When a paramedic, EMT and a firefighter are on an engine truck and they respond first to a medical emergency, they're able to triage that level of medical equity and upgrade or downgrade the medical response," says Myers. Duluth hospital honors Maughon for sports medicine program Gwinnett Medical Center in Duluth recently recognized T. Scott Maughon, M.D., for his contributions as chair of the Sports Medicine Committee, a position he held for six years. The program is based at Gwinnett Medical Center-Duluth (GMC-Duluth).
Under Dr. Maughon's leadership, the program was expanded to include coverage by certified athletic trainers at the majority of Gwinnett County high schools and three high schools in Johns Creek. He also forged collaborations with numerous organizations including the Gwinnett Football League (GFL). Erik Richards,
national scouting director for the GFL, says: "We found it extremely
beneficial to have a former colleague and coach help initiate and organize
the first parent/trainers clinic."
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
(Continued from previous edition) After moving to a home near Athens in 1984, Raymond Andrews published a memoir, The Last Radio Baby (1990), which described his childhood years when his family lived on the same property with their black grandmother and white grandfather. Noted newsman and author Charles Kuralt called this book "one of the truest and best pieces of writing I've ever come across."
An expansive, engaging man who made friends effortlessly, Andrews was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of old movies and sports, especially football and baseball, from the 1940s through the 1970s. His modesty and sense of humor, along with a real warmth, made him one of the most widely loved southern writers of his era. He took his art very seriously and laboriously printed his work on yellow legal pads in the mornings, then rewrote and typed the results in the afternoon. He famously enjoyed literary parties and traveled widely to read from his works. The books of Raymond Andrews have received considerable critical acclaim from numerous critics and other writers. Novelist Richard Bausch aptly described Andrews's writing as having "a smiling generosity of spirit." The San Francisco Chronicle called Andrews's first book "an auspicious beginning for a fine talent," and the Los Angeles Times said Rosiebelle Lee Wildcat Tennessee had the "infectious exuberance and soul-satisfying warmth of a folk tale." In 1989 the Robert W. Woodruff Library of Emory University in Atlanta purchased Andrews's papers. The Raymond Andrews papers are available for research and include correspondence, photographs, clippings, and drafts and manuscripts of his novels. Andrews died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Athens on November 25, 1991.
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TODAY'S QUOTE "When a man plays a woman in a dress, you're halfway there. It's inherently funny. When a woman plays a man, for whatever reason, it's not that instant kind of funny."
MORE COPIES AVAILABLE NOW
The book includes 143 demographic and historic tables, with more than 4,000 names in the index, and 10,000 names in the appendix. Two versions of the book are available. The hardback edition is priced at $75, while a softback edition is $40. Books are available at:
You can also order
books through the Internet. To do that, go to www.elliottbrack.com
to place your order. For mail orders, there is a $5 shipping and handling
fee. Purchases are also subject to the 6 percent Georgia sales tax. SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM Loading
Model Train Exhibit: At George Pierce Park Community Center through January 2. This is a "G" Scale train, and is presented by the Vines Garden Railroad Club. Exhibit is open Monday through Saturday.
A Christmas Carol: The Radio Show: Through Dec. 18, New London Theatre in Snellville. WFAT Diet Radio in Snellville has hired a new theatrical troupe to put together a lively holiday version of the Christmas classic. For more details and to buy tickets, call 770-559-1484 or email here. Seventh Annual Christmas Concerts by the Sugar Hill Latter Day Saints Choir: 7 p.m., on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, at the church at 4833 Suwanee Dam Road. The concerts are free. The all-volunteer choir always performs for free and is accompanied by Eric Kristjanson of Lawrenceville and Michelle Whetten of Suwanee. For more information, contact 404-375-7882 or visit online. Appreciation Reception for retiring Duluth City Councilman Doug Mundrick: 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Dec. 12, Duluth City Hall Community Room. (NEW) Business After Hours of Buford Business Alliance: 5:30 p.m., Dec. 13, Sperata Restaurant, 9 East Main St., Buford. Celebrate the end of a good year for the Alliance, invites Secretary Louise Cox. General Gwinnett Chamber Membership Meeting, at Gwinnett Center: 11:30 a.m., Dec. 14. Speaker will be Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. Info: 770 233-3000. New Exhibit, "Lateral Thinking," is up now through Jan.14 at Kudzu Art Zone, 116 Carlyle Street in Norcross. Admission is free. Artists were challenged to construct images from a list of unrelated objects to explore their reaction to disparate items.
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The
camp will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily for ages 5-10 years. If you are
a City of Duluth resident the cost of the camp is $80 for the period.
Non- residents pay $100. 
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30th
Anniversary Production of The Nutcracker by the Gwinnett Ballet Theater:
Through Dec. 18, Gwinnett Performing Arts Center in Duluth. Over
150 dancers will be on stage for the 16 shows, with cast members from
age 4 to adults. For more information, contact the GBT office at 770-978-0188
or visit the Web site at