10/11: Leadership Gwinnett; Biggest taxpayers; Pence and points

THESE GRAYSON STUDENTS are in a new leadership program at the High School, which is being co-sponsored with the City of Grayson. For more information about this new program, see Notable below.

TODAY’S FOCUS: Leadership Gwinnett Reviews Program; Announces New Officers

EEB PERSPECTIVE: Updated 2015 List of Top Ten Taxpayers in Gwinnett County

ANOTHER VIEW: Perhaps Governor Pence Was Trying to Pick Up Cheap Political Points

SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Braves

FEEDBACK: Four Letters, Three on Politics, and One on Ancestry

UPCOMING: Here’s the Schedule As Lilburn Moves to New City Hall Soon

NOTABLE: Lawrenceville Names Honorees for 2017 Heritage Medallions

RECOMMENDED: Long Way Gone by Charles Martin

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Coachman Dominates High Jumping, Becomes Champion Olympian

TODAY’S QUOTE: Comparing a Reviewer using a Hot Fudge Sundae

MYSTERY PHOTO: Stately Buildings Usually Have Their Own Past

LAGNIAPPE: Gwinnett Village CID Director Honored by American Society of Civil Engineers

CALENDAR: Drug Take Back Event in Snellville on October 22

Leadership Gwinnett reviews program; Announces new officers

By T. Michael Tennant, chairman, Leadership Gwinnett Foundation  |  As we kick off the 31st Leadership Gwinnett class year, I thought it timely to give a community update on the program, as well as news of board and officer changes at the Leadership Gwinnett Foundation.

Tennant

The Class of 2017 is bright, energetic and thirsty for knowledge about our community. Their Fall Retreat was yet another record-breaking success.  As the most diverse class ever, I am certain they will soon claim to be The Best Class Ever!  In May, they will swell our alumni ranks to over 1,100.

Three years ago, we launched a new short program called Glance Gwinnett. This program is thriving beautifully and, to date, we have 250 graduates with 35 expected for the November offering.  We are seeing that Glance graduates want to move up to the full nine-month program. In fact, 15 of the past two year’s class members have been Glance grads.  This is one more way Leadership Gwinnett is growing the collective impact of community leaders to advance Gwinnett.

The Board of Directors of the Leadership Gwinnett Foundation is changing.  Rick O’Brien has moved to enjoy more of his retirement. Replacing Rick on the Board is Andrew Pourchier with Rhodes, Young, Black, and Duncan CPAs. We have also added another new member to the Board. His name is Michael Park with IBI Consulting and is from the 2014 LG class.

I am very proud of what we have created and nourished in the form of Leadership Gwinnett. Each class of LG and Glance Gwinnett, our staff leaders, Lisa Zaken and Brooke Waters, and our highly dedicated Board of Directors has energized me to a level of terrific satisfaction.

We have now achieved tremendous success with:

• Establishing our own autonomy;
• A thriving $1 million capital campaign;
• Enhanced financial independence, stability and future;
• Improved alumni relations;
• Independently audited financial statements;
• Established investment accounts managed by well-qualified financial advisors;
• Securing grant writer services to help us pursue new sources of funding;
• The adoption a five-year strategic plan; and
• A staff of dedicated professionals who do so very much.

After being active in LG for more than 32 years, I am confident that it is time for a change in the Chairman’s role at the Leadership Gwinnett Foundation. Our Nominating Committee, led by Carole Boyce, has recruited and developed a fine slate of successor officers.

Sweat

They include: June Sweat, chair; Renee Byrd-Lewis, chair-elect; Shenila Hill Rodriguez, secretary; Tammy Shumate, treasurer; Dan King, internal affairs chair; Demetrius Jordan, external affairs chair; and J. Michael Levengood, governance chair.

I will assume the role of Chair Emeritus and move to the back of the room until my current board term expires in 2017.  The full slate was unanimously elected at the September 20 meeting of the Foundation board and their new duties commence immediately.

I hope you will join me in the exciting success of Leadership Gwinnett, Glance Gwinnett, and the new leadership team as we move forward to the next 30 years.

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Biggest taxpayers on Gwinnett, Jackson EMC’s big day and Jane Pauley

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |   Since October 15 is the deadline for you to pay your homeowner property tax, we’ll take time to look at the largest taxpayers in Gwinnett County, that is, from 2015.

Four of the top 10 taxpayers in Gwinnett are utilities, headed by Georgia Power Company, which contributes $4.2 million a year to the county tax roles. Altogether, the four utilities, Georgia Power, AT&T, Jackson EMC and Atlanta Gas Light, pay 42 percent of the $29.1 million that the top 10 taxpayers bring in to the county.

Most Gwinnett residents will recognize most of the top 10 taxpayers. They may not recognize Amerisource Bergen Drug Corporation, which has a distribution center in Suwanee. Its home office is in Chesterbrook, Pa. It services independent pharmacies, doctors and hospitals.

Here’s the list of the top ten businesses paying property tax in Gwinnett:

ONE OF THE BUSINESSES mentioned above had a big day on Friday. Jackson EMC opened its new district office building on Georgia Highway 20 in Lawrenceville. The new office faces the main highway, while its former location faced on Swanson Drive. The two properties are not connected. Actually, part of the new office building adjoins the  operational facilities for its line crews.  It’s a handsome building.

Sharpton

Former Jackson EMC Chairman Otis Jones, at the ribbon cutting, announced that a new gathering place at the new building would be named the A.T. (Troy) Sharpton  Conference Room. Mr. Sharpton had a 300 acre farm near Auburn, raising poultry and cattle for 35 years.  For 26 years, he was a member of the Jackson EMC Board, and president of the board during much of Gwinnett intense growth.

The new building is a fine facility, and the conference room can be used for community gathering and meetings. The room can be somewhat isolated from the day-to-day activities of the facility. It even has its own entrance off the parking lot.

The new Jackson EMC office east of Georgia Highway 20 is an architecturally-handsome newcomer to the area.

THE CBS SUNDAY MORNING program has a new host, only its third host in its 37 years. The new host is Jane Pauley, a former TODAY program host.

Pauley

She takes the place of retiring Charles Osgood, who led the program for 22 years. He followed the hosting of Charles Kuralt, who began the show and became a namesake on the airways with his genial manner.

Ms. Pauley has been a substitute host in the past, and was announced as the new host only on September 25.  What we like about the new announcement is that CBS is hiring Mrs. Pauley just as she about to have her 66^th birthday on October 31. That follows somewhat in the tradition of hiring older people when they announced Mr. Osgood, known then primarily as a radio personality, who was 61, as the new host.  The AARP must be smiling widely.

In her first appearance as host, Mrs. Pauley brought warmth and a feeling of family to the show. She also had a segment interviewing at the home and office of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, which came across as respectful and charming. The balance of the morning program was not unlike previous programs over the years, newsy, but distinctive and  pleasant. It may serve as an indication that the Sunday Morning will continue in its cozy and award winning ways.  It’s good to see little change in this program’s presentations.

Attagirl, Jane Pauley, and remembering Mr. Kuralt and Mr. Osgood, who remains on national radio!

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Perhaps Pence was trying to pick up cheap political points

By George Wilson, contributing columnist  |  It’s always good to look at patterns of reasoning and behavior of candidates for public office on issues. For example, Mike Pence, as governor of the state of Indiana, issued a ruling saying that he will not allow any Syrians to be placed in the state of Indiana—with federal money. So, the states receive substantial grants from the federal government to aid in the resettlement of refugees, including Syrians.

According to published reports this policy was challenged by a resettlement group in Indiana that works with, among other people, Syrians. And a judge, a local judge in a federal court judge in Indiana, enjoined the policy, saying that this was unfair and discriminatory.

And just recently, a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, upheld the lower court’s injunction.  It said that this is absolutely discriminatory to say that we will not admit into our state people from one national origin or from one country on the absolutely fabricated claim that they would be terrorists.  This is not a liberal circuit, by any means. All three of those judges are most conservative—Judge Posner, Judge Easterbrook and Diane Sykes, upheld the lower court’s injunction.  Judge Sykes, by the way, is on Donald Trump’s list of possible Supreme Court nominee

Judge Posner said the argument made by Mike Pence’s lawyers is the equivalent of saying “that he wants to forbid black people to settle in Indiana not because they’re black, but because he’s afraid of them, and since the race is therefore not his motive, he isn’t discriminating.” That’s essentially what Mike Pence said. “I don’t hate Syrians. I’m just afraid of them.” So, a three-judge panel has overturned that ruling, and Syrians can now be settled in Indiana. Perhaps Pence was just trying to pick up some cheap political points.

Gwinnett Braves

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• For 2017 season tickets, call 678-277-0340. Follow the G-Braves all off-season long at twitter.com/GwinnettBraves and facebook.com/GwinnettBraves1.

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Will vote for Donald Trump because he is an idiot

Editor, the Forum:

Donald Trump is an idiot. But he’s our idiot. His allegiance is expressed in awkward, frustrated, bumbling, and clearly outsider ways – just like me. But his interest is to the U.S., to people living and paying taxes in the US, and not a collective of international and special interests.

From her very first job during the Nixon impeachment until her most recent tenure as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has distinguished her performance through poor decisions, special interests, scandal, vindictive behavior, and self-serving opportunistic profiteering.

She has authorized several regime change operations using as mercenaries the same ilk of radical Islamic terrorists that attacked us on 9/11. In each case – Ukraine, Honduras, Libya, and Syria, she replaced a stable regime with chaos, terrorism, a flood of refugees, and an American commitment.

Her management of the Department of State resulted in $6 billion in accounted for funds. Her connived attempt to bypass open records laws to shield her pay-to-play operation resulted in an unprecedented security breach. While her husband cheated and was accused of multiple rape and sexual harassment charges, she attacked, demonized, and destroyed the accusers.

Her hallmark child healthcare and proposed college tuition and low-income initiatives have incented black men to abandon their children and locked vulnerable people to their condition. Her solution to every problem is a government handout with no consideration for how to pay for it or its long term economic impact.

I’ll vote for Trump not because I like him but because I fear her based upon what she has already done. Trump has four adult children – each bright, educated, well spoken, and grounded in hard work and ambition. If he can do for America what he did to create those kids, then we will do just fine.

— Joe Briggs, Buford

Feels Trump election would mean U.S. would be at war in 90 days

Editor, the Forum:

I read with interest Mr. Stopher’s argument for why he is supporting Trump.  As a retired Foreign Service Officer, I would answer that people should vote for Trump if they want the U.S. to be at war again within the first 90 days of his taking office.

Trump’s assertion that he will not honor treaties with other nations, his support for Vladimir Putin, and his hair-trigger over-reaction to any opinion he does not like, would place someone in the White House who cannot weigh the overall national interest of the United States.  His inclination to insult becomes a serious dilemma when geo-political concerns are at stake.

Trump cannot be trusted to make informed decisions.    He acts on impulse, which he has demonstrated time and again during the campaign.  Hillary Clinton is not perfect and she has made her share of mistakes.  She may also commit U.S. forces in war, but unlike Trump, she would clearly be able to make her decision in context with the commitments of the U.S. and its treaties, with a deep understanding of the interplay of how nations work together.  Trump has said that Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan should all have nuclear weapons.  That’s a recipe for war that none of us will survive.

— Michael Varga, U.S. Foreign Service, retired, Norcross

His ancestor came here from France, later settled at Hog Mountain

Editor, the Forum:

I read with a great deal of personal interest your two articles about the failed attempt by the American Militia and the French Mercenary forces to retake the city of Savannah from the British during the Revolutionary War.

On April 13, 1778, Vice Admiral d’Estaing sailed from Toulon, France, with 12 war ships, four frigates, and 6,000 French troops.  My fourth great grandfather on my mother’s side, Doctor Jean (John) Baptiste Elzear Burel, a French surgeon, was on board one of the ships.  He was one of the several French doctors assigned to the French troops on board.

We think he was present at Savannah but we know he was with General Lafayette at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Va. He remained in Philadelphia after the War where he married and later moved to Union County, S.C. In 1842 his eldest son, Louis Burel, settled in the Hog Mountain area of Gwinnett County, where many descendent live today.

— Randall Pugh, Jefferson

Yearns for balanced group to ask questions of real issues in election

Editor, the Forum:

After seeing the two opposing views in the Forum of the presidential candidates during the past week, something very revealing came to me.  I literally have hundreds of friends who are declaring their support for Trump, and almost every one of them cite various reasons why Hillary is unfit (in their opinion) for holding any office.  These reasons range from lying, stealing, health issues, mishandling of classified materials, supporting abortion of long term infants, gun control, on and on.  Yet when I discover the occasional Hillary supporter I’ve noticed a huge difference, all of them just plain hate Trump because he “says ugly things about others.”

Not one Hillary supporter yet has said they LIKE Hillary or BELIEVE IN Hillary, or even TRUST Hillary.  Not one Hillary supporter can give me any true and good accomplishment that Hillary has done in her entire career.  They are just against Trump because of what he has said, and generally they rely on the mainstream  media reports of what he has said. Time and time again those media reports are either outright lies or at the least misrepresented what was actually said.

The series of candidate debates have become useless for the average person to try to learn what is true as the moderator’s are, so far, jumping onto their personal candidates wagon and playing two against one on the remaining candidate. I’ve heard after every debate the instant “fact checking” data supplied by the television media and have yet to hear it accurately reported until several days later when the audience is much smaller to hear their “oops, sorry” report.

Why can’t we have a source of politically balanced folks to moderate a group of average American citizens from different walks of life, asking the candidates questions about real issues and real problems we each face daily? Maybe we could all learn something new.

— Steve Rausch, Norcross

Send us your thoughts:  We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum.  Please limit comments to 300 words.  We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length.  Send feedback and letters to:    elliott@brack.net

Here’s schedule as Lilburn moves to new city hall soon

The new Lilburn City Hall and Gwinnett County Public Library at 340 Main Street will open its doors to the public following a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, October 18 at 4 p.m. The public is welcome to attend the ribbon cutting. There will be another opportunity to tour the entire building during an open house on Saturday, October 29, from 10 a.m. to noon. This new building is the first jointly owned city-county facility in Gwinnett.

The City says that there will be some office closings as employees transition furniture and equipment to the new building.

Moving schedule:

• Friday, October 14 at 5 p.m.- The Planning and Economic Development Department will close its location at the Annex (98 First Ave.). All planning and permitting business will be conducted at the old City Hall (76 Main St.) until the new building opens to the public.
• Monday, October 17 at 12 p.m. – The old City Hall (76 Main Street) will close at noon.
• Tuesday, October 18 – City administrative offices will be closed for business, as computer systems and telephones are transferred and tested at the new building.
• Wednesday, October 19 at 8:30 a.m. – City offices will open for business at the new location at 340 Main St.

Creatures of the Night is theme of EHC festival on Oct. 14

As the leaves begin to fall and the crisp, cool air of autumn takes its hold on Georgia, the woods of the Environmental and Heritage Center (EHC) come alive at night. Experience the wonders of nocturnal animals and their amazing adaptations at the Creatures of the Night Festival on Friday, October 14. The event is family friendly and features expanded hours starting at 5 p.m. and ending at 10 p.m.

Jenny Kvapil from Bear Hollow Zoo in Athens shows guests a barn owl at last year’s Creatures of the Night Festival at the Environmental and Heritage Center.

Meet real, live night time creatures, such as an owl, hissing cockroaches and more.  Experience life in complete darkness as a nocturnal animal while you walk through a night time discovery room.  Additional activities include a firefly mini trek, crafts, owl pellet dissection, puppet theater, nocturnal animal games, touchable skins and skulls, “bat” tram rides and the opportunity to interact with a bat ecologist in the forest.

Throughout the evening, the EHC will offer self-guided night hikes for visitors where participants will use all of their senses to explore what goes bump in the night.

Guests will also have the chance to explore the Ocean Bound exhibit as they discover how watersheds impact the ocean. The exhibit was developed by the Sciencenter in Ithaca, New York, with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A special room near the exhibit will highlight the nocturnal happenings within a coral reef.

Food will be available onsite so that guests may purchase dinner while they enjoy the evening’s festivities.

Program fees for the Creatures of the Night Festival are $8 per person. Children two and under and EHC members are free.  Some activities may require an additional fee. Program fees can be paid at the door, but guests are encouraged to register early and pay online.  To register and obtain more information on the event, visit www.gwinnettEHC.org.

Lawrenceville names honorees for 2017 Heritage medallions

Two deceased former residents of Lawrenceville are the recipients posthumously of the 2017 Heritage Trail medallions recognition. The City of Lawrenceville and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) announced that Willie Frank Bailey and James Victor Hood, Sr. as the 2017 recipients.

The walking trail was constructed in 2013 to pay homage to individuals – throughout Gwinnett County history – who have made significant influences to the city. The walkway commences at the Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial, ends in front of the Rhodes Jordan Park and is marked all along the way by medallions commemorating individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the development or wellbeing of Lawrenceville and/or its residents.

The late Mr. Bailey founded W.F. Bailey’s Construction Company and was among the first African American business owners, both in Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County. He served on the Lawrenceville Housing Authority; was in the St. Vincent De Paul Society;  and was a member of the Saint Lawrence Catholic Church. Bailey offered several hundred men and women in the community an opportunity for employment and even inspired many of his employees to also explore entrepreneurship.

Likewise, after moving to Lawrenceville in 1924 to join the Agriculture Finance Corporation, James Victor (Jim Vic) Hood, Sr. established himself in the community. He was with the First National Bank of Lawrenceville for 44 years starting as cashier, and ending as chairman of the Board of Directors. Under his leadership, the First National Bank of Lawrenceville became the largest bank in Gwinnett County before it was eventually sold in 1986 to First Atlanta. In 1938, he founded Hood Insurance Agency, which continues today in Lawrenceville.

Grayson institutes first leadership program at high school

A new Grayson leadership program is coming into play at Grayson High School. Some 24 students at the school are involved in the Grayson Leadership program. It is meant to be an experience that is meant to develop leaders through community and civic involvement with hands-on opportunities for service.

Members of the Grayson leadership team and its leaders.

Grayson Mayor Allison Wilkerson, who directs this initiative along with Holly Broadnax and Joanna Root of Grayson High School, is encouraged by the potential exemplified by the young leaders chosen for this inaugural session. “I am so inspired by these young men and women,” she said after the initial meeting. “Seeing our community through their eyes and sharing the experiences of our community leaders with them will surely enlighten the perspectives of all involved.”

The program is formatted for the students to meet once each month from October to May and topics include “All Things Grayson,” “I am a reflection of my community,” “Can I say that?” and “I have an idea.” Grayson Youth Leadership is open for sophomores and juniors at Grayson High School. Applications for the leadership program for the 2017-2018 year will be accepted at the beginning of the next school year.

The 2016-2017 class includes: Alexander Boakye, Amilliana Cox, Avery Ray, Ayan Ismail, Camden Maddox, Celeste Turner, DeLaine Hyndman, Emily Moorhead, Faith Akosile, Grace Scartz, Grace Saidi, Ilhan Ugas, Julia Martinez, Lindsey Patch, Liv Hunter, Madison Walker, Morgan McCree,  Natalie Lott,  Reagan Stephenson, Sarah Redding, Sharon Shaji, Shivanni Ramdass, Tamia Madry, and Tobenna Obi.

Southeast Mortgage expands to new offices on Koger Boulevard

Gwinnett-based Southeast Mortgage, Georgia’s largest non-bank lender, has moved into the firm’s new headquarters at 3575 Koger Boulevard in Duluth. The firm was previously located down the street on Club Drive in a 12,000 square foot facility. It will house the firm’s operations and client-relationship management teams and corporate executives. The firm was founded in 1993 by President and CEO Cal Haupt.

The 31,000-square-foot office space has many work-life balance amenities will exemplify the firm’s culture and dedication to employee health.

Southeast Mortgage is adapting to the ever-growing trend of designing functional spaces that bridge the gap between employees’ personal and professional lives.  In response to the trend, Southeast Mortgage took a critical look at how their office functioned and created a new office.  The result: An innovative, functional and collaborative office space equipped with full Work-Life Balance Center that serves as a vital tool to improve the lives of the firm’s employees while increasing productivity and enhancing the firm’s position in the marketplace.

CEO Cal Haupt says: “We had really outgrown our former facility… that gave us the launching pad to create a new space that was truly progressive with an eye toward employee wellness.”

With substantially more space than the current 12,000-square-foot office in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the new headquarters will support Southeast Mortgage’s 12 offices and will house the firm’s operations and client-relationship management teams, and corporate executives.

Southeast Mortgage is a full service Georgia Mortgage Lender offering FHA Loans, VA Loans, and Conventional loans. Processing, Underwriting, and Document preparation all housed in the new offices in Gwinnett.

Long Way Gone

A book by Charles Martin

Reviewed by Tim Anderson, Fitzgerald:  This book is a retelling of the Prodigal Son story. That timeless tale has been borrowed by good authors for centuries. It’s hard to improve on the original storyteller, but Martin does a masterful job. I’m not sure how Martin can so brilliantly write about something like music as if he invented it, but he can. The main character is a musician and his father is a tent revival preacher. And so Martin does what he does like no other, he writes about his faith and tells a story so good you almost don’t realize what he’s doing. Except, as with all Martin novels, the real message comes out loud and clear. Long Way Gone may be Martin’s best. But I say that about all of them.

An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb

Coachman dominates high jumping, becomes champion Olympian

Few athletes have dominated a sport as thoroughly as Alice Coachman dominated the high jump. Named to five All-American teams, she won a gold medal in the 1948 Olympics, becoming the first African American woman to do so. She has been inducted into multiple halls of fame.

Born on November 9, 1923, in Albany, the fifth of Fred and Evelyn Coachman’s ten children, Coachman grew up in the segregated South. Barred from public sports facilities because of her race, Coachman used whatever materials she could piece together to practice jumping. Coping with a society that discouraged women from being involved in sports, Coachman struggled to develop as an athlete.

Coachman received encouragement from her fifth-grade teacher, Cora Bailey, at Monroe Street Elementary School and from her aunt, Carrie Spry, who defended her niece’s interest in sports in the face of parental reservations. In 1938, when Coachman enrolled in Madison High School, she immediately joined the track team. The Madison boys’ track coach, Harry E. Lash, recognized and nurtured her talent. She quickly attracted the attention of the Tuskegee Institute, where she enrolled in the high school program in 1939. Even before classes started, she competed in and won her first Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championship in the high jump.

During the early 1940s Coachman collected a host of national titles. As a senior at Tuskegee Institute High School, she won the AAU nationals in the high jump and the 50-meter dash. During her college career at Tuskegee, she won national championships in the 50-meter dash, the 100-meter dash, the 400-meter relay, and the high jump. She was the only African American on each of the five All-American teams to which she was named. Coachman was also successful in the classroom, graduating from Tuskegee in 1946 with a degree in dressmaking. She also received a B.A. in home economics from Albany State College (later Albany State University) in 1949.

When Coachman finally got the chance to compete in the Olympics, in the 1948 London games, she qualified easily despite a back injury. She defeated her closest competitor, setting a record of 5 feet 6 1/8 inches. King George VI personally presented the gold medal to her.

Coachman returned to the United States a hero and was honored with a motorcade traveling from Atlanta to Albany. Nevertheless, an Albany ceremony held in her honor was segregated. After her Olympic victory she retired from athletics, even though she was only 25 and in excellent physical condition. She married N. F. Davis and had two children, Evelyn and Richmond. She and her husband eventually divorced, and she later married Frank Davis.

Coachman became the first African American woman to benefit from endorsements. She also taught, coached, and became involved in the Job Corps. Always a supporter of athletes, she later formed the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to young athletes and helps former Olympic athletes adjust to life after the games. During the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta she was honored as one of the 100 greatest Olympic athletes in history, and in 2004 she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Alice Coachman Elementary School in Albany is named in her honor.

Coachman died in Albany on July 14, 2014, at the age of ninety.

• To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Now if red brick could talk, lots of conservation could sprout here

This elegant red brick building has its own stories to tell. It’s past will stun you with some of the escapades. Can you figure out where it is?  Send  in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.

In what we thought would be a difficult mystery photo, several people immediately recognized this one, with Mary Root of Duluth telling us first that it is the Anchorage Marina at Lake Burton, near Clayton, Ga.” The photo was sent to us by Billy Chism of Toccoa.  Others recognizing it included Chuck Paul, Norcross; Rob Keith, Peachtree Corners; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; and Lou Camerio, Lilburn.

George Graf, Palmyra, Va. told us that the “Anchorage Boat Dock marina, which is located on the north end of Lake Burton at the head of Timpson Creek in Georgia. Lake Burton is a reservoir that was formed in 1920 and has 62 miles of shoreline and is 2,775 acres large. There is even an old town (the town of Burton) under the lake! Anchorage Boat Dock was built by Ned and Ruth Stockton in 1959. Materials including timbers and rock were gathered at the site and the construction was done by Ned and members of the family. The Poole family purchased it from them in 1967 and it has remained a family owned and operated business ever since.”

Bomar wins honor from American Society of Civil Engineers

Marsha Anderson Bomar, center, executive director for the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District, was among the three recipients of the 2016 William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). She is shown with Mark Woodson, Immediate Past President of ASCE, and Norma Jean Mattei, who is President of ASCE, at a meeting recently in Portland, Org. The recognition is for someone who has made continuing efforts to promote appreciation for the history, tradition, developments, and technical and professional activities of the Society. She served as president of ASCE’s Transportation and Development Institute for the 2009-2010 term. Currently she is chair of the Women’s Issues in Transportation committee, which this year held its fifth research conference in Paris. She is currently serving her third term as council member and has twice been Mayor Pro Tempore for the City of Duluth. Bomar earned a bachelor of science in mathematics and a master’s in transportation planning and engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. She also holds a master’s of civil engineering with a concentration in transportation from Princeton University.

Author Visit: Bestselling Author Kyle Mills will be at the Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center, on Friday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m. for an appearance, presented by Gwinnett County Public Library. The Center is located at 10 College Street in Norcross. This program is free, and books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Books for Heroes. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

Join Gwinnett County Public Library for a book discussion and signing with Gelia Dolcimascolo on Saturday, October 15 at 2 p.m. at the Collins Hill Branch Library, 455 Camp Perrin Road, Lawrenceville.  This event is free and books will be available for purchase and signing.  The first five teens to arrive at the event will receive a copy of the new book courtesy of the Friends of the Library. For more information, visitwww.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

Annual Car Show at St. Matthew’s Episcopal on October 15, 2016, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., rain or shine. This is a judged show for cars, trucks and motorcycles.  Besides vehicles, there is fun, food and prizes for the whole family. Location: 1620 Oak Road, Snellville.

8th Annual Frontier Faire at Fort Daniel in Hog Mountain, Saturday, October 15 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is $2 a person or $5 a family. Co-sponsored by the Fort Daniel Foundation and the Gwinnett Archaeological Research Society, the faire is located on the site of a frontier fort dating back to early 1800s. For more information, visitthefortdanielfoundation.org.

Deadline to pay Gwinnett County 2016 property tax bill is October 15. View your property tax information at GwinnettTaxCommissioner.com on your computer, tablet or phone. If you have questions, contact the office at Tax@gwinnettcounty.com or 770-822-8800.

Ribbon cutting and opening of Lilburn’s new City Hall and Library, Tuesday, October 18 at 4 p.m. at 340 Main Street. Come tour the new $11.3 million structure following the ceremony, funded by the city and county SPLOST.

Ribbon Cutting of a new office at the Central Gwinnett High branch of the Peach State Credit Union, October 20 at 12:30 p.m.  The address of the branch is 564 West Crogan Street.

Co-Authors Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart will be at the Taste of Home Cooking Show on October 20 at 5 p.m. at the Infinite Energy Forum Ballroom, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, hosted by Gwinnett County Public Library.  Dupree is the author of 13 cookbooks, and has hosted more than 300 television shows.  Graubart has a column in Southern Living and is the author of Slow Cooking for Two. Tickets are $15 atinfiniteenergycenter.com and $20 at the door.  Books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Old New York Bookshop.

Grand Opening of Discovery Garden Park in Norcross will be Saturday, October 22at 1 p.m., with Mayor Bucky Johnson leading the ribbon cutting. Guest speaker will be Gardening Expert Walter Reeves. Food trucks and live music will add to the celebration.

(NEW) Drug Take Back Event in Snellville on October 22. The Snellville Police Department hosts this event from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Police Headquarters, 2315 Wisteria Drive. Residents can pull up to a tent and have medical students and police dispose of the drugs. In recent years, nearly a ton of unwanted or expired prescription drugs were turned into the program to properly dispose of unwanted drugs.

(NEW) Veteran’s Luncheon on Saturday, October 22 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Saint Leo University, 3555 Koger Boulevard in Duluth. Speaking will be former University of Georgia Coach Vince Dooley. Veterans and their guests will have the opportunity to attend a variety of breakout sessions dedicated to connecting veterans to the resources they need. Lunch is included. Gwinnett County Public Library is partnering with Saint Leo University in this event. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org.

(NEW) Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Ayden will appear at the Norcross Cultural and Arts Community Center on Sunday, October 23, at 3 p.m. Presented by the Gwinnett County Public Library, the co-authors of the book March will give their first-hand account of the lifelong struggle for civil and human rights since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

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