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Seniors
march after year of Gwinnett study
By
Jean C. Gulley
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's Note: this commentary was first printed
in the June 6, 2001 Gwinnett section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
and is re-printed with permission of the newspaper and author.)
LAWRENCEVILLE -- Most graduations involve seniors, and this was
true for a recent ceremony at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce ---
only these were seniors, as in mature adults.
Twenty-one of us marched in alphabetical order to the strains of
the graduation march to receive plaques as graduates of the 2000-01
class of the Gwinnett Senior Leadership Program.
This was the third such class, designed by the Chamber of Commerce
to increase knowledge about Gwinnett County and its leaders and
to provide networking opportunities for the over-55 crowd, with
the hope that we would become more involved in community activities.
In between the August 2000 welcoming reception and the May 2001
graduation were eight monthly all-day sessions (in eight separate
locations), several smaller study group meetings, a number of tours
of Gwinnett facilities and a "ride-along" with a Gwinnett
police officer.
It has been an educational journey that began for me last spring
when (former AJC associate publisher) Elliott Brack suggested that
the Chamber e-mail me an application. Class prospects can be nominated
by a company, an organization or an individual, or you can nominate
yourself. Tuition is $500, with several partial scholarships available.
Vows of confidentiality
After acceptance, class members submit a photo and short bio (to
be compiled into a handy booklet), vow to attend all activities
and sign an "Agreement of Confidentiality" promising not
to discuss or publish any ". . . information acquired, opinions
expressed" or ". . . statements made during the program"
(which is why there have been no columns detailing these activities
as they happened).
At the August reception, in addition to meeting classmates, we
met our Chamber of Commerce shepherdess, Kristy Gordon, received
an outline of the year's sessions and were introduced to the hard-working
steering committee, led by Jesse Long and Carolyn Hill, who made
it all happen.
According to the outline, the monthly topics would be regional
relationships, justice (as in criminal), education, power (never
got a handle on that one), growth, health and human services, and
government.
I am reminded of the Dr. Seuss title "Oh, the Places You'll
Go." Many of the places we went, we might never have visited
otherwise. In addition to our home base, the Chamber of Commerce
building, we either met at or toured 15 other sites in the arenas
of the monthly topics.
A couple of weeks before each session we received a mission-type
letter from Kristy giving us our destination (they like to keep
it a secret until the last minute), a map and directions. Just finding
and getting to some locations by 8:30 a.m. was a challenge.
Fortunately, we discovered the joys of car pooling early on. The
day-long Tuesday sessions were jam-packed with activities, speakers,
panelists and Q&A periods, all tightly timed. During Education
Day alone, we heard from 18 people. Many Gwinnettians we had only
read about in the newspaper were suddenly there before us. Commission
Chairman Wayne Hill, County Administrator Charlotte Nash, Wayne
Shackelford, Norcross Mayor Lillian Webb, former Commissioner Judy
Waters, Commissioner Patti Muise, Snellville Mayor Brett Harrell
and, of course, Chamber of Commerce President
Richard Tucker, were just a few of the many VIPs.
Food and friendships
Food was an important element, ranging from continental breakfasts
and tasty snacks to memorable luncheons. There was the meal at the
Diversion Center with decorated tables and delicious food prepared
by detainees, as well as an outstanding lunch by culinary students
at Gwinnett Tech, a "Meals on Wheels" experience at a
senior center, and a catered affair at the Civic Center in December
while we watched icicles form outside. It was capped off by a spectacular
graduation buffet at the 1818 Club atop the Chamber of Commerce
building.
Most important of all were the classmates we got to know, from
the introduction skits (I introduced Al Smiley of Buford) and the
car pooling crowd (Betty Atkinson, Jo Ann Nelson, Pat Edwards and
Gene Waterfall) to the study group meetings in each other's homes
(Ruth Strickland, Marie Beiser and Marshall Acree --- just try to
find his house at night). Fred Stokes was memorable as a sleepy
school "bored" member in a tongue-in-cheek graduation
skit, and Joyce Todman and Leo Wilde brought tears in their two-minute
individual presentations.
While I'm still filing away all the handouts and digesting the
information overload, my year of leadership training has helped
me to finally feel more at home in Gwinnett.
And I can almost say with a straight face that growth is good.
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