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Trip to give blood results in changes
plus better health
By
Jim Hood
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's Note: we asked a regular participant
in the Run the Reagan race for some observations on running in
general, and how it came about for him. Enjoy. -eeb)
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. March 2, 2007 -- The 2007 Run the Reagan started
on a 27 degree beautiful morning. At one time, the Reagan was run
in the fall. The spring makes a little more sense, since this race
is a Peachtree Road Race qualifier. The timing works just right
to make the Peachtree application in March.
The course is an out and back run, mostly level and
downhill the first three miles, and then we pay, as it then is mostly
uphill, then level, on the return. My time was about the same as
last year, 1 hour 9 minutes.
* * * * *
In 1982 I went to give blood and the nurse told me
my blood pressure was too high, 190/95 and I weighed about 225 lbs
as I recall. I have been between 185-190 since I started running.
I didn't want to give up good food and drink, so I decided to run
to burn off calories. I talked with my doctor (Donald Dove) and
he said go for it.
I started by running from one power pole to the next and then walking
to the next. In a week or so, I covered two pole distances, and
gradually increased the distance until I finally ran a mile. This
took several weeks.
Hood, finishing the 1995 Peachtree Road Race |
My goal was to get to three miles or a 5k. Friends who attended
the same conventions I did let me run with them. I know they had
to slow down so I could keep up. They encouraged me to increase
my mileage slowly, so maybe I could get to 6.2 miles, or 10 kilometers.
The first time I ran 10k, I called friends to report my progress
and they suggested I run in a 10k race. I ran my first Peachtree
Road Race in 1983. Then it attracted only 10,000 people. We could
park at Lenox and walk to the start.
We also started a Kiwanis run for the Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club
that went on for a few years. My friends all finally stopped running
for various reasons. I started running with an old friend and class
mate, Butch Britt in the spring of 1987, and ran the half marathon
on Thanksgiving morning that year.
Butch wanted to help me run a half-marathon which is 13.2 miles.
We trained and ran the 1987 Atlanta half-marathon, which I did in
just over two hours. Butch bicycled and ran all over this country
and much of Europe, and was killed in freak accident riding his
bicycle near Hamilton Mill.
Running buddies are a big help because some days are easier to
run than others. Having running partners makes the time pass faster.
It also gets our mind off running. I also sometimes listen to radio,
which helps.
Finishing The Reagan means I get to start the Peachtree Race in
Time Group 2, which is near the front. With 60,000 Peachtree runners
now, I have started in the back many times, and let me tell you,
starting in the front is better. If you are back in the pack, your
time will be slow and cluttered with the many racers.
I will run my 25th straight Peachtree this year and hope to run
until I am an old man. It will take me about 1 hour and 10 minutes
to finish the Peachtree. One more benefit: I can continue to give
blood, up to almost eight gallons now.
One person served on three- and five-man county
commission
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
MARCH 2, 2007 -- Today, some history!
Brack |
He's the only person who has served on the Gwinnett County Commission
both when it was a three member body, and then when it changed to
a five person commission. He's W.R. "Dudge" Pruitt, 75.
He was a commissioner from 1965-72, and lives in Buford. Today he's
retired, had some health problems, and found doctors to treat him
in Baton Rouge, La., where we caught up with him.
Mr. Pruitt was a county commissioner when Gwinnett was starting
its early growth and changing its government structure. Gwinnett
was known as a somewhat lawless area, known to be a haven for stripping
stolen automobiles from Atlanta. The county was also a way station
for moonshine from North Georgia headed into Atlanta. The haven
for a notorious element, plus an uproar over the antics of the Sheriff's
Department, eventually resulted in taking away police functions
from the sheriff and creating the county police department for law
enforcement.
"That was a mess. The first four years in office, we never
could get the police department straightened out. But during my
second term, we started the county police department, and assigned
to the sheriff duties only as an officer of the court, with no police
responsibilities."
Looking back on his eight years in office, Mr. Pruitt said this
week: "What I'm most proud of is hiring John Crunkleton one
Sunday night to be our police chief. We met at the Holiday Inn on
Pleasantdale Road in Dekalb County. We interviewed him and Larry
Puckett. But when Larry learned we were interviewing Crunkleton,
who was with the DeKalb County detective's office then, Larry told
us that he would rather work with John than become the police chief,
and he was later Crunkleton's assistant." Crunkleton had come
to the attention of Gwinnett authorities by helping solve the case
when car thieves had murdered three Gwinnett policemen in 1964.
"Crunkleton ran the police department. We didn't get involved
with it. He did a mighty good job, and help set the tone for the
police and county government since that time."
Pruitt says that he enjoyed his years as commissioner. In the first
four years in office, each commissioner had equal authority. Under
the five man set-up, Pruitt won election as chairman, and worked
with the four other district commissioners. "We used to meet
every Tuesday. I let the district commissioners make the decisions,
and daily carried about their ideas. I had no problems with them,
though one commissioner once moved some equipment on a weekend.
I only voted when there was a tie, which was seldom."
Since leaving office, Pruitt continued to buy and sell land in
Gwinnett, often with his brother, Glyndon. He sold out to his brother
in 1975. Later associated with his nephew, Philip Beard in real
estate, they "Borrowed money where we could, and bought and
turned land."
Pruitt says that the commission should have made one decision when
he was on the board that it made later: hiring Wayne Shackelford
to help essentially be the county manager. "They did that when
Bill Atkinson, who beat me in 1972, was chairman. We should have
done that sooner." Pruitt feels that what defeated him from
winning a third term is the same element that has defeated the commission
chairman in races since then: "It is an anti vote. That's what
gets chairmen," he maintains.
End of today's Gwinnett history lesson.
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a third location in the Johns Creek--Alpharetta area in June, 2006.
With assets of over $280 million, Haven Trust Bank is one of the
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A look at Girl Scout
cookies
Another great cartoon from Bill McLemore:
Checks the mirror to
know if you are a success
Editor, the Forum:
Success has been an important word in our vocabulary throughout
our lives. We have been coaxed, coddled and persuaded into advancing
from the crawl state to walking as babies, then rewarded for our
successes in the first major endeavor with applause and other acts
of approval. Of course, don't forget the photographs of us. And
we were offered other incentives trying to move us toward being
achievers.
This early stage is the beginning of a long and seemingly endless
journey to be that gifted child of every parent's dream. We are
asked, begged, threatened and sometimes even abused and punished
by our parents, teachers and peers, trying to make us conform to
some unclear and unexplained formula or standard measure of success.
We are taught about those great achievers of the past: George Washington,
Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Susan B. Anthony, Franklin
D. Roosevelt and many others, as well as some local folk heroes,
used as a local standard of comparison.
In response to these teachings, most of us in later life still
cling to the old adages of success that has been ingrained in our
minds by loving and well meaning parents and teachers. The rewards
such as wealth, attainment of fame, prosperity and achievement come
to mind. All seem to be means of securing money and power, to some
extent. These achievements certainly are attractive, and should
not be overlooked nor discouraged; however, more importantly is
how we view our personal success.
We should not be concerned about what others think about success
in general or our success in particular, since we alone have the
responsibility of measuring our success. How we measure our success
is very difficult to define. No given standards will provide the
same answers for everyone, but it is my view that success can best
be measured by the self satisfaction and inner feelings of our own
self worth.
It's the commitment we make to ourselves. That dedicated inner
struggle, the facing of many disappointments, the seemingly incredible
odds against us to reach and achieve our goals, regardless of the
objectives put in our path, will produce that inner feeling of confidence
and self satisfaction.
When you can honestly look at yourself in the mirror and say: "I
have done my best, and I am proud of myself and what I have done,…."
you will know true success.
-- Bill Miller, Dacula
Handy site found that
tells time in different zones
Editor, the Forum:
Ever want to know what time it is right now for your international
friends? Or want to know what time is it for family members that
are traveling? Or reading a book where the character is in another
time zone and you're curious about the difference? Look no further
than http://www.timeticker.com/.
It's a comprehensive, user-friendly web site which will give you
all the time zone information you need at your fingertips.
-- Cindy Evans, Duluth
Association
to hear quality of life officers on Monday
The Golden Triangle Community Association will hear Sgt. David
Snell of the Quality of Life Task Force at its meeting March 5 at
7 p.m. at Collins Hill High School. Learn the principles of this
program that was successful in New York, entitled "Operation
Fixing Broken Windows."
Also in attendance will be members of the Roaming Patrol officers,
who will be available for questions on their operation.
Community clean-up
being planned March 10 in Norcross
The IMPACT! Group, Gwinnett Village Community Alliance and the
Norcross Housing Authority are calling for volunteers to donate
time and energy to make the area a more beautiful place.
The Neighborhood Clean-up Project will take place Saturday, March
10 from 10a.m.-3p.m. Volunteers will gather to prune bushes and
shrubbery, rake yards and plant Spring flowers beds at the Norcross
Housing Authority on Garner Street.
This event is supported by funding from Safeco Insurance. The IMPACT!
Group and Gwinnett Village Community Alliance are local nonprofit
agencies committed to promoting homeownership and community involvement.
To learn more about us, visit www.theimpactgroup.org.
Register to volunteer by Friday March 2, 2007. For more information,
contact Tom Enright at 678-808-4448 or by e-mail at tom.enright@theimpactgroup.org.
Andersonville Revisited
history program set March 10-11
Andersonville National Historic Site will host Andersonville Revisited
on March 10-11. This living history program offers visitors the
opportunity to see and experience what life was like at Andersonville,
the infamous Civil War prison camp. Civil War period living historians
will portray Andersonville prisoners and guards.
A variety of special demonstrations and interpretive programs will
be offered on both days and include the arrival of prisoners, shebang
(shelter) building, rations issue, Raider attack, inspection of
the camp, escape and punishment, guard drill and artillery demonstration.
These activities will be presented from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. on March
10, and from 10 a.m. to 3p.m. on March 11. Limited reservations
are available for candle lantern tours of the prison site on Saturday
evening beginning at 7 p.m. To make your required reservation, please
call (229-924-0343), extension 201. There is no admission fee and
this event is open to the public.
Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles northeast
of Americus, Ga. on Georgia Highway 49. The site features the National
Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery and the
site of the historic prison, Camp Sumter. Andersonville National
Historic Site is a unit in the National Park System and serves as
a memorial to all American prisoners of war. For additional information,
please call (229) 924-0343 extension 201.
Gwinnett Philharmonic
presents guitar-flute concert
The Gwinnett Philharmonic will present Rex Willis and James Zellers
in "Around the World," a concert featuring international
and folk music, on Tuesday, March 13. The performance will take
place at 8 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at the Gwinnett Center.
Monte Nichols, music director/conductor of the Philharmonic, says
the concert will feature Rex Willis on guitar, and James Zellers
on flute. 'People who have never heard a concert of guitar and flute
will be thoroughly enchanted by the fresh sounds - their imaginations
captured with the whole evening."
The musical selections for the evening include such varied pieces
as Entr'acte by Jacques Ibert, Tambourin by François-Joseph
Gossec, and Pavanne Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré. There are also
selections from Romanian Folk Dances by Béla Bartok and a
variety of dances from South America ˆ songs from Venezuela,
Argentina, Peru and Brazil.
In addition, the concert will include some well-known American
folksongs - Camptown Races, Barbara Allen, and When Johnny Comes
Marching Home - as well as a few new pieces written by Rex Willis
himself, Ants and Termites from Creepy Crawly Things‚ and Allegro
Animato from Suite South American.‚
For more information on presentations and concerts by the Gwinnett
Philharmonic, visit the Philharmonic website at www.gwinnettphilharmonic.org
or call 770-418-1115. Tickets are $28 adults, $24 seniors or $12
students. Special pricing is available for members and groups.
Suwanee
to begin design work on Sims Lake Park
The City of Suwanee is set to begin design of its newest park,
Sims Lake Park, located at 4600 Suwanee Dam Road. Suwanee will contract
with Cerulea Inc. of Alpharetta for professional design services.
The design, expected to take about six months, will include walking
trails, restrooms, parking areas, pavilions, picnic areas, open
play fields, and irrigation. Construction is anticipated to begin
upon completion of design.
Suwanee has allocated $2.5 million from its remaining voter-approved
open space bond funds for construction of this first phase of the
park. Cerulea, along with a committee of 27 citizens and City officials,
created the master plan for the future 62-acre mostly passive park.
The master plan was approved by City Council last February.
Suwanee purchased the former Rae Hewell property in 2003. The property,
which includes a seven acre lake, is widely considered the jewel
of the City's award-winning Open Space initiative, through which
Suwanee has added some 230 acres of open space, opened three new
parks, and added three miles to its popular Suwanee Creek Greenway.
Pressure washers generate
waste water problems in county
Gwinnett County's Department of Water Resources has recently implemented
a program to address water pollution generated by pressure washers
operating in Gwinnett County.
Pressure washing creates left over washwater that may contain oil,
grease and other chemicals. Disposal of this waste into a storm
drain causes water pollution and is a violation of county ordinances.
In response to this problem, county officials formed a partnership
with the local chapter of Pressure Washers of North America, a national
industry association, to develop a Surface Cleaning Guideline that
details how this washwater should be managed to prevent water pollution
associated with the industry. The guideline generally requires that
any polluted wash water must be collected for proper disposal.
In addition to the development of the guideline, Gwinnett County
offered a training seminar to all pressure washers licensed in the
County to educate them regarding the requirement to manage their
polluted washwater.
A list of pressure washing contractors who have demonstrated their
ability to collect and manage polluted washwater is available at
www.gwinnettstormwater.com.
Additional resources, including a consumer brochure explaining the
program in detail, are also available on the website or by contacting
the Stormwater Management Division by phone at 678.376.7137. County
ordinances provide that property owners or occupants can also be
held responsible for violations that occur on their property or
under their supervision or direction.
- An invitation: What
Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your
best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have
read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus
what book you plan to read next. --eeb
Sapelo
Island's Spalding early leader in politics and farming
Spalding |
Thomas
Spalding, (1774-1851), noted antebellum planter of Sapelo Island,
was one of the most influential agriculturists and political figures
of his day in Georgia. He devoted his professional energies to the
management of his Sapelo Island plantation, where he cultivated
Sea Island cotton, introduced the manufacture of sugar to Georgia,
and promoted Darien and the coastal area as the economic center
of the state.
Spalding was born on St. Simons Island in 1774. Spalding was admitted
to the Georgia bar in 1795. That same year he married Sarah Leake.
Early in his professional career Spalding displayed a propensity
for public service. He served a term in the Georgia House of Representatives
(1794-95) and the Georgia Senate (1803-4), followed by a two-year
term in the U.S. Congress (1805-6). Spalding completed a transaction
through which he acquired 5,000 acres on the south end of Sapelo,
a purchase partly financed by the sale of his late father's St.
Simons plantation.
Spalding was the consummate "scientific farmer" who experimented
with an array of agricultural procedures, including crop rotation
and diversification, the planting of sugar cane, and the construction
of a tabby sugar mill for processing and manufacturing his sugar.
Spalding pursued an agrarian philosophy predicated not only on the
cultivation of his primary staple crops of cotton (on Sapelo) and
rice (on the Altamaha River) but also on secondary crops by which
he sustained his labor force and livestock. Planters throughout
the tidewater region adopted Spalding's tabby building techniques.
Ruins of Spalding's tabbys are in abundance on Sapelo Island and
on the mainland.
Despite financial setbacks occasioned by the severe hurricane of
1824, Spalding recovered and continued his successful cotton and
sugar operations on Sapelo. He eventually came to own almost the
entire 16,500-acre barrier island. Spalding also played a prominent
role in local business. He was a founder of the Bank of Darien,
advocated railroad and canal development in the region, and was
active in state affairs. Having outlived five of his seven sons
and his wife Sarah, who died in 1843, Spalding died at the age of
76 at his mainland home of Ashantilly near Darien on January 4,
1851.
Astounding thing about
marriage is that it often endures
"The really astounding thing about marriage is not that it
so often goes to smash, but that it so often endures."
-- Newspaperman and philosopher H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) ,
via Marshall Miller, Lilburn
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