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Spots open for Camp Imagination Station at Gwinnett Tech
By Lauren Anderson
Special to GwinnettForum.com

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., June 1, 2007 -- With school now out and summer break officially here, it is the time to make plans for your child to attend Camp Imagination Station at Gwinnett Technical College's D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Early Education Center in Lawrenceville, while spots are still available.

The college's early education center is opening its doors to day campers for the first time this summer for children entering kindergarten through second grade.

Camp Imagination Station at the Center on the campus of Gwinnett Tech will run through July 27, 2007. Rising kindergarteners through second-graders may be enrolled for one or more days or weeks, or for the entire nine-week period. The camp, which runs from 7 a.m. until 6:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, is $140/week or $38/day. To register, call 678-226-6510 or by stop by the center for an application.

In addition to low child-teacher ratios that provide an inviting and relaxed atmosphere among teachers and students, the camps will also offer stimulating, interactive activities, including:

Becky Olson, director of the Center at Gwinnett Tech, says: "We are excited to implement our summer camp program this year in conjunction with our annual educational offerings, rounding out our successful inaugural year of educating children and training college students preparing to enter the field of early childhood care and education."

The 26,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art Center opened last July to provide students studying early childhood education at Gwinnett Tech a hands-on experience in a quality learning environment, while simultaneously serving as a nurturing educational center for children aged six weeks to 12 years. The Center's summer camp program is a new addition to its existing list of offerings, including infant, toddler and before- and after-school care, plus pre-kindergarten and Montessori programs, all following the National Association for the Education of the Young Child accreditation standards.

To enroll in or to learn more about the summer camp program - or any of the programs, call 678.226.6510 or visit www.GwinnettTech.edu. To pre-register a child for the Center, log on to www.GwinnettTech.edu/heec,

Gwinnett Technical College, one of Georgia's largest technical colleges, offers more than 45 associate's degree, diploma, and certificate programs and hundreds of seminars and workshops offering specialized training each quarter. The college is also the county's largest single provider of corporate training programs. Gwinnett Tech is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Just how many pastors has your church had over the years
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com

JUNE 1, 2007 -- The setting is the beautiful, peaceful harbor town of Kinsale, on the coast in southern Ireland. We were, as some say, "on holiday" in this charming town, and visited at one of the more ancient structures in town, the Church of Ireland's St. Multose Church.

That the church is still standing is amazing, since it dates back to and has been in continuous use since 1190. It's Norman in design, and indeed, black letter inscriptions in the building are in the French language. It's not a particularly pretty church, but it is imposing, set on a rise maybe two blocks to the west of the harbor.

The church has many distinctions: a wooden Coat of Arms, flags from the Battle of Waterloo, distinctive cemetery, and beautiful carvings memorials (some in Carrera marble), and even the town stocks are there. It's named for St. Multose, who lived in Kinsale in the Sixth Century, and became its patron. It was in this church in 1649 that Charles II was proclaimed King by Prince Rupert, whose fleet was in the harbor.

While unique, what we remember from his church is something that many Gwinnett churches might consider. For on its stone walls, we saw a wooden long wooden plaque that really hit us hard.

The perpendicular plaque had on it listed, in descending order, every rector of the church….back to 1190! There was listed every pastor, including the current rector.

Talk about pressure! What if you were St. Multose's current rector, recognizing the eons of years behind the office! It would cause a person to pause and consider this background, and this tradition….of your heritage…..

We say all this to make a simple suggestion to our Gwinnett churches: Americans don't always do well in recording our history, at least not for public consumption. So often we have to go back, sometimes for years and years, to record the facts that we should have set down earlier.

Especially with the recent growth in Gwinnett, many of its churches are young enough to have members that can re-construct the past history. These members can recall its early history, and especially the names and dates of its previous pastors.

However, if our churches wait until next month to get started….well, before you know it, somehow the project will be lost in the hustle and bustle of activity, and perhaps lost for all time. Minutes can be destroyed, and financial records lost, or there can be fires, and if you are not careful, there goes the official record of your church history.

So we ask both ministers and lay leaders of churches in Gwinnett: please get busy, and ensure that your heritage is well documented. Your church will benefit from having this history put in written form now. Why, you can also put it on your church web site, for everyone to use. Find someone in you congregation who has a bent for history, and ask them to take this project on.

In doing so, suggest that one key aspect will be a list of all the people who have held the key position of the pastor of your church. Preserve that name and dates served to help construct your own plaque to display for all to see. This plaque could end up like the one at St. Multose Church In Kinsale, Ireland today, a call from the past to the people, from back a thousand years.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is the Aurora Theatre, Gwinnett County's new crown jewel of the arts, which has just opened in its new theatre in Lawrenceville. It current production is the Tony Award winner Camelot, staring Anthony Rodriquez and Marcie Millard. Enjoy the spacious new theatre, which has retained many of the architectural features of the former Methodist church providing a theatrical experience that can only be described as intimate grandeur with no bad seat in the house! Right next door is the free covered parking in the new City of Lawrenceville parking deck adjacent to the theatre. For young children ask about the Saturday Children's Playhouse on the second, third and fourth Saturday morning of every production. To purchase individual tickets, season tickets or for more information, visit their revamped NEW website at www.auroratheatre.com or call 770-476-7926.

After reading the headline article about gas prices and hybrid vehicle purchases, I thought it time to respond with some real information we all should be asking our representatives about.

The Electric Car: The state of California required automobile makers to produce an electric car by law about 10 years ago. GM produced one with President Clinton's corporate welfare program for research and development on alternative vehicles and fuels. GM received millions in tax breaks and subsidies from the Feds. Soon there were over 1,000 good, solid vehicles that could actually accelerate quickly, and go as fast as 80-85 mph on California highways. (Of course this means they could keep up with Georgia drivers on I-285!)

Recently a documentary film came out detailing the story far better than I can here. See http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/. Sony Pictures is the producer of this film. The trailer alone tells more information than has ever been covered by any major media corporation. I recommend it.

Myself, I am curious about what Mr. Grant (Focus) or any of us call "being in the market for a new vehicle." I recently paid off my 2002 Nissan Frontier; my wife still drives her 1991 Toyota Camry; and we may buy the Camry Hybrid, if the Camry ever dies. We plan to save enough to buy it with cash though, otherwise we'll pay way more than we need to.

With two cars paid for, we aren't in the market for a new vehicle presently though. I question how often we purchase new vehicles to begin with. This brings me to my own possible plan of action.

At the end of the film (above), there are some websites and other informational resources for investigating the Electric Car yourself. Conversion kits are one of the possible solutions one can look into and I plan to do just that.

The very first problem I discovered is that our own state government regulatory bodies are unequipped to deal with electric cars. There is no tail pipe and therefore no emissions, so you would think this would be a no-brainer for our so-called leaders. Wrong! If you did by some miracle, still have one of the thousands of leased vehicles which GM did not impound and destroy by crushing, it won't pass emissions testing in any state. Alas, GM did not get every last one of the vehicles, so there is still much hope.

What? Rather than create a new certificate and inspection for a separate type of vehicle, state governments have done nothing and refuse to pass the few remaining electric vehicles on the road. A simple physical inspection of an electric car could easily be done and listening to the engine run also is a good indication of the vast difference between electric motors and greasy, oily, noisy, and smelly gasoline engines. Watch the movie and then decide if you think it is worth a five minute e-mail to your local elected officials and your state elected officials to ask, "Where is the Electric Car and why would it not pass emissions testing in Georgia if I could build one?"

Editor, The Forum,

Congratulations to Mr. Grant on his new hybrid car! If hybrid automobile manufacturers can get to the point where the batteries are warranted to 100,000 miles then let's go! For now, I have to stay with a conventional gas hog until the jury comes in on the batteries. You have to save a lot of money on a lot of gasoline to pay for replacing the batteries in a hybrid.

Kudzu Art Zone will hold an open house on June 2 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. to unveil the newly renovated Norcross Art Gallery and Studios, located at 116 Carlyle Street, Norcross. The event is open to the public at no charge. Visitors will view the opening exhibit of selected works by Kudzu members and tour the artists' studios.

In conjunction with the open house, Kudzu Art Zone will sponsor en plein aire (in plain view) painting in downtown Norcross where artists can draw, sketch or paint the local scenery. The outdoor painting will be a recurring event every Saturday and Sunday in June.

For more information please visit our website at www.kudzuartzone.org or call 770.840.9844.

Pack a picnic and bring your little ones out for an afternoon of fun and music as Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation once again hosts its Brown Bag Concert Series on the lawn of the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse on June 8 and 13 at 11 a.m. This family-friendly series of performances is free and open to all ages. Both concerts will feature the popular group The Bugaboos.

In addition to musical entertainment, the event will also feature children's activities including face painting and giveaways, and the Chick-Fil-A mascot will be on hand to spend some time with the kids. The June 8 concert will have a moonwalk.

The Gwinnett Historic Courthouse is located at 185 West Crogan Street in Lawrenceville. For more information call (770) 822-5450 or visit www.gwinnettparks.com.

Come learn about the Executive Roundtable Program at a Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Open House on June 4. Hear testimonies from Roundtable facilitators and members on the value of being part of this exclusive group of business professionals.

The Open House will be Monday, June 4, at the Stephens Education Room of the Gwinnett Chamber, 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth.

The Roundtable group provides a place to talk in confidence to other business owners about challenges and successes you've had in business. The Executive Roundtable will function as an informal Board of Directors for your company. Join the Executive Roundtable and build your business knowledge from small business owners who have become successful in their line of work.

It is free for Executive Roundtable members and Chamber members. Registration deadline is June 3. For more information, email Jo Anne Wymer at joanne@gwinnettchamber.org.

The Gwinnett Village CID has voted to fund the Partnership Gwinnett of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. By doing so, it will become the largest donor for the project which seeks to bring 65,000 jobs to Gwinnett in five years.

The CID board voted to commit $30,000 annually for five years, or $150,000, to the project, at its recent May meeting.

Chairman Shiv Aggarwal says: "We are pleased to become one of the major donors of the new economic initiative for Gwinnett County. More emphasis of the southern end of the county is needed to ensure a positive transformation of the area.

Also at the meeting, Jeff Lucas of ProLogis was named to a new three year term on the board. Lucas is responsible for leasing and marketing of ProLogis's land and buildings in North Atlanta. Prior to joining ProLogis, Jeff was the director of Business Recruitment for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. ProLogis is the world's largest owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities. ProLogis is also a fortune 1000 company and a member of the S&P 500. He received his B.S. in Political Science from Florida State University.

The CID board also re-elected Ann Cameron of GVA Advantis to a three year board term, and re-elected Shiv Aggarwal and Michael Deming as chairman and vice chairman for 2007.

Gwinnett Technical College has won three national awards for its breakthrough admissions marketing efforts, which have fueled the college's recent enrollment increase.

Gwinnett Tech was awarded three Admissions Marketing Awards from the Admissions Marketing Report, the national newspaper of admissions marketing that annually awards excellence in the field.

The college received two gold awards: one for its community publication, @WorkGwinnett, and another for its advertising, which poses the question: "What am I going to do with my life?" The college also won a bronze award for logo design for the college's D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Early Education Center.

The awards recognition underscores Gwinnett Tech's savvy marketing efforts and the resulting increase in recent enrollment -- in contrast to statewide technical college enrollment trends. Gwinnett Tech enrollment jumped 11.2 percent for Spring Quarter as compared to the same period last year, an increase that led the region.

Gwinnett Tech was the second largest of the Metro Atlanta area technical colleges in terms of total spring enrollment with 4,196 students.

Thomas Butler King is remembered primarily as a planter/politician from coastal Georgia who labored with mixed success to improve the nation's nascent transportation and communication networks.

King was born in Palmer, Mass. He attended Westfield Academy in Massachusetts and studied law under his brother, Henry, in Allentown, Pa. In 1823 he followed another brother, Stephen Clay King, to southeast Georgia and took up the practice of law. In 1824 he married Anna Matilda Page, the daughter of a wealthy cotton planter who owned Retreat Plantation on St. Simons Island. After the deaths of Anna's parents, the Kings made Retreat their primary home. They had ten children who survived to adulthood. King managed to accumulate other neighboring lands and plantations. He subsequently lost these properties to his creditors, however, when the long-staple cotton economy fell on lean times in the 1830s and his own investments in various internal improvement schemes came to nothing.

King was never particularly content with planting, preferring politics and public life. Elected to the Georgia legislature in 1832 as a senator from Glynn County, King served almost continuously until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1838. Once elected to the U.S. Congress, King allied himself with the Whig Party, continued the promotion of internal improvements (including a railway across the isthmus of Panama), and became a vocal champion of America's infant navy.

Bitterly disappointed at not being appointed secretary of the navy under President Zachary Taylor, King accepted an appointment as Taylor's special agent to California. King stayed on in California as collector of the Port of San Francisco under President Millard Fillmore, failing twice in bids to represent the new state as a U.S. senator. King's travels from East Coast to West Coast and his long-time affection for internal improvements made him a natural proponent of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Throughout the 1850s he worked tirelessly as its lobbyist and representative.

Finally, King returned to Georgia in 1859 to bury both his oldest son, Thomas Butler King Jr., and his wife, Anna. In 1861 he accepted the post of Georgia's representative to the courts of Europe and again left his plantation in the hands of his overseer and his fractured family. King returned home in 1862 and died in Waresboro, on May 10, 1864.

"Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture."

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