MONDAY ART BEGINNING: A sculptor and a painter are teaming on a life-size bronze statue to grace the Duluth Town Green. Duluth’s Kathy Fincher, recognized for her artistic paintings, is teaming with Martin Dawe of CherryLion Studio in Atlanta, to create “The Dream Keepers.” The groundbreaking for one of the largest patriotic artworks for children in the USA will be Monday, November 7 at 1 p.m. The artwork features eight life-like, bronze children, a 5’ x 7’ hand painting of the American flag on glass, and a columned backdrop of a 9×12 foot brick wall. As one of the largest figurative public works of children in the country, this project is destined to become a showplace attraction for Duluth. An unveiling of the completed project will be announced in early 2017. Following the events of 9/11, Fincher felt a responsibility to offer a message of hope to American families. Fincher painted “The Dream Keepers” as a ray of hope to the nation. Ultimately the painting made its way to the Oval Office and now circles back home to Fincher’s hometown of Duluth in this life-size form. She believes that Duluth is a role model city for patriotism and a community that embodies the very spirit and values of “The Dream Keepers.”
TODAY’S FOCUS: Police As Guardians When Confronting Situations in Crisis
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Here are GwinnettForum’s Choices in Tuesday’s General Election
ANOTHER VIEW: Looking Back on Presidential Campaign, and What Might Happen
SPOTLIGHT: Georgia-Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
FEEDBACK: Suggests Three Reasons To Vote Against Ballot’s Amendment Two
UPCOMING: Aurora Theatre Offering The 12 Dates of Christmas on Stage Soon
NOTABLE: Peachtree Corners New City Manager To Begin Work November 21
RECOMMENDED: The Magnolia Story by Joanna and Chip Gaines, with Mark Dagostino
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Trio Exercises Dominance over State Politics for Many Years
TODAY’S QUOTE: Is All This Political Conviction Coming From People Second-Handed?
MYSTERY PHOTO: Learning More about the Wild West Days
LAGNIAPPE: Pam Hoffman Gets Award from District Parks-Recreation Group
CALENDAR: Red, Blue and You Event, Friday, November 18, at 11:30 a.m. at Coolray Field
Police as guardians when confronting situations in crisis
(Editor’s Note: Peter F. Boyce is a Dacula attorney in private practice in Atlanta and General Counsel for the National Narcotics Officers Association Coalition. For much of his career, Peter has counseled and defended police officers, their supervisors, their departments, and the governmental entity which employs them when they are threatened with suit or sued for allegations of wrongful conduct. He has represented large metropolitan police departments, as well as small city police departments. He was born in New Jersey, is a graduate of Furman University and the Atlanta Law School. He has practiced law in Atlanta since 1977.)—eeb
By Peter Boyce, Dacula, Ga. | Law enforcement has been thrust into a role of crisis intervention when confronted with persons suffering from mental illness and/or drug induced behavior.
Boyce
The media now asserts that the police, as first responders who frequently confront individuals with severe mental illness or who are under the influence of drugs, must fulfill a legal obligation to protect the safety and welfare of the community as well as assess and safeguard the rights of people with disabilities such as mental illness or drug induced behavior. Many assert that law enforcement, as part of its duty to serve and protect the rights of every citizen, must now assume the responsibility to manage and access if the person they confront is a criminal in need of arrest or a person with a disability who needs medical intervention.
Law Enforcement has been trained to arrest someone involved in illegal activity. It leaves the criminal justice system to determine, after the arrest, if the person charged with a crime should enter a mental facility, a drug rehab program, or face criminal charges. Police officers receive little or no comprehensive training in dealing with people with mental illness, which often appear to the officer to be drug or alcohol related.
Officers must be trained in crisis intervention. Specialized teams composed of a mental health professional and the police should be available to every officer who confronts a situation related to a mental health crisis or drug induced behavior. Police departments do not have the financial resources to provide a crisis intervention team. It seems unlikely that the politicians will allocate the funds necessary to train each officer on crisis intervention and de-escalation.
What can law enforcement do to meet this challenge of evolving law and public perception that the police should alter their approach when confronted with a mental health or drug induces critical incident?
Law enforcement and mental health professionals should adopt policies and procedures that promote the value of working together, using joint resources and expertise, during interventions. Police officers and mental health professionals need to work as a team to train, equip and share resources in a crisis situation.
Police officers must be cautioned, however, that the use of force, even lethal force, must be an option when confronted with a suspect who poses a danger to the public and/or the police. The reality is that while some encounters can be de-escalated, the officer must make the split-second decision regarding whether to use force or attempt to de-escalate the encounter. The public must understand that as guardians, officers also assume the role, when necessary, as warriors in order to protect the public interest and the lives of their fellow officers.
The responsibility to make sometimes instantaneous decisions regarding the mental health of a suspect or their degree of drug intoxication has been thrust upon law enforcement in an era of de-institutionalization of the mentally ill and drug crazed individual.
We need to train police officers to better identify symptoms of mental health disorders and substance use. We also must give them access to mental health professionals and facilitate ongoing collaboration between police and health care professionals.
Only when all of these many issues are faced and funded, can law enforcement hope to curtail the crisis of dealing with the mentally ill and drug addicted citizens. Until the issues are addressed by elected officials and the courts, law enforcement finds itself caught between being a guardian for the mentally ill and drug offenders and the mandate that law enforcement must protect the public safety.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Here are GwinnettForum’s choices in Tuesday’s General Election
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | In this last edition of GwinnettForum prior to Tuesday’s election, we’ll give a run-down of our views on the various races, as a guide to the election. Details of these endorsements were printed in previous issues.
Here are our choices in elections where there are at least two opponents:
President of the United States: Democrat Hillary Clinton, 69.
U.S. Senate: We are pleased again to recommend incumbent Republican Johnny Isakson, 71, to continue to his third term in the Senate.
U.S. CONGRESS, 4TH District: Our choice is Republican Victor Armendariz, 46.
U.S. CONGRESS, 7th District: Democrat Dr. Rashid Malik, 58.
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION: Our choice is Republican Tim Echols, 55, of Athens.
STATE SENATE District 40: Republican incumbent Fran Millar, 66, of Dunwoody.
STATE SENATE District 55 Democrat Gloria Butler, 74 of Stone Mountain.
GEORGIA HOUSE District 81: Democrat Scott Holcomb, 43, of Atlanta.
GEORGIA HOUSE District 96: Democrat Pedro Marin, 58, of Duluth.
GEORGIA HOUSE District 101: Democrat Samuel Park, 30, of Lawrenceville.
GEORGIA HOUSE District 102: Republican Buzz Brockway, 50, of Lawrenceville.
GEORGIA HOUSE District 105: Democrat Donna McLeod, 48, of Lawrenceville.
GEORGIA HOUSE District 108: Democrat T.R. Radjabov, 32, of Lilburn.
COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIR: Republican Charlotte Nash, 63, of Harbins.
COUNTY COMMISSION, District 3: Democrat Jasper Watkins, 58, of Grayson.
Constitutional amendments
Now to the Constitutional amendments facing voters, we suggest the following:
Amendment One should be defeated. It is a power grab by the governor and the state legislature to exercise state control over failing schools. Many parent-teacher and school boards have strongly come out against this measure. It will entirely strip local-elected school boards of any failing schools of authority. While extra-ordinary improvements need to be made in these schools, this is not the way to go about it. It will set a precedent that will takes ages to undo. Vote NO on Number One.
Amendment Two should pass. It opens the way for Georgia to attack sex trafficking, and is known as the “Safe Harbor” bill. It also creates a way to pay for such services, through a creative manner of taxing previously-unregulated adult businesses. Vote Yes on Number Two.
Amendment Three should be defeated. This is similar to the Amendment One in that it is a power grab again, this time primarily by the Georgia Legislature, seeking to get jurisdiction over the way to oversee the court systems. Besides, the current somewhat–independent Judicial Qualifications Commission is doing an admirable job already, purging our courts of judges they find doing a bad job. Vote No on Number Three.
Amendment Four: The State Legislature needs to find a more reasonable way to fund trauma care and public safety than taxing fireworks. While we lament the Legislature’ passing of the current fireworks law, targeting one industry is no way to fund an unrelated problem. Our Georgia firefighters and local public safety workers are so important to us that the Legislature needs to direct its attention to passing a dedicated budget item for this problem. Vote No on Number Four.
Said another way, go the polls and vote No, Yes, No, No on these four amendments.
SPLOST
There is one more major items on the ballot in Gwinnett County: whether the county continue its Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for another six years to provide infrastructure improvements through the county, and in the cities of the county?
We strongly suggest voting YES on this important question. (See October 12 issue for details).
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Looking back on presidential campaign, and what might happen
By Andy Brack | Come November 8, Southerners will cast about 33 million votes in this oddest and nastiest of presidential elections. Of those, more than 15 million will be for the Democrat, Hillary Clinton. That’s a lot of blue living in what most assume is just red.
Yes, our region, just like our nation, is more purple than just red or blue.
Recent polls indicate Clinton likely will replicate Southern electoral victories by Barack Obama in 2008, with narrow wins in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. Republican nominee Donald Trump likely will carry the other Southern states, but 45 percent to 48 percent of voters in each probably won’t vote for him, based on past results.
If Clinton’s email issues get stickier or Trump’s temper gets worse, the margins could change.
But more than likely, Clinton will squeak out a national win in the popular vote, but crush Trump in the electoral college, garnering much more than the 270 votes she needs to win.
Had Trump been more disciplined in recent months, focusing on the country instead of being petty and narcissistic, the race could be much closer.
College of Charleston political scientist Gibbs Knotts says: “He didn’t raise money. He didn’t build his ground game. And he didn’t stay focused on his key core message. He got sidetracked.”
While Clinton has high negatives (just not as high as Trump’s), she’s still not a shoo-in. But her mostly calm demeanor, compared to off-the-cuff, stream-of-consciousness rants by Trump, may be what wins the day on November 8.
American Party member Emile DeFelice of Columbia, S.C., who operates a shop on Main Street, overheard a conversation among some prominent bankers he recognized in a coffee shop after one of the Clinton-Trump debates.
“They all seemed to have mutually agreed that there was no way they were going to vote for that guy (Trump),” he said. “Banks don’t like instability and Donald Trump is nothing but instability.”
Almost by default for many voters, Clinton seems to have become the candidate of the business establishment, even though Trump comes from the world of business. Sure, many Republicans will hold their noses and vote for Trump because he’s at the top of the ticket for a party they love. But a sizable number may not vote or will cast ballots for other party’s candidates.
If Clinton wins, what happens next to the GOP will be, in the understatement of understatements, most interesting.
Some will bemoan the demise of the Republican Party. But it’s been around a long time and won’t go away without a fight. In fact, we believe it will get stronger by coalescing around basic principles. If the alt-right wing of the GOP splits off with Trump-like politicians as leaders of a new party, traditional Republicans may be free of pests that have defined them in recent years.
Country club Republicans then will have a chance to reawaken messages of old-school Republicanism marked by frugality and moderation on social issues. It surely won’t take too long for the alt-right movement to lose its fire in a sea of disorganization just as happened a few years ago to the tea party when it fizzled like dud fireworks that never get off the ground.
If Clinton wins, Democrats will need to keep arrogance in check. They would be smart to reinvigorate their brand to keep from losing voters to a new GOP. And they’d be smart to try to work with Republicans.
You’ve probably heard the expression, “May you live in interesting times.” They’re about to get a whole lot more interesting.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report, a sister publication in South Carolina. Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Professional healthcare programs leading to doctoral degrees in Pharmacy (PharmD) and Osteopathic Medicine (DO) are offered at Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) in Suwanee Ga. A graduate degree at the master’s level can be earned in Biomedical Sciences and Physician Assistant Studies. GA–PCOM is a private, not-for-profit branch campus of the fully accredited Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, a multi-program institution founded in 1899 with a tradition of educational excellence.
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- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: Our sponsors.
Suggests three reasons to vote against ballot’s Amendment Two
Editor, the Forum:
Ballot Question 2 seeks to dedicate sin taxes on strip clubs for a specific use. Supporters are hoping that you will not consider the boring aspects of how state government works.
Consider three reasons why you should vote no on Question 2:
- You cannot legislate morality. As Chris Rock so eloquently stated in his 1999 hit, “No Sex (In the Champagne Room)” you won’t find sex in strip clubs. You will find it in hotels. However, during the last legislative session, the General Assembly earmarked a hotel/motel occupancy tax of $5 /night for transportation. So, our legislators decided to tax businesses they don’t like. Now, the strip club tax will still be collected, and the tax will not correlate to a decline in sex trafficking.
- Voting yes will not guarantee sufficient funding levels. As Renee Unterman asks in her letter, “Do we really want to leave that up to the politics of annual appropriations?” Yes. Y’all have one constitutionally mandated job: to pass a budget. Voting “no” removes legislative prerogative, forces our elected officials to justify their decisions, and ensures accountability.
- Mandated funding is treated as a funding ceiling, and not a floor. In Renee Unterman’s letter to the GwinnettForum on 10/28, she wrote: “… I would respectfully suggest that sometimes even a principle held for good reason should be overridden…” If legislators treated dedicated funding as a floor, and not a ceiling, then they wouldn’t need to override their principles. Just because a fund is mandated, doesn’t mean the appropriation question has been answered.
I urge you to vote no on Question 2. Contrary to Sen. Unterman’s assertion, “Yes” voters do not occupy moral high ground.
— Jack McClure, Buford
Feels the state and our governor got snookered on this one
Editor, the Forum:
In the latest Forum, George Wilson is right on target, as usual.
Perhaps the biggest corporate welfare scams ever pulled was done by Kia Motors when they were enticed to locate their assembly plant in Georgia. They were given tax breaks, training assistance, and, I suppose, other concessions in order to bring jobs to the state.
And where did they locate? Less than five miles from the Alabama line, in West Point, Ga. I daresay that at least half the jobs at the plant are held by Alabamans who benefit from the location but pay absolutely nothing (in their tax dollars) to get the plant.
Yep, our governor at the time, Sonny Perdue, got snookered on this transaction.
— Robert Hanson, Loganville
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
Aurora Theatre offering The 12 Dates of Christmas on stage soon
Celebrate the holiday season with Aurora Theatre’s annual tradition The 12 Dates of Christmas, lighting up Lawrenceville November 26 through December 23. The spirited production will provide laughter aplenty, as audiences are swept away on a whirlwind adventure into the mishaps of one woman’s attempt to get her jingle back in the wonderful world of dating. Written by American Shakespeare Center’s Ginna Hoben, the delicious one-woman show will make spirits bright with its festive bundle of laugh-out-loud entertainment!
The 12 Dates of Christmas will star Aurora Theatre Education Coordinator and Apprentice Company graduate Renita James as Mary, the unlucky woman who sees her fiancé kiss someone else while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. Over the next year, she’s set up, hooked up, strung up and fed up as she reluctantly stumbles back into the dating scene. Will she find Mr. Right in the New Year, or will single be her new style? Teens and adults are invited to find out during the limited four-week engagement.
Megan Houchins, director, says: “The beauty of The 12 Dates of Christmas is that it gives a whole new meaning to ‘holiday classic’ with its one-liners, quips and knee-slapping humor. It’s a show that is meant to be a little crude, very relatable, always funny and, at times, touching. With a new set, director and leading lady, we will bring a fresh take on the show, so even if you have seen it before, you will want to see it again!”
Led by Producing Artistic Director Anthony Rodriguez, the design team consists of the award-winning duo Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay (Set), James M. Helms (Lights), Daniel Terry (Sound/Technical director) and Sarah Thomson (Scenic Artist).
This play is presented in Aurora Theatre’s Peach State Federal Credit Union Studio. Tickets range from $20-$30 and can be purchased online at tickets.auroratheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at 678-226-6222.
Regular show times, in repertory with A Christmas Carol, are as follows from November 26 to December 23 are:
- Wednesday –Friday: 8 p.m.
- Saturday: 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Sunday: 2:30 p.m.
Decorated Army ranger to speak at Gwinnett Tech on Nov. 10
On November 10, at 10:30 a.m. Gwinnett Technical College will welcome Master Sgt. Cedric King (Ret., U.S. Army) to speak on Veterans Day. His message is entitled: “Thriving Through the Fire of Adversity.” The College extends an invitation people in the community to attend this special event.
King
The event will be at the Busbee Center Auditorium in Building 700. A live webcast will also be offered on the College’s Alpharetta-North Fulton Campus at 2875 Old Milton Parkway in Lecture Hall 112. Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP at http://bit.ly/2eyDrC5. The event is free and open to all.
A native of Norlina, N.C., Master Sergeant King entered the United States Army in 1995.
His career took him from an infantry private to become an Army Ranger.
On July 25, 2012, during his second tour in Afghanistan, King was severely injured by an improvised explosive device. The blast caused major internal injuries, permanent loss to part of his right arm and hand, and the amputation of both legs. King is a recipient of the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service
Just 21 months after losing both legs, King completed the Boston Marathon, running on prosthetic blades. He has since gone on to compete in a number of physically daunting events, including a 70.3-mile half Ironman Triathlon, the 2014 New York City Marathon, and the 48.6-mile Disney Marathon series.
Experience an 1860s Christmas at McDaniel Farm on Nov. 12
Step back in time and experience an 1860s Christmas through a living history demonstration. Join Union and Confederate soldiers on the front lines and on the home front at the annual Holiday on the Home Front at McDaniel Farm on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Civil War re-enactors Derek Sargent and Joe Bath bring the 1860s to life at last year’s Holiday on the Home Front at McDaniel Farm.
The program will take guests back in time to 1864 at McDaniel Farm as Daniel and A.W. McDaniel are on furlough to spend Christmas with the family. Visitors will engage in a drill with soldiers, visit their camp sites, participate in bayonet practice and learn about medical knowledge of the time.
Guests will hear musicians play music from the era and soldiers demonstrate bugle calls. They will learn how families prepared for the holiday, see cotton spun into thread and enjoy the smells of period cooking. Guests can also make traditional holiday ornaments for their tree, discover the art of blacksmithing and enjoy a festive hayride around the historic farm.
Program fees for Holiday on the Home Front are $8 per person. Children two and under and Environmental and Heritage Center members are free. Guests can pre-register online at www.gwinnettEHC.org or pay at the gate the day of the event.
Event parking is available on-site. Snacks and hot chocolate will be available for purchase. McDaniel Farm is located at 3251 McDaniel Road, Duluth, Ga., 30096.
- For more information about this event and the Environmental and Heritage Center, visit www.gwinnettEHC.org.
Peachtree Corners’ new city manager to being work Nov. 21
Peachtree Corners has come to an agreement to hire a new city manager. He is Brian L. Johnson, who was city manager for Anniston, Ala. for the past three years.
Johnson
Prior to being the Anniston’s city manager, Johnson was city manager for the City of Garden City in Chatham County, Ga. for six years. His background also includes over 18 years of diverse management experience at both the federal and local levels of government. He will be paid $175,000 annually by Peachtree Corners. He will begin his new position in Peachtree Corners on Nov. 21, 2016.
Mr. Johnson is a native of Hendersonville, N.C. He holds both AB and MA degree from the University of Georgia. He is married, his wife is the former Cheri Wehling of Washington, Kan., and they have two children, a daughter age 9 and a son age 7. He has been active in the Anniston community, including service on a non-profit hospital board and as a member of the Rotary Club.
He has been a cryptologist in the U.S. Navy, he was commissioned an infantry officer after college graduation. He is a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star Medal of Valor after serving in Iraq. He is also a Georgia Trend “40- under 40” honoree.
Local DAR member initiates program to police officers
Vickie Swanner of the Lawrenceville Police Department receives the “In Gratitude” cards for distribution to police officers from Peggy Freeman Georgia State Society Daughters of the American Revolution of the Philadelphia Winn Chapter located in Lawrenceville.
Georgia’s law enforcement officers may soon receive “Thank You” cards from the Daughters of the American Revolution Chapter members, beginning in Lawrenceville.
The new project is themed ‘In Gratitude” and was initiated by Peggy Freeman the Society’s “For Veterans” chair and member of the Lawrenceville DAR chapter. The project involves people from across Georgia communities writing a brief thank you message to a member of law enforcement. Anyone can participate, using the blank cards provided by DAR members. Once written, the DAR members, using the internet, determine how many sworn officers are in a particular town, city or community, then present the cards to the office of the Chief of Police for distribution to the officers. Completed cards are delivered by DAR members, eliminating any mailing cost.
Mrs. Freeman learned that over 50 percent of law enforcement officers nationwide had served in the U.S. military. She presented the information to State DAR Regent Joyce Ball Patton. Thus the project began. DAR members are encouraged to seek card writers through the Social Studies classes in middle schools to further acquaint students with a positive appreciation for those who wear the uniform and protect the communities.
Gwinnett Rotary members embark on assembling safe water devices
Gwinnett Rotary Club members are embarking on a project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Rotary International Foundation by hand-assembling 200 Water Pasteurization Indicators (WAPIs)for use in Third World countries.
Karen Fine Saltiel, president of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett County, says that WAPIs are simple, cost-effective tools that help determine when water is safe to drink. “The WAPI is a transparent tube or thermometer containing wax. As water is being heated for pasteurization, the small device is dropped into the water. Once the water reaches 150 °F (65 °C), the wax melts and drops to the bottom of the tube, indicating that the water is safe from bacteria, viruses and parasites. WAPIs are so simple, yet they are vital life saving devices.”
WAPIs not only save lives, but they save time and energy too. In many parts of the world women and children spend hours traveling great distances in unsafe territory to scavenge for scraps of wood and brush to make a daily fire to boil water. The WAPIs help them conserve the use of fuel, since it needs a lower temperature to tell when the liquid is pasteurized. Hence, they use fewer resources and have assurance their water is safe to drink.
To learn more about The Rotary Club of Gwinnett County or how to start your own Water Pasteurization Instrument project, visit www.GwinnettRotary.org.
The Magnolia Story
Nonfiction by Joanna and Chip Gaines, with Mark Dagostino
Reviewed by Susan Ward, Lawrenceville: This is the story of a refreshingly winsome couple in Waco, Texas, who have become famous through their hard work and exposure to the USA via HGTV. For fans of HGTV, the Gaines’ show Fixer Upper, has become a network favorite. I became quickly addicted to this show that portrays the Gaines’ as a married couple with four children who work together to create honest-to-goodness “dream homes” for Waco families on various budgets. In fact, they have inspired me to spend upwards of $10,000 this year on my own home to improve and decorate it. Fans of the show will love Chip and Jo-Jo’s story. They brought such a vibrant positivity to Waco, and to our nation. I was blessed by the book.
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
Trio exercises dominance over state politics for many years
(From previous edition)
The noted southern historian C. Vann Woodward argued that the term Bourbon, which implies a steadfast refusal to accept or learn from the defeat of the Civil War and adapt to new realities, hardly fit these three postbellum Georgia leaders, Joseph E. Brown, Alfred H. Colquitt, and John B. Gordon. Other historians have convincingly shown that the trio did not possess the unity of interests and purpose that the term triumvirate implies.
More aptly, the trio could be viewed as the core of the larger “Atlanta Ring,” which also included Atlanta Constitution Editors Evan Howell and Henry W. Grady. These two preeminent journalists, particularly Grady, played important roles in the trio’s political strategizing, most notably in the suspicious series of events involving Gordon’s sudden resignation from the U.S. Senate and his replacement by Brown in 1880, as well as Gordon’s somewhat delayed but ultimately successful entry into the 1886 governor’s race. In this contest, Grady masterfully exploited Gordon’s Civil War legacy to help him derail the seemingly unstoppable campaign of Augustus O. Bacon of Macon, a leading opponent of the Atlanta Ring who later became a U.S. senator himself.
After Gordon became governor, the always limited solidarity among the members of the Bourbon Triumvirate began to collapse. The friction that had long existed between the free-trader Colquitt and the protectionist Brown erupted into open conflict after U.S. president Grover Cleveland’s low-tariff address of 1887.
Brown and Gordon had harbored dislike for each other ever since the latter’s role in resolving the Hayes-Tilden election dispute of 1876, and after a rebellion of convict miners at Brown’s Dade Coal Company in 1886 exposed the horrors of the convict lease system, Gordon made convict lease reform a key part of his platform. (Gordon had apparently divested himself of convict laborers by then.) As governor, Gordon presided over a state investigation of convict leasing that produced only limited reform but a rather public deterioration of his relationship with Brown. Gordon also had a falling-out with his old supporter, Henry Grady, who died in 1889.
The rise of the Farmers’ Alliance to a position of strength within the Democratic Party in 1890, the rising influence of the popular U.S. representative Thomas Watson, and the passage of time essentially ended the era of the Bourbon Triumvirate. Brown and Colquitt both died in 1894, and Gordon retired from politics after completing his last term in the U.S. Senate in 1897.
Never before and never since, however, has a trio of men collectively exercised such dominance over state politics, even if the extent to which they did so as a collective unit was exaggerated in the minds of the press and the public.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
From statuary to a tall building
Can you figure out where this is, and what is its context? Send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.
What we thought might be a difficult Mystery Photo easily caught the eye of several readers, with Rob Keith of Peachtree Corners saying: “Well, this one was a lot easier than the last. It’s the statue of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday at the Historic Railroad Depot in Tucson, Ariz. Many people may not know that Doc Holliday was born here in Griffin, Ga. in 1851.” The photograph was sent in by Sandy and Rick Krause of Lilburn.
Also spotting the photo were Jim Savadelis, Duluth, Lois Solomon, Dacula, and David Earl Tyre of Jesup. Howard Williams Jr. of Snellville tells us: “It’s a life-sized statue of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp by sculptor Dan Bates dedicated by the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum at the restored Historic Railroad Depot in Tucson, Arizona, on March 20, 2005, the 122nd anniversary of the killing of Frank Stilwell by Wyatt Earp. The statue stands at the approximate site of the shooting on the train platform.”
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. adds: “Wyatt Earp joined his four brothers in the silver-boom town of Tombstone in 1879, where brother Virgil was deputy U.S. Marshal. Wyatt was a sometimes-lawman himself, and hoped to become sheriff of the newly formed Cochise County in 1881. He withdrew from the race when the other candidate, John Behan, promised to make him chief deputy. Behan was associated with a rowdy element known as the ‘cowboys,’ who were involved in periodic rustling forays, robberies and similar unscrupulous pursuits. Behan reneged on his promise to Earp, causing hard feelings between the two, a situation made worse when Earp stole Behan’s girlfriend, 18-year-old Josephine Sarah Marcus. Hostility between Behan and his supporters and the ‘Earp crowd,’ which included John H. ‘Doc’ Holliday – a tubercular, hot-tempered dentist and gambler – reached a flashpoint Oct. 26, 1881 with the infamous shootout near OK Corral that left three of the cowboys dead. In the weeks that followed, ambush attacks left Virgil Earp crippled and Morgan Earp dead. Thereafter, the Earp group is believed to have systematically extracted revenge on about a dozen of their enemies including Frank Stilwell. Stilwell was shot at the Tucson Depot on March 20, 1882.”
EEB adds: “Isn’t it amazing what we all learn from these Mystery Photos!”
Hoffman gets award from district parks-recreation group
The Georgia Recreation and Park Association (GRPA), District 7, has presented its Distinguished Program Professional Award to Pam Hoffman of Gwinnett for her commitment to excellence and extensive involvement in the community for the last 26 years. In addition, the Parks and Outdoor Professional Award was presented to John Rowe for being an outstanding member of the conservation park district. From left are Tina Fleming, director of the Gwinnett Department of Community Service; Hoffman and Wayne Maddox GRPA District 7 president, from Forsyth County. The Volunteer Award was presented to Liberty Mutual Insurance for their “Serve with Liberty” program that provides assistance and resources to Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation on volunteer workdays. The program is the company’s employee community service program. For the past four years, this program has averaged 70 volunteers per year completing 450 hours of service. For more information on GRPA, visit www.grpa.org.
Writing Your Life Story: a program aimed at teens, will be Saturday, November 5, at 1 p.m. at the new Lilburn Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library. Georgia Gwinnett College Associate Professors Dr. Linda Hughes and Dr. Kathryn Gray-White will host and focus on the differences between private, personal, and public writing. This is a memoir writing workshop for teens that will guide them through the process of crafting a compelling memoir in six easy steps. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.
Electronics Recycling, Saturday, November 5, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the First Christian Church of Atlanta, 4532 LaVista Road, Tucker. Sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Tucker and Stone Mountain, proceeds will benefit the Friends of Disabled Adults and Children. Working and non-working electronics (with the exception of CRT monitors) will be accepted for recycling at no charge, however, participants are encouraged to make a donation to FODAC. The clubs will also accept durable medical equipment (DME), such as wheelchairs, power chairs, walkers, crutches and bedside commodes, which FODAC will clean and recycle to help those with mobility impairments.
Veterans’ Day: November 11, at 11 a.m. will be observed at the Fallen Heroes Memorial near the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville.
(NEW) Fall Program of the Stone Mountain Barbershop Chorus will be Saturday,November 12 at both 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Peachtree Corners Baptist Church, 4480 Peachtree Corners Circle. This program presents the best in four-part harmony, featuring songs from The Music Man, and other Broadway and movie productions. Save with advanced purchase of tickets at www.stonemountainchorus.org or by calling 770-978-853.
“The Origin and Evolution of Birds” will be the topic at the November 14 meeting of the Southern Wings Bird Club at 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville, in Room A. Chris Showalter will speak on the evidence that birds evolved from a group of small dinosaurs and other alternative perspectives. For more information, visit www.southernwingsbc.com.
(NEW) Red, Blue and You Event, Friday, November 18, at 11:30 a.m. at Coolray Field, honoring first responders of Gwinnett. Hosted by the Evermore Community Improvement District. A barbecue lunch will be available for purchase.. For more information, call 404 580 1103.
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