GwinnettForum | Number 21.07 | Jan. 26, 2021
Hendrickson
IN THE FACE OF A SURGING number of cases of COVID-19, Gwinnett County is requiring face masks or face coverings for all visitors and employees while inside county buildings and facilities effective January 26. Here’s Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson with a mask on. She last week signed the executive order, with face mask recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the spread of the disease. She also noted that the Supreme Court has ruled a community has the right to protect its citizens from epidemics. The order allows exceptions for bona fide medical or religious reasons and for people who cannot don or remove masks by themselves. The order requires a face mask covering the mouth and nose inside county facilities. People who do not comply may be denied entry or may be asked to leave.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Gwinnett nature photographers plan exhibit at The Hudgens
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Remembering Henry Aaron; the inauguration; and church gala
ANOTHER VIEW: Hopeful that America moves forward to benefit us in the future
SPOTLIGHT: Peach State Federal Credit Union
FEEDBACK: Two readers, pro and con, discuss recent School Board meeting
UPCOMING: Doug Jenkins becomes new president of Gwinnett Chamber
NOTABLE: Snellville to demolish old post office for The Grove
RECOMMENDED: Buff City Soap in Peachtree Corners
GEORGIA TIDBIT: 1910s and 1920s were important time for Georgia arts
MYSTERY PHOTO: The sunshine, the sky, boats, palm trees….where is this?
Gwinnett nature photographers plan exhibit at The Hudgens
Steve Layman won 2020 Best in Show with this photo from Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
By Stewart Woodard
DULUTH, Ga. | The sixth annual photographic competition of the Gwinnett Chapter of Georgia Nature Photographic Association (GNPA) will be at the Hudgens Center for Art and Learning for eight weeks. The dates from February 20 until April 17, 2021.
Woodard
The theme this year is “Stand in Ansel Adams’ Footsteps.” The concept and goal of having a theme came in 2016. The goal of the nature photographers is to shoot in black and white (monochrome) photographs to emulate as close as possible to the style, look and feel of Ansel Adams’ work. The competition is only open to GNPA members.
Ansel Adams also said, which became famous: “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” From this quote comes the competition title, “Stand in Ansel Adams’ Footsteps.” There are no restrictions on geographic location or when a photograph was taken. Some work in the exhibit will be available for purchase.
Members of GNPA are amateur photographers. They compete in two divisions, based on experience levels: Novice and Enthusiast photographers.
There are three categories in the competition:
- LANDSCAPE: think big and wide vistas, storm clouds, trees or meadows shrouded in fog, moving or even frozen water, rain, or snow.
- MACRO/CLOSEUP: typically detail, forms, shapes and textures of nature.
- OPEN theme: more creative, to think how Ansel Adams may have executed this final category. Ideas could be, but not limited to:
-
- On the edge the focal point of nature, not man-made shadows;
- Hi/low key: tonal range pushed to the highlights or shadows; and
- The photographer’s vision and interpretation of an Ansel Adams image.
Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco on February 20, 1902 and died April 22, 1984. SMPA picked February for the competition as a small nod to his birth month. Adams’ interest in photography grew and often brought him up to the mountains accompanied by his mule, Mistletoe, laden with heavy bulky photographic gear and supplies.
Most of Ansel Adams’ work was remarkable black and white landscapes and finely focused textures, forms, and details of nature. Remember, as he did … study and work your scene, consciously decide how and what you will photograph. Visualize your final image before clicking the shutter! He is quoted as saying: “You don’t take a photograph; you make it.”
Adams first visited Yosemite in 1916 — only two years after John Muir’s death and three months before the founding of the National Park Service.
This year’s juror is Charlotte Gibb, an award-winning and renowned nature and landscape photographer based in Northern California. She is known for her mastery of “Intimate Landscapes,” small scenes derived from a big, large landscape with an eye for the subtle and sometimes overlooked beauty of nature. She was the keynote speaker at the 2019 Georgia Nature Photographer’s Expo in Columbus.
To view work by Charlotte Gibb, go to www.charlottegibb.com. Her thoughts on black and white photography can be read on her blog, https://charlottegibbblog.com/black-whitephotography-still-relevant/.
In 2021, there are 59 member photographers who have registered 326 photographs. Because of limited space, there will be 130 to be on exhibit at the Hudgens.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Remembering Henry Aaron; the inauguration; church gala
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
JAN. 26, 2021 | The year was 1973, and Hank Aaron was chasing Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs. That was exciting, with some thinking perhaps Aaron would tie the record in the last home stand of that season. At the time, he had hit No. 712.
Living in Athens that September, someone got my son and me tickets to the Atlanta Fulton County Stadium on Sept. 29, 1973 as the Braves closed their season.
While we all remember the historic 715th home run in 1974, we also remember number 713. Aaron hit 713 off Houston Astros’ Jerry Reuss. True to life to an Aaron home run, it was another line drive, sailing over the Braves’ bullpen fence.
But alas, Aaron hit only that one home run that night. Later my son got Aaron’s dad’s autograph!
Aaron in 1974.
This weekend we read a story by Ron Kantowski in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He wrote that Aaron, “While facing Curt Simmons in 1965, hit the ball onto the pavilion roof at old Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis — only to be called out by home plate umpire Chris Pelekoudas for stepping out of the batter’s box.” He added that that would mean that the 1973 No. 713 would have been 714, had it not been for that 1965 denied home run in St. Louis.
We also remember another Aaron story fondly, from the 1969 season, when the Braves won their division title and played the New York Mets in Atlanta, only to lose three straight games and get knocked out of the World Series. We were living in South Georgia then, but got two tickets to a game. However, I was a little disappointed in our tickets. That didn’t worry my son, saying: “But we’ll be sitting right behind Hank Aaron in right field.”
Henry Aaron: 1934-2021: May you rest in peace.
The Biden inauguration was beautiful in so many ways. Happily, though cold, it was able to be held outside, though in an unusual spaced-out circumstance to a limited crowd.
The 46th president spoke beautifully of hope and healing. Did you notice the overtones of religion at several instances and references to “Amazing Grace?” Taking the oath on a massive family Bible was another touch. This focus was especially telling in these otherwise chilling times.
And when Lady Gaga sang the National Anthem, at one point her inflection in the words had the man behind her (who we did not recognize) nodding in agreement. That touched me.
Several people we’ve talked with told of shedding more than one tear during the ceremony. That will include us, too.
Some pundits are saying that Joe Biden’s inaugural address was the best that they have heard from a new president. It was a great day to begin the healing for our country.
With church for us limited to Zoom, and our congregation not having been together for nearly a year, some creative people came up with the idea of having a Zoom gala. At first, I didn’t think much of the idea. But we registered and “sailed” on the USS (for Stewardship) Resilient.
It turned out that the 1.5 hour virtual gala was most enjoyable, allowed church members to gab and tell stories about one another as we watched and talked to each other on our monitors. We suspect others had fun at it, too. We played bingo, got tips on making drinks and snacks, won prizes, and saw performances by our Church Players from earlier recordings. If your church wants to put on such a bash, we can happily refer you to our creative group.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Hopeful that America moves forward to benefit us in the future
By Susan Baum
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Last week our 46th president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., finally became our next president. While I was excited and hopeful, the fact that many of my friends and family are feeling the exact opposite weighs on me.
Baum
A friend posted a paragraph touting the wonderful things that had occurred in the past administration, mostly focusing on the economy and the stock market. However, nothing was mentioned about the many Americans who felt left out of this Make America Great Again world, the outright lies that led to an insurrection on our Capitol, and 400,000 dead Americans during the pandemic. So here’s what I’m hopeful about happening in our country in the immediate future.
More civility: The past administration normalized the insult. Members of the press, leaders of blue states (or red states that didn’t vote for him) and former employees, all felt his public wrath. I am so encouraged that President Biden is making civility a vital tenet of his administration. As George W. Bush said on inauguration day, things would be better if we all practiced the golden rule. Amen.
Telling the truth: We all watched the heartbreaking events of January 6 play out in front of our eyes. The people who attacked the police and defaced a national symbol of our democracy did so because they truly believed that the election was a fraud. The former president repeated lies and conspiracy theories so often that many people believed them and thought their actions were patriotic. “Alternate facts” are lies, and I am hopeful this administration will tell the truth.
COVID: Since January 2020, I have prayed for help to fight this virus that has drastically changed our lives. As a student of history, I waited for the Federal Government to use its full power to save us all, as FDR did with the New Deal in the 1930s and then later during World War II. Without leadership and vision from the White House in the 1950s and 60s, we would probably never have been able to send astronauts into space.
Instead, in 2020 we got confusing messages or no information at all. Our president admitted later that he was terrified to let the country know how bad things were going to get, because it would make him look bad and “cause a panic.” Instead, he pushed the problem on to the states, and to add insult to injury, he awarded help to states that he thought were deserving (red), and insulted the leaders of states he didn’t care for (blue). Who ever heard of a president who would punish the citizens of an entire state because he didn’t care for the way they voted? Yes, he does get credit for the “Warp Speed” COVID vaccine, but it is still puzzling that it was so difficult to find a COVID test for many months. Also, making the simple act of wearing a mask to protect us all a political statement was not helpful.
As a Boomer, I remember what happened when the Soviet Union beat us in the space race. Afterward, the “Sputnik” campaign focused all of our energy on scientific education, research, and innovation. I look forward to our new Sputnik moment, when we all embrace the public will to beat this virus. We are all in this together!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Peach State Federal Credit Union
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Three readers, pro and con, discuss recent school board meeting
Editor, the Forum:
Your article is one sided. As usual when whites have to be faced with racism and called out for it, there’s a (expletive) show. More than that, board members want him out; that’s why they were voted in. For the record there are more white advocate groups helping Blacks to get Wilbanks out than Black advocate groups.
Lastly Wilbanks stated “….retirement is not about age but when you’re no longer wanted.” He’s not wanted and those few whining women he had speak Thursday night don’t speak for the majority. Blacks are responsible for Georgia turning blue, don’t forget that. We will get bolder now that a lot of us know just how powerful we are. Now post that. But I bet you won’t.
— Amitra Stone, Duluth
Editor, the Forum:
Thank you for supporting Mr. Wilbanks in the article regarding the new board members seeking his termination. He has and continues to do a phenomenal job in putting our children first. Thanks again for your support.
— Tammy Tropf, Dacula
Editor, the Forum:
Thank you, Mr. Editor, for covering this ongoing School Board situation. The public needs to hear and understand that the newly elected board members would be putting our county at risk of taking many steps backwards by removing Alvin Wilbanks. He has done and continues to do amazing things for the students of Gwinnett. I myself am a product of this county’s education system and Mr. Wilbanks has my full support!
— Kerri Hildreth, Hoschton
Dear Readers: We received several other letters, pro and con, on this subject. However, these readers did not list their hometown, nor did not respond when we asked for their hometown. It is the policy of this publication to require hometowns of all who write letters to the editor.—eeb
Group within Libertarian Party seeks recognition and membership
Editor, the Forum:
I’d like to introduce you to the Mises Caucus (about Austrian economics) of the Libertarian Party (LP). Until 2019, I wasn’t sold on the Libertarian Party because of what I had seen from its wishy-washy leadership. Truth be told, I’m still not happy with its leadership. However, that’s all about to change.
Enter the Mises Caucus (MC) and its founder, Michael Heise. Prior to the MC founding, the liberty warriors had no place to call home in the LP, and frankly we were ridiculed, scolded and called all sorts of names for being principled and consistent. Powerful uncompromising unrelenting people scare the fakes, grifters and keyboard warriors because we expose them for exactly what they are.
By driving membership, uniting all walks of people under issue coalitions, and supporting local level candidates, the Mises Caucus has attracted the biggest names in the liberty movement & is about to take over the party in sheer numbers. Tom Woods, Dave Smith, Scott Horton, Maj Toure, Michael Heise and I would be humbled if you would join us in this historical moment and the fight for the individual and their rights to life, liberty and property.
In short order, Michael Heise will be reaching out to many of you. I don’t ask for much, but today I’m asking you to take Michael up on his invitation to the most unruly, ungovernable, liberty gang the country has seen since 1776. Stand with us.
— Shane Hazel, Cumming
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. All letters will only be published with the writer’s name and hometown. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
Jenkins becomes new president of Gwinnett Chamber
Georgia Power Company’s Doug Jenkins, 52, is the new chairman of the board of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. He was introduced last week, along with 44 new Chamber board members. He is the power company’s north regional director, and has been with Georgia Power his entire career, for 30 years.
Jenkins
He and his wife, Julie live in Forsyth County. They have two kids, a 13 year girl, 7 year old boy. Jenkins is an electrical engineering graduate of Georgia Tech and has a MBA in finance from Georgia State University, and is a native of Clayton County.At Georgia Power, Jenkins is responsible for region operations, sales, customer service, economic and community development, and external affairs activities for 600,000 customers in an area that includes Dekalb, Forsyth, north Fulton, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties
Jenkins succeeds Tammy Shumate, Capital City Home Loans, who will continue to serve on the board.
Nick Masino, president and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber, announced Jenkins’ elevation: “His wealth of experience and leadership during this unprecedented time will help to ensure the Gwinnett Chamber will continue to Champion Business and be a resource for businesses coming out of the recovery stage.”
In addition to welcoming new board members, Masino said that the new board members were the most diverse directors in Gwinnett Chamber history.
- For a list of the new members of the board, click here.
New Suwanee Fire Station will open next winter
The Gwinnett Commissioners have awarded a construction manager at-risk contract to Reeves Young, LLC, for the construction of a new Fire Station 13 next to the planned Suwanee Town Center on Main park project. The planned opening date is next winter.
The city of Suwanee will provide two acres of land at the intersection of the new Main Street/library driveway and Suwanee Dam Road. The county will fund and manage the design and construction of the station, not to exceed $7 million, and will construct related road improvements to Main Street and the intersection with Suwanee Dam Road. The county’s share of the project is funded by the 2017 SPLOST program.
The 11,000-square-foot station, to be located at 105 Main Street, will house a fire engine, an ambulance, and a minimum of five firefighters and paramedics each day. To accommodate future growth in the area, the station was designed accommodate up to 11 personnel at a time. The facility will be an EarthCraft certified building with sustainable green initiatives.
Snellville to demolish old post office for The Grove
Snellville’s Downtown Development Authority has officially acquired the former U.S. Post Office building on Oak Road, the final piece of property needed in what will become The Grove at Towne Center. The nearly 40-year-old building, located at the corner of Oak and North Roads, will be demolished and make way for 250 multi-family luxury apartments and a 749-space parking deck later this year.
Under the agreement, the city was required to buy and renovate property for a new post office. The site is a former SunTrust Bank, located at 2440 Wisteria Drive, and opened in November.
City Manager Butch Sanders says: “The U.S. Postal Service required that the only way to get them to agree to move was to find a new and better facility within one-half mile of their current operation. We located the old bank building, negotiated and purchased it from SunTrust and then renovated both inside and out to USPS standards.”
The completion of the exchange agreement and acquisition are the latest steps in bringing the mixed use development to the city’s downtown area.
In November, the city agreed to partner with developer MidCast LLC to design, build and lease the City Market building planned for The Grove and in December Mayor and Council approved the construction contracts for the parking deck with Winter Construction
Mayor Barbara Bender says: “In the months to come, residents will see a lot of activity in The Grove, which will result in a transformation of our downtown and give them a world-class mixed use development they can enjoy and be proud of.”
The costs associated with the Post Office acquisition and move totaled $2.25 million, $98,374 under budget.
Stripers offer “Office for a Day” (or longer) at Coolray Field
The Gwinnett Stripers have a new “Office for a Day” program, giving local professionals the opportunity to enhance creativity by moving their workplace to a safe and socially-distanced environment in a Coolray Field Suite. Each Office Suite is available to rent for $75 a day or $300 a week, and includes Internet, television, and plenty of space to maximize productivity.
Office Suites are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. now until the end of March. Up to four people may occupy the Office Suite, which must be reserved at least 48 hours in advance.
Each Office Suite includes:
- Views of the baseball field, with options for indoor and outdoor seating;
- Wireless internet access and television;
- Free parking;
- Coffee;
- Assistance from Stripers celebrities Chopper the Groundhog or The Fridge to help with coffee runs, answering emails, phone calls; and
- Twenty percent off at Bobby’s Tackle Team Store.
Those working in the Office Suite will be subject to Coolray Field’s COVID-19 safety policies, including temperature checks upon entry and mandatory mask-wearing when outside of the Office Suite. Each Office Suite will be cleaned and sanitized after each day. To reserve your “Office for a Day,” email StripersTickets@braves.com.
Efstration will be chairman of House Judiciary Committee
Efstration
Gwinnett Rep. Chuck Efstration (R-Dacula) is the new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He will also serve as a member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Special Committee on Access to the Civil Justice System and the Rules, Code Revision, Ethics, Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment, Defense & Veterans Affairs, Insurance and Juvenile Justice committees. He also serves as an Ex-Officio member of the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee.The House Judiciary Committee considers measures relating to law, courts and judges, as well as constitutional amendments. Any legislation that carries a possibility for civil penalties can be referred to this committee.
Buff City Soap in Peachtree Corners
From Cindy Evans, Duluth: Recently I visited the fairly new store, Buff City Soap, what a pleasure! They are located in Peachtree Corners at 5215 Town Center Boulevard, near Sprouts. The staff was friendly and are passionate about their products. They have quite a colorful and fragrant selection of soaps! They also had beard products and a bar where you can make creative soaps of your own. It is a delight for the senses. There were lots of different ones, some with various properties like moisturizing, etc. It’s good to have this new store which is a part of a larger chain close by for a unique shopping experience! Learn about their products at https://www.buffcitysoap.com.
An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
1910s and 1920s were important time for Georgia arts
Following the concerted efforts made in the early years of the 20th century to establish art as an integral part of Georgia’s culture, the late 1910s and the 1920s were pivotal years in Georgia as more institutions devoted to art were founded and an appreciation for the distinctiveness of the state’s land and cultures deepened. In 1919 the Emory University Museum was founded and the following year that museum, through Professor William Shelton, acquired important Egyptian antiquities that now form the core of the permanent collection.
After more than 20 years of planning by the Atlanta Art Association, an art museum and permanent art school, the High Museum and the School of Art, were finally founded in 1926. Both institutions were supported by the great promotional skills of several Atlantans, including the American art collector J. J. Haverty. Mrs. Joseph Madison High donated her former residence on Peachtree Street to the city of Atlanta for an art museum; the upstairs was devoted to the art school.
The growing seriousness of art in Atlanta engendered a thriving spirit of adventure with new exhibition opportunities and the development of new private collections. In 1924 the Grand Central Art Galleries of New York, which previously had hosted an exhibition in Macon, held a loan exhibition of paintings and sculpture in Atlanta; another one followed the next year. Haverty was instrumental in bringing these exhibitions to the city.
After prolonged delays and disagreements among those associated with Borglum’s project on Stone Mountain, a widespread controversy erupted when Borglum was fired in 1925 and Henry Augustus Lukeman was hired to finish work on the Confederate memorial.
Savannah continued apace in the 1920s as a vibrant art community. The Savannah Art Association, founded in 1920, held art classes and sponsored exhibitions of members’ works at Telfair Academy.
Thomas Hart Benton, the Missouri painter who studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Académie Julian in Paris, traveled in the South during the late 1920s in an attempt to document the overarching themes and cultural conditions of the region for his broad painting project, The American Historical Epic. In the next decade he became a leader and champion of American regionalist painting, an art movement that valued local subject matter and outward observation more than European-based abstraction. His sketches from his trip into Georgia in 1928, part of a tour from Pennsylvania to New Mexico, appeared in a one-person exhibition in 1929 at Delphic Studios in New York.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to http://georgiaencyclopedia.org
The sunshine, the sky, boats, palm trees….where is this?
Here’s a beautifully, sunny site, with lots of activity going on in this Mystery Photo. Do you recognize it? If so, send your answer to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
Though she had not been there, Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill recognized the last Mystery Photo: “This is the Seventeen-Arch Bridge in China. It is the longest of about 30 bridges in the Summer Palace complex in Beijing and crosses Kunming Lake ending at Nunhu Island.” The photo came from Kay Montgomery of Duluth, who visited 17 years ago.
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. gave more information: “The Summer Palace, a lakefront, Qing-dynasty palace and imperial garden, is located approximately 10-miles northwest of Beijing, and renowned for its ornate temples and artworks, plus its lavishly landscaped grounds. It is said to be the best preserved imperial garden in the world, and the largest of its kind still in existence today in China.The arched bridge shown in the foreground is the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, which provides the only access to a small island, Nanhu Island. There are over 30 bridges at the Summer Palace, with this being the largest, with a length of approximately 500 feet. It has 17 symmetrical arches, with the largest one in the center and the others diminishing in size on either side. The site as it exists today, was rebuilt in 1912, opened to the public as a tourist attraction in 1924, and added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1998.”
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. also recognized this site.
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