GwinnettForum | Number 21.35 | May 11, 2021
HERE’S ANOTHER MURAL in the growing number of murals being seen throughout Gwinnett. This mural is on the south wall of the courts building in Suwanee, and was produced by Lauren Stumberg of Hapeville. It’s entitled “Transformation,” with lots of magpie birds. Developers are asked to voluntarily place public art in their new developments, so the mural represents the city’s contribution for public art for the expansion of the courts building.
TODAY’S FOCUS: GGC graduations this week to include posthumous degree
EEB PERSPECTIVE: More on Samuel Spencer, Jon Ossoff, NPR and the late Eli Broad
ANOTHER VIEW: America today is caught in a plague of gun violence
SPOTLIGHT: Infinite Energy Center
FEEDBACK: Suggests obvious possibility of Spencer statue location
UPCOMING: Artistic crickets soon will be popping up around Duluth
NOTABLE: Lawrenceville kicks off third summer internship program
RECOMMENDED: Out Of Many, One. By George W. Bush
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Here’s the first list of seven natural wonders of Georgia
MYSTERY PHOTO: This time the Mystery Photo just might be a cream puff for many
LAGNIAPPE: Gorgeous Iris showing off its deep blue coloring
CALENDAR: Be careful. A burn ban is now in force throughout Georgia
GGC graduations this week to include posthumous degree
By Jacqueline Todd
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Georgia Gwinnett College seniors will finally get their chance to take a well-earned walk across the stage as they receive their bachelor’s degrees in front of family, friends and classmates. More than 750 students will graduate at GGC’s hybrid spring commencement, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, May 12 and 13.
Jaser
The hybrid celebration kicks off online at 7 p.m., May 12 with keynote addresses by GGC’s president, Dr. Jann L. Joseph; commencement student speaker, Yesmeen Jaser, a major in biology who hopes to become a surgeon; and Alumni Board Chair, Sasha Ruiz, who graduated in 2011 in business.
The celebration continues in person May 13 at the Infinite Energy Center, Duluth, with in-person ceremonies at 8:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The first two ceremonies will celebrate 2021 graduates, including criminal justice major LaNece Strickland, who was recognized by the Georgia State Legislature as part of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents’ 2021 Academic Recognition Day.
Elbaz
The 7:30 p.m. ceremony will honor GGC’s 2020 graduates. Among them is Alexander Elbaz, who will be posthumously awarded a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Elbaz, whose concentration was in accounting, died in February 2020. His diploma will be presented to his mother, Joy Crowe of Hoschton, who will walk in the ceremony on behalf of her son. She is setting up a scholarship fund in his memory at Georgia Gwinnett College.
Elbaz was an accounting major, and a 2010 graduate of Lanier High in Suwanee. who died from fentanyl poisoning on Feb.24, 2020, when he was 26. He was the son of Robert Elbaz of Suwanee, 63, who died from Covid in July 2020.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
More on Samuel Spencer, Jon Ossoff, NPR and the late Eli Broad
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MAY 11, 2021 | The removal of the Samuel Spencer statue in front of the Norfolk Southern Railroad headquarters continues to bother me — because of the reason for its removal. (See an earlier treatment of this story here.)
Etched on the statue were three facts: Spencer was a native Georgian, Confederate soldier and first president of the Southern Railway.
For some reason, we found another source which put a different light on one of the facts on this subject.
Spencer was listed by the Harvard Business School as one of the “Great American Business Leaders of the 20th Century.” Among the points listed by the School were his birth and death dates and place (Georgia), race, gender, and colleges where he graduated (2), and then one more item: “Military service: Army.”
That got me to thinking. What if the Spencer statue had etched on its base, instead of “Confederate soldier” that Spencer was, instead, listed as an “Army veteran.” Note that Harvard did not say whether he was a Union or Confederate veteran.
We think the flap over the memory of Samuel Spencer has been treated badly, and hope that the City of Atlanta, who owns the statue, can find some dignified way to release it to be appropriately established in some reasonable place. We still like Duluth’s Southeastern Railway Museum as the perfect place to memorialize him.
It’s always good when you hear something that makes you burst out in laughter. That happened the other morning when listening to National Public Radio (NPR) about the outcome of a Supreme Court case.
Students in Des Moines, Iowa were protesting another student’s suspension from school had an unusual reason, believing they what they had learned in church, which was that peace and love were important. One student said, and this is what made me guffaw: “We’re not communists, we’re Methodists.”
- To read the entire NPR story by Nina Totenberg, go to: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/988083256.
Distinctive age: Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, age 33 when sworn in, is the youngest Democrat elected to the Senate since Joe Biden in 1973. Ossoff’s now 34, being born on Feb. 16, 1987. President Biden was sworn into office at age 30 on January 3, 1973; he was reelected as a Delaware senator six times.
We recently learned of the death of Eli Broad, 87, who died April 30 in Los Angeles, Calif. and had an impact on Gwinnett. His death was announced by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation (pronounced Brode). He was a successful businessman in home building and insurance. He had an extensive art collection and was instrumental in creating the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and in shaping the civic and cultural life in Los Angeles.
The Broad Foundation had a competition among the large school systems in the United States. It named the Gwinnett County Public School System as the top large public school system in the country in both 2010 and 2014, and the system was a finalist three times. Alvin Wilbanks, who attended two seminars for superintendents at the Foundation, and knew Mr. Broad, commented: “He was a fine gentleman and philanthropist with interests in art, health and education. We will miss his impact for good.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
America today is caught in a plague of gun violence
By George Wilson, contributing columnist
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. | It is important to examine the history of Republican actions on reasonable gun control and safety.
As late as 1968, the National Rifle Association (NRA) supported some forms of gun control. But that changed in the 1980s as the organization affiliated itself with Ronald Reagan’s Republican Party.
In 1981, an assassin attempted to kill President Reagan and succeeded in badly wounding him, as well as injuring the president’s press secretary, James Brady, and two others. Despite efforts to limit gun ownership, in 1986, pressured from the NRA, the Republican Congress did the opposite: it passed the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, which erased many of the earlier controls on gun ownership, making it easier to buy, sell, and transport guns across state lines.
In 1987, Congress began to consider the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, otherwise known as the Brady Bill, to require background checks before gun purchases and to prevent the transfer of certain guns across state lines. As soon as the measure was proposed, the NRA shifted into high gear to prevent its passage. The bill did not pass until 1993, under President Bill Clinton’s administration. The NRA set out to challenge the law in the courts.
While the challenges wound their way upward, the idea of individuals standing against a dangerous government became central to the Republican Party. By the 1990s, men increasingly vowed to take up arms against the government that talk radio hosts told them was bringing socialism to America.
After April 19, 1993, when federal officers stormed the compound of a religious cult whose former members reported that their leader, David Koresh, was stockpiling weapons, talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones warned that the government was about to impose martial law. Angry opponents of the government began to organize as well-armed “militias.”
In 1997, the NRA’s challenges to the Brady Bill had made their way to the United States Supreme Court. Printz v. The United States brought together the idea of unfettered gun ownership and the Republican government. The court held that it was unconstitutional for the federal government to require states to perform background checks. This freed up gun purchases and endorsed states’ rights, the principle at the heart of the Republican policy of dismantling the active government that regulates business and protects civil rights.
Finally, we are in a bizarre moment, as Republican lawmakers defend largely unlimited gun ownership even as recent polls show that 84 percent of voters, including 77 percent of Republicans, support background checks. (Source: Morningconsult.com.)
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Infinite Energy Center
The public spiritedness of our sponsors Infinite Energy Center allows us to bring GwinnettForum to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriter is Infinite Energy Center, home to four distinct facilities in Duluth: Infinite Energy Arena, Infinite Energy Theater, Infinite Energy Forum, and The Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center For Art and Learning. Infinite Energy Arena has had 17 years of tremendous success hosting countless concerts, family shows and sporting events, and is home to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators and the NLL’s Georgia Swarm. Some past concerts include George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Beyoncé, Foo Fighters, Eric Clapton, Katy Perry, Kid Rock, James Taylor and Michael Bublé. Infinite Energy Arena also hosts many family shows including Cirque du Soleil, Disney On Ice and the Harlem Globetrotters. Infinite Energy Forum offers patrons the opportunity to host or attend a wide variety of events, from corporate meetings to trade shows to social occasions. Infinite Energy Theater has an intimate capacity of 708-seats and is home to many local events, family shows and even some comedians. The Hudgens Center For Art and Learning showcases a range of artwork throughout the year along with offering a wide range of fine art classes.
- For further information, please visit www.InfiniteEnergyCenter.com
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Suggests obvious possibility of Spencer statue location
Editor, the Forum:
I read with extreme interest the Norfolk Southern reply to the column about Samuel Spencer in a recent edition.
Everything the writer said is true, but he ducked the obvious question: “Why not place it in front of the new Norfolk Southern headquarters building?”
It would seem to be the logical place for it, especially since it is in front of the present building, the owners of which, as noted, have no connection with the railroad.
Wouldn’t it make perfect sense to place it in front of the new building that, unless I am mistaken, is (or will be) owned by the railroad?
Makes perfect sense to me, but apparently common sense is in short supply these days.
— Robert H. Hanson, Loganville (An NS shareholder, by the way.)
Not happy with your home in Atlanta? Suggest you move
Editor, the Forum:
In the late 70’s, I moved to one of the hot markets in the South that were booming in all aspects during the Carter Administration and into the Reagan years. Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, and Atlanta were great places to be and the cities would take different paths in the coming decades. Editor, the Forum:
People from all parts of the country decided they could teach those southern people how to do things. I moved to Richmond and I often overheard a whining arrival complaining about something in Richmond or the South. The upshot was that locals uniformly would step forward to begin directions to I-95 N. “Don’t let the door…..”
If someone is unhappy with the place where they live, they should move. Those people pouring over our borders understand that idea quite well. The idea that we would teach our children in schools to hate our country or themselves is existential suicide. Self hate promoted by our government schools is self destructive. The lady who reads Nietzsche should comment on this. He would relate this to guilt and asceticism.
I repeat that if someone is unhappy with the place they live, move. Millions are willing to replace you today. Examine the immigration to mainland China, Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, Belize, Mexico, Nicaragua. Delta has flights available. MARTA can take you to the airport.
— Byron Gilbert, Duluth
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, and include your hometown. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
Artistic crickets soon will be popping up around Duluth
Crickets will soon be popping up all over Duluth. Well, not real crickets, but artistic crickets.
The Duluth Fine Arts League is introducing artistic crickets as one way for art to represent Duluth’s history. After all, Duluth was the last town in the state of Georgia to manufacture wooden cricket boxes for fishermen. And to honor that tradition, artist Michael Dillon is creating handcrafted crickets of wood and metal. Dillon is also the artist that created the “Ascension” sculpture in the roundabout on West Lawrenceville Street in Duluth.
These artistic crickets come in three sizes (3, 4 and 5 feet long), and come in colors that can be chosen by a business or individual. Each cricket ranges in prices from $4,500 to $5,500 and will include a plaque designating the donor’s name. Some of these pieces will be located outside the new Public Library when it opens in June. Others will be around Downtown Duluth.
Those wanting more information on these crickets should contact Kay Montgomery (770 605 6600) or Mayor Nancy Harris. More information is also available at www.duluthfineartsleague.org.
More roundabouts being added at two Gwinnett locations
Gwinnett is adding roundabouts to two intersections in the central and eastern part of the county this summer: Constitution Boulevard at Langley Drive near the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville and the crossroads at Lilburn Stone Mountain Road at Old Tucker Road near Lilburn. Both projects include sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and drainage improvements. The $1.2 million roundabout in Lawrenceville and the $1 million roundabout in Lilburn are both funded by SPLOST.
Roundabouts allow traffic to flow continuously and reduce the areas of potential conflict between vehicles. As in all crossings, pedestrians should wait for a gap in traffic and cross with care. When entering a roundabout, traffic will be from your left and has the right of way. Do not proceed until there is adequate room for you to safely enter the flow of traffic.
Deadline approaches for applying for Stripers’ grants
The Gwinnett Stripers, in conjunction with the Atlanta Braves Foundation, are now accepting applications for the 2021 Stripers Grant Program. The program will award a $2,500 grant to a different nonprofit organization each month from June through September.
Each month will focus on a different category of nonprofit organizations, all fitting within the Atlanta Braves Foundation’s pillars of “Live, Learn, Play, and Serve.” The four categories are:
- June: Service-oriented programs
- July: Military programs
- August: Youth programs
- September: Health and wellness programs
Interested nonprofit organizations may apply online at GoStripers.com/grants through May 14. Organizations deemed qualified will be contacted by the Stripers to provide supporting documents by May 17. One organization will be selected by the Stripers as the recipient of a $2,500 grant each month and will be recognized during a Stripers game at Coolray Field.
Lawrenceville kicks off third summer internship program
The summer of impact internship program was kicked off recently for its third year. This is a program where 20 students sign contracts for an eight week internship before an audience of future employers, community leaders, family and friends.
Participating in the program are the City of Lawrenceville, Impact 46, Central Gwinnett High School, Discovery High School, and Hearts to Nourish Hope.
Lawrenceville Mayor David Still says: “Students go through the interview process and enhance their skill sets through real work experience. Through this program, we are building a legacy of leaders in Lawrenceville.”
A total of 60 students applied for the program. After completing a multi-step interview process, the final 20 students (10 from each high school) were selected and offered positions. They are with the City of Lawrenceville Community Relations and Public Works Departments, Impact 46/Lawrenceville Response Center, Gwinnett Stripers, H3 Media, Peachtree Packaging, Family Promise, Artist Spotlight, Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville Neighborhood Alliance, Lawrenceville Housing Authority/Gwinnett Housing Corporation, PureFUN Inc., and Laundry Lyfe.
Suwanee is hanging art on limbs on park trails again
Longtime Suwanee residents know to keep an eye on the tree branches in the spring, not just to enjoy the dogwood blossoms, but to search for pieces from the City of Suwanee’s annual Art on a Limb program. It started in 2004, so this is the 17th year of the program.
Through the Art on a Limb program, two pieces of art are hidden daily along one of the greenways or within city parks throughout the month of May; those who find the art pieces get to keep them.
Visitors to City of Suwanee parks and trails may find this year’s Art on a Limb piece actually hanging on a limb! Local artists Vickie McCrary and Jack Hamby created the City Hall bird houses that were selected as this year’s Art on a Limb piece. Vickie has provided Art on a Limb pieces previously and maintains a studio in Buford. Jack is a retired woodworker and master bricklayer and collaborated with Vickie on her “Rock City” style City Hall themed birdhouses.
The city encourages those lucky enough to find an Art on a Limb piece to share a photo on social media using the hashtag #artonalimb2021 or email a photo to ADoherty@suwanee.com.
Out Of Many, One, by George W. Bush
From Tim Anderson, Fitzgerald: This book by former President Bush is an astounding compilation of the personal stories of 43 American immigrants. Bush reveals his own love
for our country by showing the love each immigrant has for our nation. The common thread running through the book is the deep gratitude each person has for America. Some of the names readers will recognize — Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright. Both most will be new to readers. Each person is amazing in ways great and small. The inventor of Chobani yogurt is a Turkish immigrant whose family members were Kurdish shepherds for centuries. And the persons portrayed each have an accompanying oil portrait done by President Bush. Readers will learn to love and appreciate our great nation as we see her through immigrant eyes. The book should be required reading in all high schools.”
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
Here’s the first list of seven natural wonders of Georgia
The Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia are the most physically spectacular or unusual sites in the state. These landscape formations resulted from powerful forces of nature during geologic time—probably more than 60,000,000 years ago—and, with the exception of Providence Canyon, predate human activity in Georgia.
The first list of natural wonders was compiled by the state librarian, Ella May Thornton, in response to an inquiry by a journalist. Her list, which appeared in the Atlanta Georgian magazine on December 26, 1926, included Stone Mountain, Okefenokee Swamp, Amicalola Falls, Tallulah Gorge, Warm Springs, Jekyll Island Forest on Jekyll Island, and the marble vein in Longswamp Valley in Pickens County. Thornton acknowledged that some items on her list were arguable and “there are a number of others of equal rank.” Two that she selected and that the Atlanta Georgian described—Jekyll Island Forest (“wild life flourishes there almost as it did before the white men came”) and marble deposits in Pickens County (“the largest single vein of marble known to the world”)—have not made recent lists.
Two later lists of Georgia’s natural wonders appeared in Georgia Voyager magazine in 1997 and in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. This collection describes the generally recognized Seven Natural Wonders of the state.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to http://georgiaencyclopedia.org
This Mystery Photo just might be a cream puff for many
Perhaps this Mystery Photo will be a cream puff for our readers. Certainly it should be much easier than last week’s almost-hidden mural. Send your answer to elliott@brack.net to include your hometown.
Gwinnett’s newest mural, located in Norcross, found only one person pinpointing its location. It came from the ever-dependable George Graf of Palmyra, Va., who had to go to extra-lengths to identify its location. He wrote: “The “’Love Norcross’ wall mural is located off South Peachtree Street on the south end of Norcross Village down the alley behind Farmhouse 17. That’s where Engine Tech building is located and the mural is there on its building. Thanks to Bruce Johnson for his assistance in helping me to locate this difficult puzzle. Bruce lives in Lawrenceville, and I found a photo on his Facebook page that showed the ‘Love, Norcross’ mural, but didn’t say where it was. I contacted him to see if he would share the location and he got back to me the next day with the spot. According to his Facebook page, he is the Director of Sales at Explore Gwinnett.”
Look at the deep color of this iris! This photograph came to us via Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill, and was taken by her brother, Bill McBrayer of Hickory, N.C. Many iris blooms are of either lesser color or multi-colored. But this blue iris is 100 percent blue. Thanks, Bill!
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Burn ban in effect: To protect air quality, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division has imposed a metro-wide burn ban through September 30. Most outdoor or open burning are prohibited, including burning trees, limbs, and yard waste, as well as the use of air curtain destructors. For more information, visit GwinnettFireMarshal.com or call 678.518.4980. For additional information concerning the summer open burning ban, visit the Environmental Protection Division webpage.
Open House at Fort Daniel Historic Site on May 15, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Enjoy local history with supervised open-to-the public excavations, living history, and lab tours at historic Fort Daniel, 2505 Braselton Highway (Georgia 124) in Hog Mountain, with free parking and free admission.
Bailey
Gregory Bailey will address the May 17 meeting of the Gwinnett Historical Society at 6:30 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse. His topic will focus on the impact and influence of the African American church in the life of Gwinnett. With Covid restrictions, the meeting will allow only 80 guests at the Historic Courthouse. Bailey serves as the director of Community and Social Service Ministries for the Salem Missionary Baptist Church of Lilburn, a church founded by his paternal great grandparents in 1834.
Mountain Park Community Association will host a Zoom meeting May 20 at 7 p.m. with Mark Patterson, deputy director of the Gwinnett Department of Community Service. He will give an overview of the department, plus discuss future development of Parks and Recreation in the area, as well as Gwinnett overall. For additional information, visit this site and request “Public Meetings.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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