GwinnettForum | Number 21.101 | Jan. 4, 2022
GRAVESTONES at East Shadowlawn Cemetery in Lawrenceville were decorated with wreaths by the Philadelphia Winn chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution recently. Gwinnett organizations that participated included cadets from the North Gwinnett High School Air Force JROTC program; the Button Gwinnett Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution; the Elisha Winn Society, Children of the American Revolution; the award-winning Georgia State SAR Color Guard and Militia; and Girl Scout Troop 3314 from Buford. See more details in Notable below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Remembering those family gatherings in tight kitchens
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Who is the most popular man in Georgia today? Stetson Bennett
SPOTLIGHT: The Gwinnett Stripers
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
NOTABLE: Winn DAR chapter lays wreaths on veteran’s graves
RECOMMENDED: Folklore and the Sea by Horace Beck
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Augusta’s Morris Museum of Art dedicated to Southern artists
MYSTERY PHOTO: The dawn of a new year
CALENDAR: Learn more about how to survive the Sandwich Generation
Remembering those family gatherings in tight kitchens
By Holly Moore
SUWANEE, GA. | In my grandmother’s kitchen north of Jacksonville, Florida, I learned to cook grits and white rice, I learned to shell peas and shrimp, and peel potatoes and chop radishes.
Moore
I watched as she shook chicken pieces or fresh shrimp in a mix of flour and spices, known only to her, in a brown paper grocery sack before frying them to a just-right golden crisp crust with perfect soft meat inside. I don’t remember many cookbooks, but I do remember handwritten recipes on 3×5 cards or a piece of steno pad paper. And I remember tables laden with food, very little of it store-bought. The vegetables were grown in my grandparents’ garden, and their fruit trees supplied an abundance of plums, figs, satsumas and oranges. Shrimp, crab, and fish were caught from the Broward River just outside the kitchen window below the house.
Meals at my great-grandmother’s house just up U.S. Highway 17 in Brunswick were also a culinary extravaganza. You’ve heard of a groaning table—-so many choices and so much delicious food. My grandmother’s kitchen was a modest size but big enough for a kitchen table for four. My great-grandmother’s kitchen was smaller still. I, vaguely, remember a tiny worktable in the middle with just enough room to scoot around on all sides (call it a one person kitchen.) In my early childhood, those delectable meals were cooked on a woodburning stove tucked on one wall of the kitchen in her shotgun house.
My mom, in her final and favorite home, ended up with her own one-person kitchen where wonderful meals were prepared and served. Somehow, the women in the family all fit in those kitchens and helped prepare, serve, and clean up after those memorable meals. There was always plenty of food no matter who showed up for dinner and you never went hungry. Meals were served in the dining room, and while my mother had a good-sized dining room, my grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s were not large rooms by any measure, but somehow they seated everyone.
As a pre-teen and later an “evolved” college student, I sometimes complained about the women doing all the work while the men loosened their now-too-tight pants’ belts and parked themselves in recliners in front of the television. Humphh! And yet, my clearest and most joyful memories come from those kitchens and those women – my mom, my grandmother and great-grandmother, aunts and great aunts, cousins…amidst the clattering of pots and pans, chopping and stirring, mixing and baking. We worked, and we talked, family stories were told (I learned my history in those tales), and we laughed—a lot.
And the work didn’t seem like work at all! I miss those kitchens and mostly I miss those precious women—hardworking, preparing meals with a sense of obligation, but mostly as a sign of their love for their families and friends. What I wouldn’t do to roll up my sleeves again, shell some peas, prepare some shrimp, peel potatoes, wash stacks of dishes alongside them and talk and laugh again. Oh, if I could!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Most popular man in Georgia today? Stetson Bennett
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 4, 2022 | Let’s talk politics eventually today. But first, who might be the most popular man in Georgia this morning?
Stetson Bennett IV. The underdog Georgia Bulldogs’ quarterback played a superb game in the Orange Bowl against the Big Ten’s Michigan. Bennett and his cohorts thoroughly dominated the once mighty Spartans, who came into the game with just one loss, and was ranked No. 2 by the pollsters, just ahead of Georgia.
Yet the Bulldogs seemed to outplay Michigan with ease, up 27-3 at halftime, with the victory never threatened in the second half. It’s now Georgia 34, Michigan, 11, and onto the national championship in a rematch against always-tough-for-Georgia, Alabama.
Bennett
But the man of the hour was Bennett, showing great leadership, poise and pinpoint passing in guiding his cohorts. Again, he showed his cool when he had to scramble, picking up nice yardage. Bennett’s had an amazing last two years, coming out of nowhere to lead the Bulldogs.
Even loyal Georgia Tech fans will be pulling for the Bulldogs and Bennett in the title game on Monday. Right now we wouldn’t bet against Bennett. Though the Bulldogs fell last year, this seems to be a far different team for this season. Let’s hope that the Georgia football team can put all that behind them and play as good Monday night as they did against Michigan. It’ll be a thriller of a game. With Stetson Bennett in the game, we think it gives the Bulldogs an edge.
Now to politics: When the University of Georgia won its national football championship, it was Herschel Walker who was the star. Now we have Walker back on stage in Georgia, returning from his home in Texas, as a Georgia candidate for the U.S. Senate.
You wonder if a 59-year-old Walker can show the same dexterity on the political stump that he showed running over opponents on the gridiron. Somehow, Walker doesn’t seem to have the same fire in his belly that he proved on the field. You have to have a certain ability and flair to play football. Those same qualities are not necessarily needed when you go on the political trail. Politics is more cranial with the need to charm voters; football is more simply physical.
Walker seems to be just another guy that former President Trump has commanded to become a candidate, yet Walker seems to be a reluctant candidate. So far, we can’t see that his efforts have caught fire among old-time Republicans. Having a candidate who says he wants to win office is one thing; it takes far more determination that Walker has yet to show to come out ahead.
Meanwhile, the other big race this coming political season is for governor. In this race, we also don’t detect the “fire in the belly” in David Perdue, the former Senator. He seems to want to run to show he can win again, but against his own party’s sitting governor? His candidacy may show that the Republicans need to quit squabbling within their party, and unite behind a strong candidate to run for governor.
That’s because many people think the Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, is almost a shoo-in, after nearly beating Bryan Kemp in the last election. Granted, Kemp has had a tough time in office, compounded by the pandemic. Yet Ms. Abrams seems to be gaining strength as she moves around Georgia, having specific planks for the various areas of Georgia.
So watch out. Political year 2022 is here, offering constant contrasts and changes. Hold on for the ride!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
The Gwinnett Stripers
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. The Gwinnett Stripers, Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, play at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, Ga. Tickets for all Stripers home games are on sale now at GoStripers.com. The team’s final homestand of 2021 will be September 29 to October 3 versus Jacksonville. Follow the Stripes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at GoStripers. Visit their website: GoStripers.com.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
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. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net.
Winn DAR chapter lays wreaths on veteran’s graves
World War II U. S. Air Force Veteran Luis Castano from Loganville (center), accompanied by his nephew, Jose Martinez (left) and great nephew, Jorge Martinez (right), prepares to lay a wreath to honor U.S. Air Force Veterans. (Photo by Frank Marchese)
On December 18, National Wreaths Across America Day 2021, a fresh balsam wreath from Maine was laid on every veteran’s grave during a rainy ceremony at East Shadowlawn Memorial Gardens in Lawrenceville. The Philadelphia Winn Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), hosted what has become an annual event to support the mission to “Remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach the next generation the value of freedom.”
Lt. Col. Craig Knowlton, U.S. Army (retired), was the guest speaker during the third Annual Wreaths Across America ceremony in Lawrenceville, and spoke on “Why are we Veterans?” He was assisted by his daughter, Elizabeth Knowlton,right.
Gwinnett organizations that participated included cadets from the North Gwinnett High School Air Force JROTC program; the Button Gwinnett Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR); the Elisha Winn Society, Children of the American Revolution (C.A.R.); the award-winning Georgia State SAR Color Guard and Militia (GASSAR); and Girl Scout Troop 3314 from Buford.
The ceremony’s special guest was Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson from the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. The guest speaker was Lt. Col. Craig Knowlton, U.S. Army (retired) from Lilburn, who served the nation for 32 years, including deployments in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, and Qatar. The national anthem was sung by Philadelphia Winn Chapter Regent, Connie Rifkind of Lilburn. Ceremony attendees were led in the pledge of allegiance by Elisha Winn Society C.A.R. member, Haley Hart of Braselton.
The ceremony included honoring all branches of service, including the newest military branch, the U.S. Space Force. Veterans, JROTC Cadets, and C.A.R. First Vice President Eliza Long, laid remembrance wreaths at the cemetery’s Veterans’ Memorial. The first ceremonial wreath was laid by 97-year-old Luis Castano from Loganville, a World War II veteran who moved to the United States from Columbia, South America when he was 18 years old.
The formal ceremony concluded with the musket firing of a three-round volley by the SAR Militia and the playing of TAPS by Noah Tindall, a C.A.R. State and Elisha Winn Chapter Officer, and a member of the SAR Color Guard.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Folklore and the Sea by Horace Beck
From Raleigh Perry, Buford: For many years I told folktales at various and sundry venues. I could say that I was raised on folktales. My grandfather was the best at telling them. For most of the time I told Southern Appalachian tales about hunting and times in the woods. I ran across this book 40 years ago at the old Oxford Bookstore and quickly became entranced. I read it and I have read in it from time to time, but this is the first time in 40 years that I have read it all the way through again. The author was a professor at Middlebury College, teaching American literature and folk tales. He was also a sailor and spent a lot of time taping sailor’s stories. Things never change! The sailors of today are just as full of it as the ones in the 16th century. The book is well written and relaxing.
An invitation: Still needing more recommendations. 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
Morris Museum of Art dedicated to Southern artists
The Morris Museum of Art opened in 1992 as the first museum in the country dedicated to documenting the art and artists of the South. Located on the riverfront in downtown Augusta, the museum seeks to preserve and enhance a regional cultural legacy by showcasing the history of painting in the South through a broad-based survey collection of paintings and drawings. In 2007 the museum received a Governor’s Award in the Humanities.
The Morris Museum of Art was founded by William S. Morris III, chairman and chief executive officer of the Augusta-based Morris Communications Corporation, in memory of his parents. Chartered in 1985 as a nonprofit foundation, the museum found its mission and focus in 1989 with the purchase of a collection of southern art from Robert P. Coggins of Marietta.
Works from this private collection had toured museums throughout the Southeast in 1984-87 as an exhibit entitled Art and Artists of the South. This acquisition, and additional works acquired from Coggins’s estate after his death, formed the foundation on which the Morris Museum’s extensive collection has been built. With the opening of the Morris Museum of Art, painting in the South is enjoying new emphasis and long-overdue recognition.
The museum’s collection of works by artists who were born in the South or whose works reflect a discernible southern influence includes some 2,500 objects, primarily paintings and works on paper. The collection ranges from the delicate watercolors of such early artist-naturalists as John Abbot, who lived in Burke County in the 1700s, to nineteenth-century landscapes by Henry Ossawa Tanner and Joseph Rusling Meeker, to a monumental commissioned work by Robert Rauschenberg that features images of Augusta.
Jasper Johns, who was born in Augusta, is represented in the collection. Georgia native Benny Andrews and his father, George Andrews, a self-taught artist who became known as the “Dot Man” in Madison, are also represented. Among the other Georgia artists in the collection are Nell Choate Jones, Lamar Dodd, Augusta Oelschig, Alexander John Drysdale, Hattie Saussy, Art Rosenbaum, Don Cooper, William Posey Silva, Nellie Mae Rowe, and the Murphy family of Savannah.
The museum also has extensive holdings of works by Elliott Daingerfield, a major 19th-century symbolist painter who lived in New York and in Blowing Rock, N.C.; Will Henry Stevens, an early modernist who was born in Indiana and worked in both North Carolina and La.; and Alfred Hutty, a Woodstock, N.Y., artist who moved to Charleston, S.C., and spearheaded an early-twentieth-century artistic renaissance.
(To be continued)
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
The dawn of a new year
The new year brings hopes and aspirations aplenty. As a jet takes off into the rising sun to a new place, where is it taking off from? Send your answer to elliott@brack.net, and make sure to list your hometown.
Project RESET 2.0 Emergency Rental Assistance Program will be held on two dates. They are: Wednesdays, January 5 and 19 at the Norcross Branch Library and Wednesdays, January 12 and 26 at the Centerville Branch Library. Both programs will start at 10 a.m. and finish at 3 p.m. Bring a sandwich and learn. Project RESET 2.0 will provide rental, utility, and internet services relief for eligible renter households who have become housing insecure as a direct result of the impacts of COVID-19.
Surviving the Sandwich Generation will be Tuesday, January 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Suwanee Library Branch. The Sandwich Generation is positioned in the middle with the complexities of caring for aging parents while supporting their own children. In this workshop series, a panel of experts will provide insight to survive and thrive for those who currently are, or anticipate becoming, a member of the Sandwich Generation.
Author visit: join GCPL and the Friends of the Library as Patti Callahan discusses her book, Once Upon a Wardrobe, which pulls back the curtain on the early life of C.S. Lewis. This will be Thursday, January 13, at 7 p.m. at the Peachtree Corners City Hall. Complimentary wine and a silent auction sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Books will be available for sale and signing at the event.
Day trips in Georgia: Learn more about exciting and educational Georgia day trips for you and your family on Sunday, January 30 at 3 p.m. at the Suwanee Branch Library, 361 Main Street, Suwanee. Author Tom Poland will revisit disappearing traditions in his book, The Last Sunday Drive: Vanishing Traditions in Georgia and the Carolinas. Books will be available for sale and signing at the event.
GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday.
Meet our team
- Editor and publisher: Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
- Managing editor: Betsy Brack
- Roving photographer: Frank Sharp
- Contributing columnist: Jack Bernard
- Contributing columnist: George Wilson
More
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 1365, Norcross, Ga. 30091
- Work with us: If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more.
Subscriptions to GwinnettForum are free.
- Click to subscribe.
- Unsubscribe. We hope you’ll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, go to this page and unsubscribe in the appropriate box.
© 2021, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.
Follow Us