GwinnettForum | Number 21.85 | Nov. 11, 2022
LEARN LOCAL HISTORY on a walking tour of the Mount Carmel United Methodist Cemetery on Sunday, November 13 at 4 p.m., with local historian Gene Ramsey. He’s giving another tour of downtown Norcross that same day at 2 p.m. For more details, see Upcoming below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: The Rev. Wendell Cofer helped organized two veterans’ groups
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Joe Biden and Democrats were surprise winners in the midterms
SPOTLIGHT: Crowne Plaza Hotel
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
UPCOMING: Two Sunday walking tours will tell of area history
NOTABLE: Boy Scout Troop 26 leader wins “unsung hero” award
OBITUARIES: James Hardy (Jim) Nelems
RECOMMENDED: The Battle for the American Mind
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Edward Daugherty designed significant Atlanta landscape projects
MYSTERY PHOTO: This mystery may be difficult to locate
CALENDAR: Christ Church Episcopal men’s civic breakfast is Saturday morning
Cofer helped organized two veterans’ groups
Wendell Cofer in Italy
By James Cofer
SNELLVILLE, Ga. | As we observe Veterans’ Day today, my thoughts harken back to my own soldier father, the Rev. Wendell Cofer of Snellville, and all of the ceremonies that he organized to honor veterans. During the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, I filmed a number of these events. One of his earliest programs honored a half dozen or so World War I vets still living in Gwinnett at the time.
Dad’s military career started in 1935 when he and school buddy, William “Buck” Buchanan, ventured down to the old Henry Ford building on Ponce de Leon beside Sears to join the Navy. Both were rejected. Buck didn’t have a high school diploma. Wendell had an eye that was slightly crossed.
“Go down the hall to the Army,” they were told. “They’ll take anybody.” The Army indeed accepted them, and they were both sent to Fort McPherson that day to begin training. Over the next few years, my father married, began a family, went to Officer Candidate School, and commanded an all-African American Civilian Conservation Corps camp in North Carolina. When the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, all soldiers were called to the war effort.
Wendell reported back to Fort Mac, where he received an unusual parade ground promotion to first lieutenant because some general passing by liked the way he commanded troops. It was here that he committed a faux pas that likely saved his life.
While awaiting overseas assignment, one of his duties was to manage the firing range, where officers and non-coms were required to qualify periodically. A group of salty sergeants arrived in a truck, fired the required number of rounds, and climbed back aboard without picking up their spent brass casings.
My father approached the sergeants and told them they would all be put on report unless the brass was collected. They were not amused; however, they dutifully policed the area, but not before recording his name. He discovered later that this group of non-coms worked in an office that was making troop assignments. Many of his fellow officers were slated for seemingly cushy assignments in England, but eventually participated in the D-Day landings. Many were killed in action, or were forever missing. But Wendell was assigned to the sweltering deserts of North Africa. He had dodged the bullet…for then. He later saw action in the Italian campaign.
In 1945, Wendell turned down a promotion to captain, an incentive to join the occupation force in Japan, and returned to Gwinnett where he lived the remainder of his life, as a rural mail carrier, farmer, and bi-vocational Baptist minister.
A.D. Herndon
Stung by the deaths of many of his family and friends, he became active in veterans’ causes and organizations. He helped organize American Legion Post 232 (co-named for his sister’s husband, A.D. Herndon Jr. who died in the Burma Theater. Wendell later served as commander of the post.)
Later, he formed Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4180 and also served as commander. The VFW Post was named for his uncle, Robert W. Cofer, who died from German phosgene gas in World War I. Every year before his declining health, my father organized a Veterans’ Day celebration somewhere in the county. Once, he was able to get a high-ranking official from the French Embassy to speak at one of these events. I wonder today what kind of program he would be assembling if he was still alive.
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Biden, Democrats were surprise winners in the midterms
Biden. FEMA photo.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 11, 2022 | Who was the big winner in the 2022 midterm elections?
It was President Joe Biden, no doubt about it.
President Bill Clinton and Barack Obama lost heavily in their midterms. (The Democrats lost 63 House seats in Barack Obama’s first midterm, and 52 in Bill Clinton’s.) The change this year will be a far smaller loss for the Democrats. The election mainly gave the Democrats a majority in the Senate.
Our United States will therefore end up with perhaps its best form of government, a divided Congress. That means that both parties must work together to move our country forward in any way.
Biden, though himself not on the ballot, found the country accepting of his programs through their choices of candidates. He surprised a lot of people by Democrats not losing as badly as the pollsters had predicted. While the Democrats have lost the House, it was as one source said: “The red wave never materialized, Trump’s handpicked candidates underperformed, some new faces emerged—but the country appears as evenly divided as ever.”
And though Donald Trump will never admit or understand it, he probably lost more than anyone else in the midterms. His cachet is no longer automatically a winning one for Republicans, as voters in many areas rejected his divisive politics.
And Trump’s anticipated announcement that he might be a candidate in the 2024 presidential campaign ought to cause the more clear-thinking Republicans to wonder: Do we really want more of his antics? It could damage his running again.
For now, more people seem content to rely upon “Uncle Joe Biden” to guide them through living in modern day America.
Prior to election day, the pollsters were saying that inflation was the key issue. There appears to have been another overwhelming factor in this election: the right of a woman to have control over her body. It turned out that, indeed, abortion was much more deep-seated as an issue.
In four states, Michigan, California, Vermont and in Kentucky, the right to an abortion won the day, much like it showed earlier this year in Kansas.
Republican-controlled state legislatures may try to push through more abortion limitations. But the nation’s people seem to line up as pro-abortion. The legislatures that try to limit abortions will do so at their peril.
The New Yorker summed up Election Day in this way: “By limiting their losses in the House to less than the average for such elections, and likely keeping the Senate as well, the Democrats scored an against-the-odds political upset that suggests that the country remains deeply skeptical of handing too much national power to the Trumpified Republican Party.”
Do you remember the day when a Georgia election period was not so critical, when Georgia was not a factor in national politics, and when we didn’t have continuous political commercials constantly in our face ?
The barrage of advertisements this season we’ve seen on television may continue, as a runoff for the Senate seat is upon us. So, get set for the many television messages to continue, as more money pours in from other places to convince us on how to vote.
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Crowne Plaza Hotel
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriting sponsor is the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Norcross. It is the only four-star hotel in the area, at the intersection of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Holcomb Bridge Road. It has 238 rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting spaces await you. Enjoy amenities such as an on-site pool and fitness center. Enjoy the elegant Eighteen70 restaurant and lounge (named for the date the City of Norcross was founded.) You will find the two ballrooms and in-house catering makes for the perfect wedding venue. Parking is always free, and you can easily connect to the internet without cost. Nearby are shopping, sports and parks. The Chattahoochee River is two miles away, offering some of the best trout fishing in its cold waters.
- For more details visitwww.crowneplaza.com/norcrossga.
- 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.
Two Sunday walking tours will illuminate of area history
A local historian will conduct two free walking tours on Sunday, November 13. Gene Ramsey will start a one-hour walking historical tour of Norcross at 2 p.m.
The Norcross tour will meet at Thrasher Park’s picnic shelter. Hear stories of the early history of the town and the people who put Norcross on the map. Learn about early railroads, summer resorts, blacksmiths, baseball, murder, brave veterans and more.
The second tour will be at the Mount Carmel United Methodist Church graveyard at 4 p.m. It is located at 5100 South Old Peachtree Road in Peachtree Corners. Mount Carmel predates the founding of Norcross by nearly half a century. Ramsey will review stories from the early settlers through the present day – of tragedy, humor, faith, generosity, bravery, fox hunting and more over almost 200 years.
Snellville voters approve sales of packaged alcohol
Residents of Snellville approved a referendum to issue licenses to businesses for package sales of alcohol. Unofficially, residents approved the referendum by a 485-226 vote.
Voters were asked: “Shall the governing authority of the City of Snellville, Georgia be authorized to issue licenses for the package sale of distilled spirits within the city limits of the City of Snellville?”
Next, the mayor and council will determine the process of awarding liquor licenses through a new local ordinance including the number of licenses to be awarded, and when stores will be able to sell liquor.
Boy Scout Troop 26 leader wins “unsung hero” award
Keith and Debbie England
Scoutmaster Keith England of Troop 26 at Christ Episcopal Church in Norcross, has recently received Boy Scout of America’s Young Award as a “unsung hero” who provide exceptional service for youth living in challenging communities. The award is named for Whitney Moore Young Jr., an American civil rights leader who was trained as a social worker and who spent most of his career at the Urban League working to provide equitable access to socio-economic opportunities for the historically disenfranchised.
England, who himself is an Eagle Scout from Madison Tenn., has been involved for over 20 years with the Christ Church’s Scout program in a variety of roles, ranging from Assistant Scoutmaster to Scoutmaster to Charter Organization Representative. Over the years he has moved numerous Scouts to advanced ranks including Eagle, and to the Scout Honorary group, the Order of the Arrow.
The current program has a traditional male troop with 10 active scouts, a female troop with five active scouts, and a new Cub Pack , which varies between 20 to 40 active youth. The boys’ Troop meets Monday night, with Cubs’ and girls’ unit meetings Wednesday in the Activity Center of Christ Church.
Keith, his wife Debbie, and their three sons are long time members of Christ Church.
Norcross wins 2022 Georgia urban arboriculture award
The City of Norcross has received the 2022 Outstanding Urban Arboriculture Grand Award from the Georgia Tree Council. This award recognizes the city for its outstanding efforts in tree canopy management and development and was presented November 2 at the 30th annual Georgia Tree Council awards luncheon.
The Georgia Tree Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Georgia’s green legacy by raising awareness for improving and maintaining the state’s forests. Each year, the organization rewards individuals, organizations, businesses, municipalities and counties for their exceptional work in tree canopy management.
Norcross Mayor Craig Newton says: “The City of Norcross takes great pride in the management of our green resources. We are honored to receive this award and will continue to preserve and improve our community forests for future generations to enjoy.”
Muller top left-hander in 2022 International League
Gwinnett Stripers pitcher Kyle Muller has been selected by a vote of league managers as the International League’s top left-handed starter for 2022. Minor League Baseball (MiLB) announced the league awards and All-Star teams for both Triple-A leagues.
The 25-year-old Muller had a 6-8 record with a 3.41 ERA in 23 starts during his second season with the Stripers. He led the league in strikeouts with 159, setting a new Gwinnett single-season record and making him just the second pitcher in Gwinnett history to win a league strikeout title. Kyle Wright had 137 strikeouts in 2021.
It is the second award given to Muller by MiLB this season, as he was also named the league’s pitcher of the Month for June. Muller is the 12th player in Gwinnett history to claim an IL Postseason All-Star award and just the second starting pitcher, joining Julio Teheran (2011).
The Gwinnett Stripers begin the 2023 season with opening night at Coolray Field on Friday, March 31 vs. Jacksonville. For more information, visit GoStripers.com/memberships.
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James Hardy (Jim) Nelems
At the age of 81, James Hardy (Jim) Nelems, founder of the Atlanta-based Marketing Workshop, died on November 3, 2022, after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Nelems
Jim Nelems was born and raised in Hueytown, Ala., and raised in Birmingham. Even as a child, Jim had a penchant for numbers which segued into a successful marketing research career, one of the foremost marketing research business owners. He was a resident of the Peachtree Corners from 1972 until 2015.
He was a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he earned a B.S. and M.S.C. degree in Marketing. His initial work was as a research analyst for the Pillsbury Company, and later was director of marketing for Henderson Advertising Agency.
In 1972, he founded The Marketing Workshop in Atlanta. Together, Jim and his wife, Dot, managed and grew the business which is in its 50th year of business. He also started Compass Marketing Research, a data collection research facility.
In 2015, Jim and Dot retired and moved to Bluffton S.C., relinquishing management of their business to Sherri and Scott Taylor, their daughter and son-in-law.
Over the course of Jim’s career, he served on the Board of Directors for the Council of American Survey Research Organizations and chaired the Research Quality Committee. Jim was also a member of the University of Georgia Marketing Research Board of Advisers, as well as President of the Atlanta/Southeast Chapter of the Marketing Research Association. He was also involved in the Travel and Tourism Research Association and the Southeast Tourism Society.
He was also an assistant professor of marketing at Furman University and an adjunct professor of marketing at Brenau University.
A memorial service will be December 9 at 3 p.m. at Crowell Brothers Funeral Home in Peachtree Corners.
The Battle for the American Mind
by Pete Hegseth with David Goodwin
From Susan Harris, Stone Mountain: Authors Hegseth and Goodwin present some good premises in this book. The philosophy of Western Christian Paideia makes some valid points about the erosion of education in public schools. In particular, their points about the value of learning critical thinking, reading the classics, focusing on mathematics, history, rhetoric, and philosophy are relevant in that they promote building a value system that can build solid citizens. My concern is that the book comes off as a rant against the ‘evil progressives’ whom they blame for all the ills of society. The true ill in our country is the absence of civility, the refusal to listen to others who are different, and espousing Christian values with hearts full of hate. I pray daily that our wonderful country will be built from within with charity, curiosity, and forbearance. This is our only hope. The full title is Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation.
- 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
Daugherty designed significant Atlanta landscape projects
Edward Daugherty began the study of landscape architecture after the onset of Modernism and was the first and most important of this new generation of practitioners in Atlanta and the Southeast. Daugherty’s work ranges from small gardens and estates to schools, colleges, cultural institutions, and environmentally sensitive large developments.
Notable achievements of Daugherty’s career include the preservation of the Marietta Square (1961) and the subsequent plan for downtown redevelopment in Atlanta (1970), the grounds of Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion (1967), the Atlanta Botanical Garden (1981-95), and the Georgia Institute of Technology (1955-75).
Other Atlanta projects of Daugherty’s include the garden at Egleston Hospital at Emory University, Canterbury Court, All Saints Episcopal Church, Cator Woolford Gardens, and the Atlanta Historical Society.
Edward L. Daugherty was born on October 20, 1926, in Summerville, S.C. and was raised in Atlanta. He first studied architecture at Georgia Tech and then landscape architecture at the University of Georgia. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in landscape architecture from Harvard University in the early 1950s. Daugherty was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1951 to study town planning in England. He then returned to Atlanta and began his professional practice, which has been in continuous existence for more than 50 years.
Daugherty cites three early and lasting influences on his work. He learned an obligation to public service from Hubert B. Owens at the University of Georgia, clarity of word and design from Norman Newton at Harvard University, and the value of boldness from Atlanta landscape architect William C. Pauley.
Daugherty and his wife, Martha, have four children. Throughout his career Daugherty has been active in civic affairs, including Trees Atlanta and All Saints Episcopal Church. He has been a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects since 1954 and was made a Fellow in 1971. In 1972 he received an Honor Award in Landscape Architecture for the Historic Walk section of Marietta. In 1987 he received an Award of Excellence for Lifelong Contributions to Landscape Architecture in Atlanta from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
This mystery may be difficult to locate
Today’s Mystery Photo may prove difficult to locate, since there are few clues. Tell us where this piece is located and some of its background. Send your ideas to Elliott@brack.net and tell us where you live.
tew Ogilvie, Lawrenceville recognized the recent Mystery Photo: “It’s the Ellis Island registration hall. Three of my four Grandparents came through there. My grandfather, from Scotland, was brought over by John Wanamaker and became his Oriental Rug buyer. Back then, the rugs came with Bamboo poles in them for support. My father at an early age in the 1930’s pole vaulted with them and became one of the best vaulters in the country and he got a full scholarship to New York University back when they were an elite track and field team. Have not thought of that in years.”
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. raised a question after identifying the photo: “Is Ellis Island in New York or New Jersey? The short answer is yes to both states. Since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1998, Ellis Island, which is federal property, belongs within the territorial jurisdiction of both New York and New Jersey depending upon where you are. The Main Building, housing the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, is within the boundary of New York State. Since the island was expanded over many years to its current 27.5 acres, this expanded area is now mostly within the territory of New Jersey. First and foremost, the entire island remains federal property, as it has been since 1808.”
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. added this: “Today’s mystery photo is of the Registration Room (aka the ‘Great Hall’) on Ellis Island where from 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 million immigrants arrived at the Port of New York and New Jersey and were processed there under federal law. While Ellis Island was the official entry point for immigrants to the United States, it wasn’t the first piece of American soil they encountered. The waters surrounding the island were too shallow for transatlantic ships to navigate, so most docked and unloaded their passengers in Manhattan.”
Sara Rawlins, Lawrenceville, wrote: “Today Ellis Island is now a museum and is used for people to do research of their Ancestors who went through this building looking for a better life.”Also pinpointing the photo was Dan Mackaben, Loganville and Ann Serrie of Lawrenceville. The photo is the work of Thomas McBrayer of Raleigh, N.C.
Civic Breakfast: members of the community are invited to Christ Church Episcopal men’s Civic Breakfast on Saturday, November 12 at the church parish hall, located at 400 Holcomb Bridge Road in Norcross. Speaker will be Jose Perez of Peachtree Corners, a member of the State Board of Regents. Come for coffee at 8 a.m., breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and be dismissed by 9:30 a.m.
Get a glimpse of college life during its in-person Preview Days at Georgia Gwinnett College, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., on November 12. Members of the Grizzly family will be on hand to discuss programs of study, admissions, financial aid, student housing and more. Participants will be able to tour GGC’s campus and talk to student ambassadors about their experiences at GGC. The party-like atmosphere will include food, music and fun giveaways. GGC team members will host selected breakout sessions in Spanish.
Have dessert with Chef and Author Jonathon Scott Barrett on November 17 at 7 p.m. at the Duluth branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library. He will share highlights from his book, Cook and Celebrate: A Collection of Southern Holiday and Party Culinary Traditions.
Learn more about doing business with the county. The Gwinnett County Purchasing Division offers a meeting on Thursday, November 17 at 9 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. on this subject. During the one-hour virtual clinic, Purchasing and Transportation staff will share information about the different divisions of Transportation, current and upcoming opportunities, and how to do business with the County. Register for one of the two virtual sessions at gcga.us/QuarterlyClinicSignup.
Sing the Messiah: Join with Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church and members of Gwinnett Symphony Chorus on Sunday, November 20 at 3 p.m. to start the Christmas season off with a Messiah Sing Along/ This event is free to all and all are welcomed. Audience members are invited to sing or simply sit back and enjoy the performance. The Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church is at 800 Lawrenceville Highway.
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