GwinnettForum | Number 23.02 | Jan. 5, 2024
THIS 1976 RECORD is the basis for some recollecting by David Simmons of Norcross. Read what he remembers of a certain event back in his college days in Another View below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Suwanee resident reacts to what Jack Bernard says
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Recent college football season gave us much joy
SPOTLIGHT: Peach State Federal Credit Union
ANOTHER VIEW: Ups and downs of a college weekend
FEEDBACK: Feels another insurrection going at border crossing
UPCOMING: Ryan Jones promoted to head Neighborhood Co-op
NOTABLE: Duluth Rotary Club to present local talent show
RECOMMENDED: The Woods of Fannin County by Janisse Ray
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Clermont Lee was early Georgia female landscape architect
MYSTERY PHOTO: After an easy one, this photo may stump many
CALENDAR: Historical Society meets January 8 about Hooper-Renwick
Suwanee resident reacts to what Bernard says
By Jeff Gorke
SUWANEE, Ga. | It’s always fun to read Jack Bernard’s missives. They tend to be short on data, long on aspersions while often slamming 50 percent of the population for being mindless rubes. Understand, I’m no Trump supporter, but he isn’t one of the Riders of the Apocalypse, either.
Gorke
He didn’t weaponize big tech to spy on Americans. He didn’t lock up his political opponents. He didn’t remove anyone from a national election (14th Amendment) for something that person was neither tried nor convicted of. No, certainly though, he’s a “threat to democracy.” We truly are in Orwell’s 1984.
First, I’d like to address a few of Jack’s tired dog whistles that are endlessly dredged up. To wit, this oft lobbed quote attributed to Trump: “You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.” This, as Jack knows, was taken completely out of context. The remainder of that quote was, essentially, “…except for the white supremacists.” But, don’t stumble over facts while trying to raise the standard of virtue. (By the bye, all of this is provable with a little search on the Internet of Things.)
Next, Trump might “..do away with social security as we know it…” That’s a touch short on depth and detail, no? What does that mean, exactly? A little rhetorical precision would go a long way toward a rational conversation.
Lastly, where’s the voter suppression? If I’m not mistaken Georgia’s last election had some of the highest, if not the highest, turnout in state history so who was “suppressed” and/or disenfranchised? Sidebar, has Stacey Abrams conceded defeat in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race? Or ’22 for that matter? Does Hillary Clinton still think that Trump was an “…illegitimate president?” And by what metric? What does all that mean?
So, on to Jack’s fiscal argument re: “conservatives.” We can all agree that fiscal management makes sense in our government and in our homes. So, a little about the “deficit,” or, maybe more importantly, the debt.
While for some reason Jack touts Obama managing $500B a year in deficit spending, he grew the debt 80 percent in his time in office; $10T or about $1.25T per year, on average. In the meantime, Trump grew the debt $6.9T, 30 percent, or about $1.73T per year.
Now look at our present leadership; Biden has grown the debt $6.74T in only 3 years, that’s 21 percent growth and ~ $2.26T per year. (“Nominal” numbers used.) Our debt service costs us $1T a year, 16 percent of our budget. Our debt is approximately 145 percent of our GDP. Not a good thing. So, while we can all agree “debt bad,” please spare the proselyting. There’s plenty of blame to go around. Oh, and as you know, Congress has the purse strings. (But I use these data elements since he mentioned spending by administration.)
Jack, you got me going!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Recent college football season gave us much joy
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 5, 2024 | “You betcha,” as they say at North Dakota State, we enjoyed the college football games on television this year. Now we look forward to Monday night’s championship final. We just wish Alabama had made it to the finals. They seemed on the ascendancy, but played poorly in the Rose Bowl.
We’re big fans of southern football, and pull for the opponent of Big Ten teams (except for Iowa, where we once graduated.) We always root for whoever’s playing Michigan or Ohio State.
Did you see how the Southeastern Conference whacked the Big Ten, except for Alabama? Mississippi beat Penn State, Missouri whacked Ohio State, LSU got past Wisconsin and Tennessee creamed Iowa. It was a nice run if you are a SEC fan.
Both College Football Playoff games went down to the wire. Washington finally got by Texas on the game’s last play. Michigan won in overtime because of what we think was a bad selection for the final play by the Alabama coaching staff.
While Alabama’s defense played well in the second half, it faded in the final minutes and let Michigan tie the game. Then in overtime, Michigan scored a touchdown easily, setting the stage for Alabama to tie the game in overtime.
On fourth down from about the four yard line, the play called for Quarterback Jalen Milroe to run straight into the end zone. The Alabama line did not give him an opening. He was stopped short, and there went the game.
You probably have your own second guess at an alternative play. Here’s ours:
Milroe is a good open field runner. The play that might have worked better would have Milroe faking a handoff into the line, and circling to the left to either run or pass to a lone Alabama player in the left end zone.
But it was not to be.
One reason the Big Ten football had success particularly in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was their raiding of the South for good football players, many being black. During segregation, the South never sought these black players, so the Big Ten dominated football.
Sitting on our front porch in Macon in the 1950s, we read about a Macon native winning All-American honors at Ohio State…someone I had never heard of. He was Jim Parker, later a mainstay lineman in professional football. He was one of many black players who found success up north, to their benefit.
Earlier, that situation was in reverse, as Harry Mehre, when coach at the University of Georgia, annually recruited key players from the north to play for the Bulldogs. Later that’s how Georgia got All Americans Frankie Sinkwich and Charlie Trippi. That’s how Bear Bryant got Joe Namath to quarterback Alabama.
Today coaches roam the nation seeking the top high school players. And it is so fickle. Just note the situation with last year’s Buford quarterback, Dylan Raiola, playing at different high schools, coming to Buford with the intent on going to Georgia, then backing out and picking where his father played at Nebraska.
It’s crazy. And getting more far-out every day, what with the portals, and now college players getting big virtual salaries.
Where will it end?
Back to North Dakota State, always a power in the Football Championship Subdivision. However, the Bisons couldn’t make it past Montana’s Grizzlies this year, losing 31-29 in an enjoyable game on television. Montana plays South Dakota State on Sunday at 2 p.m. for that title. “Don’tchaknow.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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Ups and downs of a college weekend
By David Simmons
NORCROSS, Ga. | Music can rekindle old memories. A flashback hit me listening to my song list on Spotify. Lyin’ Eyes by The Eagles came around on the rotation and it reminded me of a weekend during my college days.
Simmons
It was January 1976 when I was a junior at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. This weekend started off bad, got really, really good, then ended on a ridiculously scary note.
Friday morning I took a test in my 9 a.m. class, and was in my ’70 Mustang headed east on the Interstate before 10 a.m.
After a five hour drive I was in East Lansing, Mich., to spend the weekend with my girlfriend and had time to kill before she finished up with her classes.
I found a campus bar in to have a beer while waiting for her. That bar had a live band scheduled that weekend and they were doing their sound check before going on that night. This was a college town cover band, just doing the best they could, and were working up their version of Lyin’ Eyes.
Lyin’ Eyes is a great song. It actually made it to No. 2 on the charts. The chorus is melodic, a four-part harmony.
As I sat in the bar, I was subjected to a nightmare of starts and stops. The band would begin the chorus and then get stopped by the lead singer yelling “Stop, stop, stop!” and rant over how they had messed it up…over and over for two hours. It ended up ruining that song for me. For decades now, I hit the skip button whenever it comes around on the rotation.
Then the weekend got better. My girlfriend arrived and we got out of there, and I spent the weekend with her. That night we had tickets for Jethro Tull, my favorite band at the time, in concert. The next day we got to see the Indiana Hoosiers, the soon to be undefeated NCAA champs, beat Michigan State on their home floor.
I had to drive back to ISU late Sunday afternoon. And that is where it got scary. We had a big snow storm that weekend and Interstate 69 was covered in slushy ice. The right lane of the highway had just two lines of dry pavement where the tires of the majority of the traffic was driving. The left lane was still covered with a layer of ice. There were a lot of trucks on the road, moving slowly. I was carefully weaving out into the left lane and back as I made my way southward.
But then I began to fishtail. I had a lot of practice in snowy conditions and I fought it with everything I had. Steering the wheel into the skid, I must have cut the wheel both ways two or three times before I went into a spin. My car did three 360 degree spins before miraculously coming to a stop headed perfectly straight ahead in the right hand breakdown lane. The semi truck I had just passed went by, tooting his horn.
I just sat there for probably 10 minutes, contemplating just how lucky I was and how bad it could have been. Then I pushed back in my 8 track tape of Joe Walsh’s, The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get, and drove on back to Terre Haute. A little slower and more carefully. But maybe a little wiser.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Feels another insurrection going on at border crossing
Editor, the Forum:
So, we always can depend on Jack Bernard to produce his decidedly leftist “facts,” just like the Colorado and Maine lynching parties who unilaterally convicted Trump of a contrived “insurrection.” Meanwhile we observe President Biden blatantly ignoring Federal Law, to the tune of at least 300,000 illegally unchecked walking across the border in December alone, which in itself is a ‘Presidential insurrection’.
– Ron Baker, Stone Mountain
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.
Jones promoted to head Neighborhood Co-op
Major leadership changes will be taking place in early 2024 at Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries in Norcross, according to Chairman Les Harper of Berkeley Lake. Ryan Jones will become executive director, providing leadership of strategic planning, finance, fundraising, marketing, and operations. After 30 years as director, Shirley Cabe will move to director of client operations, using her exceptional gifts and talents serving those in need.
Jones
Jones joined NCM three years ago as director of community relations. NCM under Jones’ leadership, just held its most successful fundraising event to-date, bringing in over $519,000 to continue the mission of making a difference in our neighborhood, one family at a time.
Jones says: “We have an awesome team at NCM that works tirelessly to serve our clients. The staff, volunteers, board of directors and community commitment energize me every day. We have abundant opportunities to share the love of Christ with our southwest Gwinnett community, as we help our neighbors in crisis. Like Shirley, who has taught me so much, I am also excited about my new role and what lies ahead for NCM and the community we serve.”
NCM’s Board of Directors supported Cabe’s request and developed a new role specifically for her. She will lead a new initiative to expand, as refrigerated products will be added to client food offerings. Clients will now have access to healthier food options such as protein, produce, reclaimed food, etc. Cabe says: “This new initiative is huge for our clients to break the cycle of poverty.”
Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries (NCM) is a faith-based, non-profit, ecumenical ministry dedicated to providing emergency assistance. NCM is supported by local churches, businesses, civic and social organizations, foundations, and individuals. Read more about new initiatives, volunteer opportunities, and ways to give & serve at NCM by visiting the website at www.ourncm.org.
Duluth Rotary Club to present local talent show
The Rotary Club of Duluth is producing The Stars of Gwinnett Talent Show, a fundraiser to shed light on human trafficking and support charities that combat such crimes and restore the lives of victims. Open to the public, the family-friendly evening will take place on February 8, 2024, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Gas South Theatre in Duluth.
Showcasing a variety of vetted musicians, dancers and comedians, the program includes a “who’s who” of Gwinnett and beyond. While most are better known for their day jobs in which they are devoted to serving their communities, all are high-caliber performers.
Cole Porter, the club’s president and talent show chair, says:“We will come together and use our time and energy to bring this production to our community. Our goal is to not only create entertainment for the community but also to use this opportunity to truly make an impact on the fight against human trafficking through fundraising and awareness. As Rotarians, we have a motto of ‘Service above Self.’ We hope the community will rally around this event in that spirit.”
- Tickets, priced at $35, $50, and $75 are now available online via Ticketmaster.
New rector arrives at Norcross Episcopal Church
Otero
Christ Church Episcopal in Norcross, has a new rector. He is the Rev. Edgar Otero, who began leading the parish as of January 3, 2024. He previously was Priest-In-Charge of St. Anthony’s Episcopal Church in Winder. He succeeds the Rev. Ceci Duke, who was rector for 13 years and who recently retired to the North Carolina mountains near Young Harris, Ga.
The new rector was born in Puerto Rico and relocated to the mainland 23 years ago. He is married to Marycelis and has two children, Eliam Manuel, 17 and Edgar Ezekiel, 14.
Father Edgar has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. He also attended Mount St. Mary’s University and Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., and St. Vincent College and Seminary in Latrobe, Penn,, where he studied at a master’s level in Roman Catholic theology. He graduated with honors from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta , acquiring a master’s in divinity with a certificate in Anglican/Episcopal Studies.
He previously was a member of the Vestry of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, his home parish. He was a seminarian at Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville for four years, as a teacher and chaplain at St. Benedict’s Episcopal School in Smyrna.
The Woods of Fannin County by Janisse Ray
From Rick Krause, Lilburn: Seldom do I read fiction, certainly not those of stories seemingly without a message or lesson. However, I generally don’t pass up reading books by Janisse Ray. I’m glad I read this one. Although the book is categorized as fiction, it is based on a true story, as Janisse interviewed some of the characters in the story in their advanced age. Accordingly, it reads more like non-fiction than fiction. I went away from reading the book knowing that what she wrote about did happen; that it was a true account of the abandonment in 1945 of eight sibling children, and their lives on their own in a remote shack in the Blue Ridge foothills in Fannin County near the North Carolina State line. Intriguing, and at times a sad read, from the award-winning author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, her best-selling memoir, which itself is a must read.
- 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
Lee was early Georgia female landscape architect
Clermont Lee, one of the earliest women active in landscape architecture in Georgia, was known as the foremost expert in recreating historic landscapes in mid-20th-century Savannah. Her work was meticulously researched, with a particular focus on formal English and American gardens of the antebellum period. Lee was also responsible for working to found the Georgia State Board of Landscape Architects, a licensing board for landscape architects across the state. Lee was one of the first female landscape architects registered in Georgia.
Clermont Huger Lee was born in Savannah in 1914. After schooling in Savannah and Charleston, S.C., she attended Barnard College in New York City before transferring to Smith College in Northampton, Mass., where she eventually decided to major in landscape architecture.
After completing her undergraduate degree, she attended the Smith College Graduate School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (formerly the Cambridge School), near Harvard University, obtaining a master’s of landscape architecture degree in 1939.
During the Great Depression, Lee returned to Savannah to become an assistant to T. M. Baumgardner, a landscape architect associated with the Sea Island Company. While working there, she planned landscape designs and supervised planting operations for many federal housing projects in Savannah and Brunswick.
Her interest in historic gardens began in the 1940s, when, at the request of a family friend, she drew plans for a small garden at the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation in Brunswick. In 1944 she made measured drawings of ten Victorian gardens in Savannah for Laura Bell and the Georgia Historical Society. She later researched antebellum plantings to develop a planting plan for the formal garden of the Andrew Low home for the Georgia Chapter of the Colonial Dames of America. In 1949 Lee left the Sea Island Company to set up her own practice, thereby becoming the first female professional landscape architect in private practice in Savannah.
In the early 1950s Lee began her long involvement in historic landscapes. In addition to her work on the gardens of the Owens-Thomas House on Oglethorpe Square in Savannah, her new design and planting plans for historic buildings in the city included the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, the Andrew Low House, and the Green-Meldrim mansion. Outside the confines of Savannah, she consulted on the Chief Vann residence and the New Echota Cherokee capital in north Georgia for the Georgia Historical Commission.
From 1951 to 1972 Lee worked with Mills B. Lane Jr., the president of the Citizens and Southern Bank, and his wife to develop landscapes for renovated homes in the northeast section of Savannah. She also worked with the Lanes to develop plans for the renovation of four Savannah squares: Madison, Troup, Warren, and Washington. Her designs to preserve the sanctity of the squares brought her into conflict with the city, which wanted drive-through lanes for emergency crews and buses crossing the middle of all squares. Lee’s strong, simple designs used variations in materials and ground forms to give each square a special character.
In addition to becoming one of the few women in landscape architecture in Georgia, Lee also worked for recognition of her profession. Lee joined the ASLA in 1950 and later worked in conjunction with Hubert Owens, head of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Georgia, to establish the Georgia State Board of Landscape Architects. The first four landscape architects to be registered included Owens and Lee. Lee served on the Georgia board for three years.
Clermont Lee not only made history for women in landscape architecture but also had a lasting impact on the quality of Savannah’s historically designed landscape environment. She died in Savannah on June 14, 2006.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
After an easy one, this photo may stump many
After some rather easy mystery photos, today’s choice may be difficult to solve. So put on your extra heavy thinking cap, and see if you can identify this photograph. Send your thoughts to elliottt@brack.net, and be sure to include your hometown.
The last mystery we thought would be solved by many, but it was not so. Perhaps it fell victim to the holidays. First in was Jay Altman of Columbia, S.C., who figured out it was the chapel at Simpsonwood Park in Peachtree Corners. The photograph was taken by George Graf of Palmyra, Va.
Others who got this mystery correct included Cindy Evans, Duluth; Howard Jetmundsen and Tamara Betteridge, Peachtree Corners; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; and Allan Peel of San Antonio. He wrote: “Simpsonwood Park is named after its donor, Anna Louise ‘Ludie’ Simpson (1887 — 1975), of Norcross, who bequeathed the 227-acres of pristine land with frontage on the Chattahoochee River to the Methodist church in 1973 with the understanding that it would not be subdivided or developed. Based on an agreement made to Simpson prior to her death, the UMC built the 100-seat chapel in 1985, and named it after, and in honor of, her mother, Elizabeth Jane Sanders Simpson (1851 — 1931). The property was purchased by Gwinnett County and the City of Peachtree Corners in 2016 to maintain it as a nature preserve with minimal improvements.”
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: elliott@brack.net and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Historical Society meets Jan. 8 about Hooper-Renwick
Groundbreaking for a new program center at Annandale Village will be held Friday, January 5 at 10 a.m. at 35oo Annandale Lane in Suwanee. A light breakfast will be served.
Discover the power of effective communication and connect with an accomplished leadership development coach who’s making a difference in the community. Attend the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber First Friday Breakfast on January 5 at 7:30 a.m. to hear Linnea Miller, President and CEO of Long Table, LLC.
Gwinnett Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 8, at Rhodes Jordan Community Center, 100 East Crogan Street in Lawrenceville. The program will be presented by a panel of former students at Hooper-Renwick School led by Connie Brown.
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