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January 2008
Calling all memories of South Gwinnett High
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
During South Gwinnett High School’s first year, Sputnik orbited the Earth, ushering in the Space Age. South Gwinnett students built rockets in science class and ignited them in pastures. Kids hunted opossum at the principal’s farm. They toured Buford Dam before it generated hydroelectric power.
• Photos: Memories of S. Gwinnett High
The South Gwinnett Class of 1957-58, which included the likes of Wayne Mason, John D. Stephens, Clark Britt and more than 50 others, is reminded of those days as the school celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The school, formed through a marriage of rival institutions in Snellville and Grayson, opened for the 1957-58 school year as part of a consolidation of Gwinnett’s schools. Its attendance zone included what is now Parkview, Brookwood, Shiloh and Grayson school districts. Still, there were only 300 students in the entire school. Today there are more than 3,000.
“It was just a great bunch of people,” said developer Wayne Mason. “ …. Everybody knew everybody. Everybody knew everybody’s mama and grandmama. …We weren’t as transient in those days.”
Former Snellville Mayor Emmett Clower, who graduated in 1960, was the manager for the football and basketball teams. He recalled the county basketball tournaments — girls and boys — which South Gwinnett won in its first year.
“It was a big deal. There were capacity crowds,” said Clower.
The boys team that year went on to win the regional championship and play at the state championship, said Kenneth Hughes, now the pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Lithonia. Hughes, a 6-foot-5 center on that team, also played left tackle on the football team.
The half-century has brought South Gwinnett full circle in his family. His grandson, Joshua Strange, who will graduate this year —50 years after his grandfather — in South Gwinnett’s Class of 2008, was a left tackle on South’s football team. Hughes’ daughter, wife and son also are South Gwinnett alumni.
The South tradition spans multiple generations in many local families. Still others formed connections through working, coaching or teaching at the school.
Principal Berry Simmons and Assistant Principal Carla Hamilton are hoping the community will turn out for a 50-year celebration, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in the school commons. There will be tours of the expanded school, memorabilia, refreshments and lots of memories, they said.
Alan Herndon, who taught at South during its early years and who wrote the school’s alma mater (and can still recite it by heart), will be attending.
“I was always impressed by the manner in which [South’s first principal Victor H. Knight] was able to conduct that first year with minimal conflict,” said Herndon, pointing out the previously fierce rivalry that existed between Snellville and Grayson schools. “I don’t remember anyone out on the ball field banging on each other because one was from Snellville and one was from Grayson.”
That unity was not the case with all of the consolidation efforts in the county, he said. Lilburn and Dacula bowed out of their consolidation into Central Gwinnett High School, and Duluth left the former West Gwinnett High School, which converted back into Norcross High.
Although Feb. 10 is South’s official anniversary open house, the celebration has been ongoing. Christmas ornaments and throw blankets acknowledging the 50-year mark have been sold. Former football players were recognized in the fall, and former basketball players will be honored Friday between the girls’ and boys’ basketball games. About 40 people have confirmed they are coming, said Patti Stancil, who works with the school’s athletic department. Stancil, her husband Hoyt and son Preston, all are South graduates, as well.
Among those attending Friday will be the starting players of the boys 1957-58 team, said Clark Britt, who played forward. The others are Hughes, Bill Brannan, prominent contractor John D. Stephens and Hollis Reese, he said.
Britt, retired associate superintendent of DeKalb County Schools, is the son of W.C. Britt, former principal of the historic Snellville School. A local elementary school bears W.C. Britt’s name.
The 50-year celebration is not solely focused on the first class at South, however. Throughout its history, the school has produced students and been served by faculty who have made noteworthy achievements and taken leading roles in the community, Simmons said.
Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Melodie Snell Conner, Former Snellville Mayor Brett Harrell, football star David Green, basketball star Louis Williams, Atlanta Fox 5 sports reporter Buck Lanford, are just a few on a list too long to name. Familiar names in the community — including Snell, Norton, Briscoe, Moon, Britt, Nash, Hayes, Price — are intertwined with South’s history. So are students from the Promised Land community south of Snellville who were the first blacks to attend South.
Jack Britt, who coached for 12 years at South, said while some schools had tensions during desegregation, South “never missed a beat.” He easily recalls the first African-American students to attend South, citing each one’s achievements and contributions.
Growth has been the major change at South — physical growth of the buildings and campus, as well as the explosive increase in the student body. But it is not the only change.
South, which started as an all white school, has rapidly become among the most diverse in the county. During the 2003-04 school year, 62 percent of the students were white and 28 percent were black. Now 28 percent of the students are white and 59 percent are black, according to the school district. The school also has small percentages of Hispanic and Asian students.
The change reflects a shift in the overall population of Gwinnett County.
“Gwinnett’s school system is now a minority-majority school system” said Wayne Mason. “Sixty-three percent of our students are minorities; 37 percent are white. But diversity is our strength. We are a global county in a global economy.
The half-century of South history also has seen dramatic changes in technology, teaching methods and curriculum, said Simmons and Hamilton. Typewriters and shorthand are just memories.
“Obviously there have been a lot of changes” Simmons said. “but South is still a school people want to come to.”
What are your memories of South Gwinnett?
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No list but lots of love in letter to Santa
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kimberly Smith / AJC
Blenda Sing and Mark Swinson in their Snellville home.
From time to time there are blips in life’s harried, chaotic pace — singular moments that pierce the frenzy of everyday living.
A simple letter, mailed in Knoxville, Tenn., and postmarked on Christmas Eve, provided one such interruption.
Dear Santa,
My name is Mark. I’m 44 years old. I live in Snellville Georgia USA with my wife Blenda, whom I love very much. She is the world to me. But she is very sick and I’m afraid of losing her. For Christmas, I don’t want money, a new house, a car or anything. All I want is for her to be well. That’s all I want for Christmas. That’s all I ever want for Christmas. Please help if you can. Thank you very much. Mark
The letter was opened by someone at the U.S. Postal Service. (Postal Service officials are not sure if that occurred in Knoxville or if it was forwarded to Georgia. Metro Atlanta post offices received 16,800 letters to Santa last year). Copies of Mark’s letter were sent to churches in the Centerville-Snellville area and to a monastery in Conyers.
Father Thomas Francis of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery and the Men’s Bible Study of Zoar United Methodist Church sent cards to Mark, at his return address, in response.
About that time, I heard about the letter and was able to get a copy.
There’s no way to read it without stopping, focusing and thinking — about priorities and time and those we love.
The letter was written by Mark Swinson. He lives with his wife Blenda Sing in a subdivision off Hewatt Road.
Mark, a Georgia Tech graduate with degrees in engineering and applied physics, teaches music and provides math and science tutoring in his home. Blenda is a licensed professional counselor in Snellville.
Blenda struggles with an auto-immune disorder that attacks her liver. She also struggles with the side effects of that disease and the endless medication it requires. She says the disorder is genetic — other family members have had auto-immune illnesses. Her father, who died five years ago, had Sjogren’s Syndrome, and an uncle and great-uncle had rheumatoid arthritis.
Blenda was diagnosed nine years ago. “They call it the prom queen’s disease because it usually shows up in girls when they are young,” said Blenda, who is 47. “I told the doctor, ‘I’ve never been a prom queen.’”
There is no cure.
“The goal is just to maintain,” said Blenda. She went through a “down spell” during the holidays, but feels and is testing better now. She’s managed to keep working, missing days only a few times a year. She feels fortunate that she and Mark have insurance, and they have family in the area who care about and help them.
Mark said he wrote the letter to Santa while he and Blenda were visiting Blenda’s brother’s family in Knoxville before Christmas.
It was not a cry for help.
“It really didn’t come from a dark place or a place of desperation,” Mark said about the letter. “It was more of an inspiration to be able to write it.”
The couple, who have been married for 16 years, have no children and were enjoying being around their nephews for the holidays. But Blenda had not been feeling well and spent hours of the visit in bed.
Mark had thought about writing a letter for a while. “Every single day I was concerned about her health.”
On Dec. 23, Mark watched “Polar Express” on TV. He enjoyed time with the nephews. He counted his blessings and thought about longevity.
When Mark looked up and saw a child’s desk with notebook paper and little pens and pencils, “it was just very easy to say what I wanted to say. I used very simple kid language.”
“I’ve always loved Santa Claus,” he said, “That whole feeling of Christmas.”
Mark sealed and addressed the envelope “Santa Claus — The North Pole” and put it in his brother-in-law’s mailbox Dec. 23. He didn’t think he would see it again, but he put his name and address just in case it might be returned.
“I really didn’t know what would happen to it. But I always had this strange feeling that something could happen.”
Blenda said she was unaware of the letter until receiving the cards from the church and monastery. But she’s not surprised.
“That letter is him — that’s Mark,” she said.
It moves Mark that people at the post office, monastery and church took time to read and respond to the letter. It touches him that “people were thinking about us.”
Their “us” appears exceptional. Sitting on their couch, they hold hands, giving occasional reassuring squeezes. She talks about how she still gets “that funny little feeling” when she sees him. He says his stomach “does that little flip.” They tell about renewing their marriage commitment in 2006. They describe their relationship as “special.” They don’t mind showing, or talking about, affection.
Blenda says Mark “never gives up,” even when she has been so ill he had to carry her. “One day, I’m going to write a book, ‘My husband, my hero,’” she said.
Mark says he “wouldn’t trade a single moment” of their time together.
“We just want to have more of it.”
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Too much city drama? Could it be the decor?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve been thinking about feng shui lately.
For those not familiar with feng shui, it is an ancient Chinese concept that has seen a rebirth in home design and decorating. It’s all about space, color, furniture arrangement and invisible energy that - depending on how it flows - purportedly can affect mood and luck, bring harmony or dissension.
Not in my house, of course. My home remains forever in post-college decor, minus the cinderblock shelves that held our legendary album collection.
But I digress.
I’ve been thinking about feng shui because of the drama that occurred Monday at the Snellville City Council meeting.
Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer unexpectedly left city hall Monday night, just as he and the council were to go into executive session to discuss personnel issues related to performance evaluations of city department heads.
As often is the case in drama (and politics), there is a lot of background and several viewpoints of why the mayor walked out.
Oberholtzer says he was trying to protect the morale of city staff, but didn’t want to reveal specifics related to personnel. Others say he mishandled the situation and manipulated rules to avoid answering questions. At this point, however, most agree they just want to put the incident behind them and move forward.
I hope they can.
The city has done a lot of work lately.
On Friday, city staff and Oberholtzer spent the day going over departmental needs and plans for the upcoming year.
On Saturday, the council, mayor and staff met at Stone Mountain for a day-long retreat to examine the budget and discuss plans — lots of plans — for 2008.
And on Monday, prior to the drama, the council agreed to establish its own utility to handle the area’s stormwater system. The mayor discussed progress in the city’s building of sidewalks. It was announced that a citizen advisory committee will be formed to give input on improvements to the U.S. 78/ Ga. 124 intersection. And so on.
A good start.
But plenty of work awaits.
Since the Monday meeting, I have tried to contact all — and succeeded in talking to most — of Snellville’s elected officials. Each expressed a desire to work with the others. And, while realizing there will be differences of opinions, they said they hope to minimize or eliminate the dramatic eruptions that have become Snellville’s trademark.
Can they do it?
Some are optimistic. They say they’ve already made progress.
Time will tell.
Which brings me to feng shui.
I’ve never embraced the concept but have read that corporate executives, as well as families, have used it to improve performance and relationships.
I wondered (only half in jest): Could rearranging the council chamber dais and adding a bit of green paint promote harmony? Could strategically positioning a few bushes in the room reduce conflict?
Seem silly?
Maybe.
But so does the drama when there’s important work ahead.
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What’s the allure of the road to Loganville?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Susan Gast / AJC
Students attend soccer practice rat Creekside Sports Center, a new indoor soccer complex off U.S. 78 near Loganville.
If the economy is slow, word hasn’t reached U.S. 78 east of Snellville.
A brand new 43,000-square-foot soccer/athletic center, which opened in November, was filled Tuesday night with Adidas-clad kids (and moms) practicing and trying out the artificial turf. A bowling alley has emerged next door. A new Lowe’s home improvement store and a Best Buy are on the way in Loganville. An office supply store may come, too. Office condos are selling in a development called Judah’s Crossing. An International House of Pancakes has opened. A new Kroger complex is in the works. There’s talk of a Cracker Barrel and a Target.
I mentioned this surge of development last week, along with the lament by Snellville’s mayor that it is outside, rather than within, Snellville. There is disagreement about why this is so, so I talked to a few business people to ask them about location, location, location.
The reasons are as varied as the businesses and the individuals behind them. But there are major themes: east of Snellville is where the people are moving, that’s where the land is, that’s where the new market is.
Creekside Sports Center, just off U.S. 78 on Krisam Creek Drive, is the dream of David and Debbie Bird of Loganville, who started the Bluesprings Youth Soccer Association in Loganville 12 years ago, said Steve Keiss, facility manager and part owner. They began work on the idea for an indoor soccer complex six years ago.
David Bird, a former resident of Snellville and graduate of South Gwinnett High School, has lived near Loganville since 1981. He got a chance to buy 38 acres (and later, 10 more) along U.S. 78 near Loganville to put the dream into motion.
Much of the acreage is being used for the soccer complex and for green space, but some is being developed into separate commercial interests, and some has been sold to other developers, Bird said.
Bird liked the location because it is not far from the outdoor site used by the youth association, it has good visibility, is along a major thoroughfare and is where families have moved and are continuing to move.
That movement really gained speed 20 years ago, said Mike Cook, a Loganville Realtor who has handled the sites for the new Lowe’s and Best Buy and was involved in the IHOP and a Walgreen’s development.
“People began leaving Gwinnett and DeKalb and moving to Walton to get away from the hustle and bustle. … Now, commercial is needed.”
The retail surge in the Loganville area began more than seven years ago when Home Depot and Wal-Mart expressed interested in moving in, Cook said. Plans were delayed, however, by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the economic hesitancy that followed. But soon Home Depot arrived, followed by Wal-Mart. Then came Ruby Tuesday, Chili’s and others, he said.
Most of the businesses coming to the Loganville area reflect a natural progression of growth. The big companies — such as Lowe’s — evaluate the community to make sure the need can support the business before they commit, he said.
But there are some businesses who move from elsewhere. Some, from Snellville.
Pet Superstore is one. Its main reason? Traffic.
“The road is horrible there,” said owner Mary Ellen Wertanen about the store’s former location in a Snellville shopping center near Haverty’s. “To turn left, you had to take your life into your own hands.”
She constantly heard the frustration of customers talking about the traffic near the U.S. 78-Ga. 124 intersection. Parking also was tough at her old location, she said. And the building was aging.
So, on Dec. 31, Wertanen moved Pet Superstore into a free-standing building almost 4 miles east on U.S. 78. She had wanted to stay within 3 miles of her original store, which opened in 1991 and has built up a good client base. But the properties she looked at in Snellville were too expensive, she said.
Also, she found out that about 75 percent of her customers were coming from the Loganville area.
“That accounts for a lot,” Wertanen said.
Wertanen has witnessed the movement of businesses away from U.S. 78 in Snellville and thinks it began when Target vacated its original location at McGee Road and U.S. 78 to move to Ga. 124. Stores in that shopping center were hurt.
Then came Wal-Mart’s move from its Snellville Oaks site to Ga. 124, leaving that shopping center without its anchor.
More recently, the Pike’s nursery closing left its mark, too, she said.
She’s not sure when it will end.
These are just three perspectives — three views expressed by those on the road to Loganville. No doubt there are more.
But there is also agreement: The development toward, in and beyond Loganville is far from slowing.
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet,” Keiss said.
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2008 brings city a lineup of big issues
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Gwinnett reader recently commented online that this year — 2008 — “just has a nice ring to it” and “let us all keep our fingers crossed.”
A few guests at a New Year’s Eve gathering I attended expressed optimism that 2008 would be a better year, but only because, in their words, “2007 stunk.”
Hardly an enthusiastic endorsement.
I rarely make resolutions, much less predictions. But I have heard a few thoughts about Snellville’s upcoming year that bear passing along.
We’ve already been told that a slowing of Gwinnett’s growth may pose financial shortfalls that could lead to tax increases on the county level.
In Snellville, too, we seem to be facing major challenges. And money is high on the list.
Interim City Manager Jim Brooks told the Snellville Rotary Club last month that “new revenue streams ” are needed for the city government.
“We’ve done all the cost containment we can do,” Brooks told the group at one of its regular breakfast meetings. The city will either have to find additional sources of money or cut the level of service, he said.
Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer acknowledged that the city must make “tough decisions.”
“We’ve been riding this wave of growth,” he said. But things have changed.
Just take a drive out U.S. 78 east of town, and you’ll see significant retail and commercial growth that has passed out of or over Snellville and located in Loganville.
Other retail development has moved north of the city on Ga. 124.
It’s not just the quantity of the businesses we are missing that is worrisome, Oberholtzer said. It’s the quality. Big stores, nice restaurants are passing by Snellville and locating east and north of the city.
When business moves out of the city — or hops over it — Snellville misses out on the revenue from business licenses, employee purchase power, sales tax and other sources, Oberholtzer said.
That is money the city can’t afford to lose, and those are the types of businesses the city should pursue and retain, he said.
Another concern the city is facing is the area’s aging stormwater system. There are questions of how the system should be managed and how to pay for needed repairs and maintenance. (Oberholtzer said about $2 million to $3 million in repairs are needed to the existing system).
On the county level, the Gwinnett County Commission instituted a stormwater runoff fee to help with maintenance and repair costs to its system. The city may need to consider something similar, Oberholtzer said.
The city also must fill several key positions. Brooks will leave his interim city manager post in February. Vacancies in other staff or contract positions, including planning and development director, economic development manager and city attorney, also exist.
The city council will discuss these and other issues at its retreat Jan. 12, the mayor said.
Oberholtzer, who has long advocated the city allowing Sunday alcohol sales, sees the lack of such sales as one factor that has affected Snellville’s economic vitality. He said the city should reconsider its position on the up-to-now divisive issue. Without it, the city not only can’t compete for many businesses — such as restaurants — but it misses out on the extra revenue those sales would generate, the mayor argues.
Another potential source of revenue that has been mentioned would be to charge Snellville residents a sanitation fee for trash pickup, he said.
Oberholtzer doesn’t like that idea, however, and said it would create a need for more bureaucracy to process the payments.
Clearly the upcoming year will present critical questions for Snellville, its leaders and its residents. Citizens should pay attention and offer input.
Will 2008 be a good year? Maybe. But it looks like it will take more than keeping our fingers crossed.
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