Johns Creek Herald - June 8, 2023

Head & heart guide director at Autrey Mill wildlife clinic

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Jess Legato used to perform medical treatment for injured wildlife at the front desk of Autrey Mill Nature Preserve’s Visitor Center.

But with a new wildlife rehabilitation clinic on-site, there’s ample space to care for and temporarily house about 20 animals.

“I've been trying to build it and get this thing going for two years,” said Legato, Autrey Mill’s education program manager and clinic director.

Legato is a spunky, tenacious 26-yearold with dyed hair and a The Cure T-shirt, and she has a lot of know-how. There’s a high population of wildlife in the Piedmont region of Georgia, she said, because of its environmental diversity.

“The thing about Johns Creek being fairly new — there's a lot of development. There's a lot of habitat fragmentation,” Legato said. “You get a lot of wildlife in yards … a lot of wildlife all over, and people don’t know what to do.”

In early Autrey Mill times, Legato said the clinic space — attached to an old barn — was a classroom, but eventually became a place for storage.

“We have a lot of animals that are all

See CLINIC, Page 4

Hounds for Habitat schedules fundraiser

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Sponsored by Women Build of the North Central Georgia chapter of Habitat for Humanity, Hounds for Habitat is a fundraiser to help construct homes for worthy families.

The event will be held at Newtown Park on June 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and is open to the public. Those who register will receive a T-shirt and gifts along with the ability to enter their dog in one of three contests. Categories include: best dressed; funniest; and look-alike.

There will be music, refreshments for sale, a silent auction, giveaways, a bake sale and participation by local businesses. There will also be a Johns Creek K9 Police demonstration. Organizers say visitors should bring cash to make transactions simple.

For questions, call Carey Sperry at 470-494-3970 or email support@ cleaninvogue.com.

Habitat for Humanity is grateful to receive support from the Johns Creek Police Department and the Johns Creek Veterans Association.

BUSINESS PROFILE

Scones shop scores with packed menu

► PAGE 8

JESS LEGATO/PROVIDED Jess Legato, education program manager and clinic director at Autrey Mill Nature Preserve, nurses a baby fawn.

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Suspected thief flees after confrontation

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A manager at the Home Depot on State Bridge Road reported May 23 that a man tried to leave the store with a cart full of merchandise he did not pay for.

The manager stopped the suspect after he walked out the front doors, the police report said, and the suspect left the merchandise in the shopping cart and started running. The value of the merchandise in the cart totaled $1,083.

The manager said the suspect got into a maroon Kia Forte and fled the scene. He said someone else was driving the vehicle, waiting for the suspect to come out.

Police ran the tag number and found the car was an Enterprise rental and had no way to identify the suspect. The suspect was described as a Black male with short dreads, approximately 6-foot, wearing a neon worker’s vest and a gray hat.

Holy Redeemer student investigated for threat

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The principal at Holy Redeemer on Old Alabama Road reported to police May 25 that a 12-year-old student threatened to bring a gun to class to shoot another student and the school.

The principal gathered information from a witness’ mother and compiled a list of names of students who had heard the threats. Police interviewed the children to assess the severity of the girls’ statement.

Several students shared that the girl threatened to bring a gun on the last day of school, May 22.

Police contacted a man to ask if the girl had access to a firearm, and that if she did, that safety protocols be established to prevent her from carrying out the threat.

The man said the girl did not have access to a firearm. He also said there were two boys involved that had initiated the conversation with the girl, and he would gather and relay more information to detectives.

Woman accuses tenant of stealing her jewelry

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A Johns Creek woman reported to police May 25 that she came home from work to her residence off Boxford Court and noticed several articles of jewelry had been stolen from her room.

The jewelry included a watch and several earrings as well as coins. The woman, who shared the space with several other tenants, accused one tenant of stealing the jewelry.

Out of suspicion about previously missing items, the woman had moved two locking safes disguised as books farther under her bed to hide them from anyone who would want to steal from her. She found the safes had been placed in a blue duffle bag and moved into a back bedroom, missing several items.

The duffle bag belonged to the tenant she suspected, but the tenant said she did not take the items. After an alleged physical confrontation, the tenant told the woman she stole and pawned the items.

Police told the woman they would follow up with the store, where the tenant had said she pawned the items.

Suspects seek prescriptions using hijacked DEA number

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A Duluth woman reported to police May 26 that her DEA number, issued to doctors to order prescriptions, was used twice

without her knowledge at two locations.

At the first location, a Kroger Pharmacy on Chamblee Tucker Road in Atlanta, a prescription was filled and picked up by a named individual. An order was declined at the second location, a GMC Pharmacy in Rome, for a person using a different name.

The woman said she was not familiar with either person.

Police told the woman to contact them or an assigned investigator to update the report if the incident happens again.

Apartment burglary victim reports suspect ate snacks

ROSWELL, Ga. — A Roswell woman reported May 28 that somebody had broken into her apartment on Chattahoochee Circle and ate food from her pantry.

The resident told police that on May 27 somebody entered her apartment while her friend was in the shower and left the door open. There was no sign of force on the door, but the friend said it was locked.

When the resident checked her kitchen, she noticed a jar of pickles and a pack of Reese’s had been eaten, but nothing of value was taken. She told police the subjects were probably only interested in the food.

The resident told police only maintenance people from her apartment complex had keys to her apartment, so she believed a squatter may have been the culprit. Police encouraged her to get a security camera and gave her a case card but took no other action.

All crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.

Mayor unveils winners of student art contest

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Three winners of an art contest, open to all Johns Creek elementary, middle and high school students, will have their works hung in City Hall.

This year’s iteration of the Mayor’s Public Art Challenge, in its second year, is ‘All the World in Johns Creek.’ Mayor John Bradberry said the theme focuses on the many cultures in the city, “the most diverse city in Georgia,” and was intended to bring the community closer together.

“Lots of other cities have diversity, but our diversity is uniquely diverse with a sprinkling of people from every part of

the world,” Bradberry said. “In origin or background, we might be different, but together we have fashioned a culture of excellence in what still feels like a small town.”

Bradberry announced the winners at the City Council meeting May 23: Mahi Shah, Grade 11, Northview High School; Minakshi Chilagani, Grade 6, River Trail Middle School; and Celine Ma, Grade 5, Findley Oaks Elementary School. Their works were chosen out of more than 40 art pieces submitted.

“We’re very interested in seeing more art and culture take place here in Johns Creek, and we want to foster that … there’s really no better [way] to do that than through our students,” Bradberry said.

CITY OF JOHNS CREEK/PROVIDED

This year’s Mayor’s Public Art Challenge winners features works by: Mahi Shah, grade 11, Northview High School (left); Minakshi Chilagani, grade 6, River Trail Middle School (top right); and Celine Ma, grade 5, Findley Oaks Elementary School (bottom right). This year’s competition carried the theme, “All the World in Johns Creek.”

Clinic:

Continued from Page 1

rinky-dink, and need a lot of help and health stuff. They need their own safe space,” Legato said. “So, I started fighting to take this over as a safe space for them.”

To quote a poem

The clinic, the first of its kind in Johns Creek, received a baby opossum on its opening day in late May. The animal’s successful release, on May 23, was posted on the bulletin board outside the clinic doors.

Legato has also taken in two cottontails, which are usually less successful cases, and two fawns.

For people who have a wild animal in need of services, they can call or email Legato. She will either coach them through the process of gathering them for transport, or she can make the trip on-site.

“Our end-all, be-all goal is we want them back in the wild,” she said. “We do not want them to stay in captivity.”

There’s a separate outdoor fence area for pre-release, where animals can re-learn natural skills of foraging or hunting. One of the fawns had been transferred that morning, after staff bottle-fed it and helped it learn to walk.

“It did the whole Bambi thing,” Legato said, laughing.

Only one animal was left in the clinic, an ambassador duck prone to respiratory infection. The clinic serves Autrey Mill’s ambassadors, too, which are permanent fixtures used to educate the public. There’s more than 30, including goats, rabbits, chickens and various reptiles.

Legato said there was some hesitancy, or pushback, on clinic plans because a lot of people don’t understand why a wildlife rehab matters. She often refers them to a poem, “Birdfoot’s Grampa” by Joseph

Bruchac, laminated and posted on the clinic door.

“Just because it's one life, doesn't mean it deserves to suffer,” Legato said. “If you can make a difference, do it.”

Team effort

Originally from Florida, Legato started volunteering at exotic rescues at a young age, working with animals like giant pythons and crocodiles. She wanted to go to college for zoology. But when Legato’s mom passed away when she was 18, she began living with an aunt who didn’t see it as a successful career field.

“I was like, ‘Alright, how am I going to work around this to do what I want to do?’” Legato said.

She decided to get her bachelor’s in science education at Georgia State University, pouring over expensive zoology books to teach herself. Legato eventually went on to earn an international certification in wildlife rehabilitation, which hangs above the clinic door next to her clinic licensure.

She’s now on her way to earning her master’s degree in wildlife biology.

A veterinarian sponsor is on call for more complicated situations, or if euthanasia is needed. But Legato also sees tremendous help from a handful of interns, typically a senior in high school or in college, who work within a tiered system.

In addition to all the intensive paperwork that comes along with opening a wildlife clinic at a nonprofit, Legato had been training her interns the past two years in wildlife rehabilitation.

To familiarize interns with animal anatomy, some training involved work with cadavers, like squirrels and mice. The most experienced can administer medications, do intramuscular or subcutaneous injections and assess in a physical examination.

“They're literally like my kids,” Legato said. “They're like, ‘You're my dad.’”

For injured or orphaned wildlife, email Jess Legato at jessica.legato@autreymill.org or call 678-386-2266. To donate, visit autreymill.org/about/wildlife-rehab.

MOVING SALES

JOHNS CREEK, Westbury Subdivision; 580 Sheringham Lane 30005. Moving sale. Friday 6/9 and Saturday 6/10, 8AM-3PM. Holiday decorations, household, technology, furniture, frames, glassware, clothing, entertainment, books, home brew and lawn equipment, etc.

GARAGE SALES

See more garage sales in the classifieds

JOHNS CREEK-30022, 300 Baccarat Court. Saturday 6/10, 8AM-4PM/ Bargains galore!

DEADLINE

To place garage sale ads: Noon Friday. Call 770-442-3278 or email classifieds@appenmediagroup.com

PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Outside clinic doors is a bulletin board, where successful wildlife releases are posted.

Jess Legato, education program manager at Autrey Mill Nature Preserve, stands by an ambassador duck in the new wildlife rehabilitation clinic. Opened in late May, the clinic can house up to 20 animals.

The clinic houses several kennels, examination tables and medical equipment.

Roswell officials advance Canton Street task force

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — After tense discussion between the Roswell mayor and City Council at the May 23 Community Development and Transportation Committee meeting, the city is moving forward with creation of a task force to address plans to close Canton Street to vehicles.

The original city plan to turn the highly trafficked street into a “pedestrian promenade” on weekends over the summer sparked controversy among officials, residents and Canton Street business owners across three public meetings.

At a May 19 City Council workshop, councilmembers agreed to create a taskforce to “come up with a plan” for Canton Street that addresses issues like traffic, parking, business revenue and timing.

Two Canton Street business owners, John Michael Brunetti of Rock ‘N’ Taco and Jenna Aronowitz of 1920 Tavern, proposed a separate task force composed of business owners. They proposed a three-week timeline to get perspectives from “everyone” and return to the city with recommendations.

At the May 23 committee

meeting, the council appointed City Administrator Randy Knighton to create a framework for the task force, including the selection process.

The recommendations for the task force, gathered by Knighton and other city staff were to be presented to the City Council on May 30.

City Councilman Mike Palermo said the task force was a “great idea,” but he stressed the group will not make official decisions.

“They were not elected by the people of Roswell,” Palermo said. “The decision ultimately has to be made by City Council.”

Councilman Peter Vanstrom took issue with the one-week timeline, saying he “does not understand the rush.”

“I want to assure (residents) that we’re not rushing to get ahead of them by any stretch,” Vanstrom said.

Palermo said the timeline could be pushed to the next committee meeting in June but cautioned against “death by committee.” He said somebody opposed to the concept could postpone action indefinitely.

Mayor Kurt Wilson resisted the idea that the timeline is a “rush,” calling the statement “political fodder.”

Wilson said when the businesses presented a three-week timeline for

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their informal task force suggestions, and they did it under the assumption that the city would have its own task force.

“I don’t think they thought we would be tripping all over ourselves creating a task force,” Wilson said.

In a released statement on behalf of a group of Canton Street business owners and residents, 1920 Tavern owner Aronowitz argued against the short timeline.

“We are pleased the mayor and council will be creating a taskforce and hope we will all get a chance to be on it, however we’re not fond of the rush they’re putting on this process yet again,” Aronowitz said. “This kind of decision involves a lot of businesses and residents and significant investments in the community, this needs to be done slowly and carefully.”

Aronowitz echoed her previous statements that closing Canton Street should not even be an option until the city addresses parking and traffic downtown.

With the three-week timeline for the business owner task force, Mike Palermo said the weeklong task force assignment for city staff makes the most sense.

Councilman Vanstrom disagreed,

citing other projects, like the city’s general obligation bonds and fiscal year 2024 budget approval process, as more pressing responsibilities.

“I just feel like there’s no reason to have to hurry and have it done in seven days,” Vanstrom said.

Wilson called the statement unbelievable.

“It’s political grandstanding,” the mayor said.

Councilwoman Sarah Beeson said the process was a rush — she first heard about the plan as a serious option on April 17 with a start date of Memorial Day weekend, six weeks later.

“That’s pretty quick,” Beeson said.

The councilwoman alleged that she had been left out of some email communications regarding the road closure, a maneuver she called “disingenuous.”

Mayor Wilson called the comment “highly charged,” and said the rest of the council was part of the fast timeline decision. He apologized to the councilwoman for leaving her out of communications.

With the motion approved, City Administrator Knighton said staff will create a document that creates a necessary apparatus for the task force for the City Council to review.

Woman falls to her death walking unauthorized trail

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is pushing for greater trail safety after a Sandy Springs woman fell 20 feet to her death April 18 walking an unauthorized trail at Vickery Creek.

Patricia Swartz, 46, was walking with her two dogs when she went down a popular “social trail” along Vickery Creek, then fell and hit her head.

The unauthorized path is not one of the marked trails at Vickery Creek, and it has many narrow ledges, according to officials at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

“The topography is so steep you’re essentially walking along a cliff,” said Beth Wheeler, chief of Planning, Resources and Education.

The Roswell Fire Department responded to the emergency call, but the incident falls under national park jurisdiction. Now, Wheeler said the team is working on how to prevent more accidents on the socalled “social trails.”

Park rangers have already set up signs around the trail entrance to stop people from walking the path and have added some small debris to make the unauthorized trail less visible. Visitors kept using the path.

Now, a volunteer team has blocked off the area with large debris and trail brush to completely “close the trail visually.” Park staff have also added signs saying the trail is “closed for resource management,” which Wheeler hopes visitors will be more likely to heed.

“When you walk into the woods and see a trail, it’s hard to convince people it’s not a trail,” Wheeler said.

The problem reaches beyond the narrow terrain at Vickery Creek, though.

“We struggle with this issue throughout the units of the park, because folks are used to walking where they usually walk,” Wheeler said.

The 48-mile stretch of river sees about 3.5 million visitors a year, according to Wheeler, making the area a popular trail destination. The heavy foot traffic on the trails pushes visitors to create their own paths—which are not planned or safe.

“I do think maybe there’s a misunderstanding about the dangers

of it,” Wheeler said.

The National Park Service said that over time, the trails can end up looking like official trails, but the unofficial paths can have negative impacts on the area’s flora and fauna. They can also lead to “confusing locations” where people get lost and exposed to unknown hazards and dangerous conditions.

Wheeler said the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area team just completed its Comprehensive Trails Management Plan, which will help with sustainability and management across trail planning for the next 20 years. It will also add 32 miles of trail, creating a 99mile trail system. The National Park Service announced the final approval of the plan in January.

“We’re putting a lot of effort into this trail management,” Wheeler said. “We have a real strategy to close those trails, but also to make the trails more enjoyable.”

After the accident, Wheeler said the recreation area’s safety team visited the Vickery Creek location with Roswell’s fire and police staff to make initial safety recommendations.

“They walked with some of the rangers to identify some of the more hazard-prone areas and discuss with the rangers to figure out how to mitigate some issues,” Roswell Fire Department Public Information Officer Chad Miller said.

Miller said the city’s public safety teams have a “pretty unique” relationship with the National Park Service. Emergency calls from the area’s national parks are dispatched through the Roswell communications center.

“Not only do we have communications together, but we also work well together,” Miller said.

That relationship allowed for the team to visit the Vickery Creek location after the incident to provide input to park rangers. Together, the group decided on increased debris to block the unauthorized trail path.

The trail review also helped firefighters get familiarized with the trails, which can help response times in emergency situations.

Miller said the fire department’s push is largely the same as the National Park Service, encouraging residents and visitors to stay on the trails for safety reasons, wearing life jackets when necessary and keeping the environment intact.

Roswell, Milton residents decry antisemitic leaflets

By DELANEY TARR delaneytarr@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — Metro Atlanta residents and officials are speaking out against a series of antisemitic and racist fliers spread across driveways in Roswell and Milton in May, mere months after similar leaflets were found in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs.

Roswell resident Andrea Ferrard, who lives in the Edenwilde neighborhood off Etris Road, said May 28 was an average Sunday morning. She got an early start to let her dog out and grab the newspaper when she saw a flier in her driveway, tucked into a plastic bag of corn kernels.

The paper announced antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories. Ferrard said she was saddened to see the message spread in her neighborhood, particularly as a resident who grew up in Roswell and Dunwoody.

“I came back home to be in Roswell because it’s a great place to raise kids, I’ve been here over 20 years and never seen anything like this,” Ferrard said.

The resident had security cameras outside her home, but they caught no footage of people dropping the bags. Ferrard filed an online report with the Roswell Police Department in hopes they could investigate further.

Ferrard also reached out to City Councilwoman Sarah Beeson, who lives in a nearby neighborhood off Etris Road.

“I need to speak up because it’s not okay,” Ferrard said. “Our diversity is what makes us strong.”

Beeson did not see a flier on her driveway but said about 400 homes in her area were hit with the papers.

“The majority of them were antisemitic propaganda, but there were also some that invoked race,” Beeson said.

Beeson said the distribution seemed random, although her Black neighbors specifically received fliers about race and found an egg smashed on their garage door.

“I think it’s incredibly disappointing, not only because it’s not a reflection of our community, but to hit peoples’ homes on Memorial Day weekend” Beeson said.

The councilwoman said the fliers were an act of division on a weekend that is meant to “bring together the country.”

Beeson said somebody in her neighborhood who had awakened

early saw the “baggies of hate” and picked them up, sparing many residents from seeing the flyers themselves.

Beeson, who serves as the City Council’s liaison to Public Safety, said the baggies likely did not violate any laws. They were not put into mailboxes or attached to anything, but simply dropped into people’s yards. The baggies of corn were used to weigh down the papers.

“They knew what they were doing,” Beeson said.

Still, she urges people to file police reports online if they received the fliers. That way the department has a record of the incident and a “pathway for investigation.”

Roswell Police Department Public Information Officer Timothy Lupo said several residents have already reported receiving the fliers.

“We’ve been reviewing the distribution and content for any criminal violations,” Lupo said.

When other cities like Dunwoody were hit with the same fliers, the individuals responsible for the distribution were identified but no charges were pressed. The city’s police chief said it was a “free speech issue.”

Georgia State Sen. Josh McLaurin (D- Sandy Springs) took to social media on May 28 to disavow the antisemitic messaging in Roswell.

“This is the effort of a very small and loosely organized group of people,” McLaurin said in a Twitter thread. “This isn’t from our neighbors.”

The legislator said the “whole point” of the fliers is to scare and harass people and make it seem like the group has more members than it does.

Miles away in the Kensington Farms neighborhood in Milton, resident Bill Anderson said his neighborhood was hit with antisemitic and homophobic fliers a week earlier on May 23. He said the papers were wrapped in plastic, so he picked it up. When he realized what it was, he was surprised and disappointed.

“That kind of hatred doesn’t have a place in our society,” Anderson said. “I absolutely despise bullies, and that’s exactly what these people are trying to do.”

Anderson gave the materials to the Milton Police Department, and he said he believes the people who distributed the papers should be prosecuted for a crime akin to intimidation or “hate mail.”

Seven Sisters eatery tells its story in scones

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Farrah Haidar knows that a scone shop seems like a “random” choice for Lebanese immigrants, but Seven Sisters Scones incorporates her family’s core food experiences into a menu packed with variations.

Farrah and her sister Hala Yassine operate Seven Sisters Scones and Kitchen on McGinnis Ferry Road in Johns Creek, combining local dining with a national shipping operation. Opened in 2015, the sisters started off shipping the scones to online buyers and have slowly expanded to a fall breakfast and lunch menu for locals.

The pair are two in a family of seven sisters and two brothers. Not everyone in the family is involved in the operation, but Haidar says they share opinions and input. The sisters chose the name because food was essential to the family.

“Food for us was a way of connecting growing up, we always had large family dinners,” Yassine said.

Yassine, the head chef, said she has always seen food as a way to nurture people.

Haidar said she felt Yassine’s nurturing spirit growing up.

“She was always kind of the mom in the family,” Haidar said. “Hala pretty much raised me.”

When Yassine started her own family, she used food as her way to nurture them. She started making scones after she had a child. As a new mother, Yassine took time off from work as a chef and licensed family therapist to care for her family.

She realized her husband needed a quick breakfast to take during his morning commute.

“I made (scones) out of a box mix and looked at it and thought yeah, I could make It better than that,” Yassine said.

Her first scone recipe was cranberry orange, which is still her husband’s favorite. Yassine quickly got bored and started experimenting with new flavors.

“People started asking about flavors, and I would say ‘sure, I can make that!’” Yassine said.

Farrah Haidar recalled her sister’s kitchen packed with endless new scone recipes and flavors. She said people would walk into her kitchen, grab a scone from the freezer and leave. The family decided to sit Yassine down and tell her to turn the scone operation into something more.

“People love free things, but they won’t buy scones,” Yassine responded.

She had little faith in the business but agreed to a farmers’ market. At that point Yassine had over sixty scone recipes created from years of baking the pastry. She made $100 on her first day

See SCONES, Page 9

ABBY BREAUX PHOTOGRAPHY/PROVIDED

Hala Yassine and Farrah Haider own and operate Seven Sisters Scones and Kitchen. The scone business started after Yassine realized she needed to make a quick breakfast for her husband’s work commute.

It was really trial by fire, because we went from 1,000 to 2,000 scones in a week to 25,000 scones in four days.

FARRAH

HAIDER, Seven Sisters Scones and Kitchen

Scones:

Continued from Page 8

at the market.

While Yassine didn’t profit off the first farmers market, she decided to go all in on the company.

“I’m going to either take it seriously or let it go,” Yassine said.

She established Seven Sisters Scones, which grew quickly. They expanded from one to six farmers markets across Georgia and moved into a shared kitchen space.

Eventually the operation grew large enough to open a brick-and-mortar spot. Yassine found a space about seven minutes from her home in Johns Creek and called Haidar to ask her to move from Boston to Georgia.

Haidar moved in July 2015. Two months later, Seven Sisters Scones in Johns Creek was up and running.

The scones are a “modern take” on the traditional pastry, Haidar said. They opt for a moister and bouncier scone over the expected dry and crumbly texture.

Haidar said marketing a sconefocused business was an “uphill battle.”

“The challenge with scones is they aren’t very sexy,” Haidar said.

The team experiments with different flavored scones to get customers

interested. So far, they’ve released more than 100 flavors, including strawberry champagne, caramelized onion and lemon poppyseed.

Yassin said the menu has a “standard eight” scones and rotates out the rest seasonally.

The bakery grew slowly, with a focus on national shipments of handmade scones. In 2018 they got the chance to appear on the television network QVC. The response was immediate.

“It was really trial by fire, because we went from 1,000 to 2,000 scones in a week to 25,000 scones in four days,” Haidar said.

It was a lot of work, but Haidar said the process showed they could scale up their operation. During COVID-19, Haidar said their shipping business “exploded.” They started using a space next door to Seven Sisters Scones to store shipment materials. The landlord eventually asked them to start leasing the space.

Haidar said they split the space into storage and 40 indoor seats for Seven Sisters Scones. With the seats came a “slow evolution” of the menu to include breakfast and lunch items. The restaurant portion split off into Seven Sisters Kitchen, with Seven Sisters Scones dedicated to nationwide shipping.

At first, the menu only featured “sconewiches” with scones as bread.

The kitchen then expanded to soups and plates. Haidar said the flavor palate is influenced by Lebanese cuisine, as well as Latin American and Korean foods thanks to a diverse team of cooks. Customers can eat in the restaurant or buy meals like za’atar chicken and couscous or Asian glazed eggplant to go.

“Every meal we put out actually has a bit of a story behind it,” Haidar said.

The tight-knit team runs the daily kitchen operations as well as the national shipping business.

“It’s challenging sometimes, doing that on two levels especially when you’re a small, tight team,” Haidar said. “But it’s also, I think, been the reason we survived.”

Chef Yassin said community is at the core of her business, both on a local and national level.

“Food has always been about that for me, it’s a creation of community,” Yassin said.

That comes through at Seven Sisters Scones and Kitchen. The restaurant has a group of regulars, and Yassin said the staff remembers customer names because its “important.” She said if a customer comes in to chat, the team will always be ready for conversation. On a broader scale, Haidar said the business donates food to local charities when they can.

“That’s my favorite part of this business,” Yassin said. “The people.”

Seven Sisters Scones and Kitchen in Johns Creek offers a variety of scone flavors, from lemon poppyseed to garlic and herb. Started in 2015, the business ships scones nationwide and runs an attached café.

DELANEY TARR/APPEN MEDIA

ROSWELL

Woman’s Club donates over $152,000 in scholarships and grants at an awards ceremony at Jeffords Hall May 9. The funds will support educational and nonprofit efforts in North Fulton County.

The

Roswell Woman’s Club lists grants, scholarships

ROSWELL, Ga. — The Roswell Woman’s Club donated over $152,000 in scholarships and grants to educational and nonprofit efforts in North Fulton County at an awards ceremony at Jeffords Hall May 9.

The club awarded scholarships to 23 graduating seniors from the Fulton Science Academy, The Cottage School and Roswell, Northview, Milton, Chattahoochee, Centennial, Cambridge and Blessed Trinity Catholic high schools.

The Roswell Woman’s Club also presented grants to 27 community nonprofits, including the Roswell Historical Society, the Chattahoochee

Nature Center and the Computer Museum of America, as well as 32 grants to teachers.

The donations were funded by the group’s Spring Home and Garden Tour and 2022-2023 fundraisers.

“Thanks to our community’s support and a great year of collaboration and event planning among our members, we've been able to give strong financial support to the club’s mission — education, human services, cultural arts, historical preservation and urban improvements in North Fulton County,” club President Liz Jackson said.

WOMAN’S CLUB/PROVIDED

Roswell

— Shelby Israel

Flying free of skin cancer

Brought to You by - Brent Taylor, MD, Premiere Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta

In the last month, two airline pilots have come to see me for suspicious spots that proved to be invasive malignant melanomas. As an instrument-rated recreational pilot myself, I sympathize and understand that the stakes involved for commercial pilots are not only health and lifespan but also work and livelihood. Pilots are sometimes wary of physicians, but it is critically important for pilots and non-pilots alike to know that early diagnosis is the best way to keep your wings and your life.

The FAA is very strict with pilots’ health. Regular health examinations with an FAA flight examiner are required of all pilots. For pilots over the age of 40 acting as “pilot in command” of a commercial airline flight, a medical certificate must be renewed every 6 months by means of a thorough flight physical. The running joke among physicians who take care of pilots is that non-pilots come in with a list of ten maladies and complaints whereas pilots respond to every question about possible illnesses with single word answers ranging from “nope” to “never.” Most jokes have a grain of truth. Pilots do not want an illness on their medical record that might result in an inability to fly.

Sometimes, you can make a case for someone trying to fix an illness without a physician’s help. For example, someone at the edge of type II diabetes might restore his or her own health with disciplined diet and exercise and be healthy by the time medical certificate renewal comes around.

Not so with melanoma. Don’t delay. Don’t try to fix it yourself. If a spot is changing, get that spot checked out! Melanoma continues to grow as long as it is left in place. The single most important feature of a melanoma is how deep it has grown. A melanoma that is less than 0.80mm is generally considered “good” with a low risk of having spread to other parts of the body.

The FAA draws the line in the sand for melanomas at 0.75mm.

Melanomas less than 0.75mm deep

need only documentation of no clinical signs of metastatic disease and complete removal with clear and appropriate margins. Then, the flight examiner can issue the medical certificate to allow a pilot to keep on flying. This means that a simple excision by a dermatologist under local anesthesia for a shallow melanoma in almost all cases allows a pilot to keep his or her ability to fly. Melanomas deeper than 0.80 mm often require lymph node biopsies under general anesthesia, imaging such as MRI and/or PET/ CT scans. Even then, permission to fly is not guaranteed. Instead, all documents must be submitted to the FAA for consideration of permission to continue flying which is called “Special Issuance Authorization.” It wouldn’t be called “Special” if it were routine and for everyone.

Both pilots who came to me recently with melanomas had noticed the spot changing for a few months, and both cases had measured depths of 0.7mm. Talk about cutting it close! Just a little more growth and those pilots might have lost their medical certificate. Just as importantly, a little more growth would have pushed them into a higher risk category with a much higher chance that the melanomas could have spread.

In my practice, I have so far always been able to honor the policy that a patient who is worried about a single spot that is changing and could be a melanoma can be added onto my schedule within a day for a “spot check” even if my schedule is fully booked. We might not have time to complete a full body skin exam at an overbooked appointment, but I never want scheduling problems to be the reason that a melanoma diagnosis is delayed. Likewise, I typically work from 7am to 5pm but add on melanoma excisions at 6:30am or 5pm to make sure patients are treated as quickly as possible.

For so many reasons, people are afraid to go to the doctor, but in the case of dermatology, it is in one’s interest to seek care. Getting that suspicious or changing spot checked out should be a priority. Even if your job isn’t on the line, early detection of skin cancer can save your life.

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The dirty truth about Queen Elizabeth’s dental care

eating fad.

Sugar was first imported to England in the 13th century. Because sugar was such an expensive commodity, many peasants during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign in 16th century England would spend their entire lives without ever tasting sugar.

Queen Elizabeth I was obsessed with all thing’s luxury. This included not only eating a high sugar diet, and by using “Tudor Toothpaste.” This toothpaste was favored by the Queen, and she insisted upon its use whenever she would rarely polish her teeth.

By her fifties, Queen Elizabeth I had black, decayed teeth, as well as several missing teeth. Her Highness was the “it” girl of her time. She was the embodiment of fashion and grace not only in the eyes of upper-class society, but everyone. So, when the Queen’s teeth turned black, the rest of upper-class society made black teeth a symbol of beauty and wealth. The blacker your teeth were, the richer you were. Those who were not wealthy enough to rot their teeth with sugar would find ways to color their teeth black, such as using soot, to be included in this sugar-

Thankfully, today we have several innovations, including the toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste. These modern tools have allowed sparkly, white, and clean teeth to be considered healthy and beautiful.

Roswell Dental Care was designated ”BEST OF THE BEST” Dental Practice in North Atlanta for 7 years running, and we have been serving patients in this community for over 40 years. As your cosmetic and family dentists, Drs. Hood and Remaley give your comfort and peace of mind top priority. We offer a comprehensive list of general, restorative and cosmetic dental services for your family and will thoroughly explain all your options during your private consultation. We will assure you feel confident in the solution you choose before beginning any treatment. For enhanced comfort during treatment, we offer conscious sedation including FREE nitrous oxide for anxious patients. You can rest assured that your experience will be positive, relaxing, and rewarding on many levels. We offer a COMPLIMENTARY smile makeover consultation. Give our office a call at (470) 288-1152 to schedule your private smile consultation.

A beautiful smile begins with healthy gums

Brought to you by – Dr. Bradley Hepler and Dr. Jeffrey Priluck, The

Atlanta Center for Dental Health

A beautiful smile is often associated with healthy teeth, but the condition of your gums plays an equally vital role in achieving a captivating smile. Healthy gums provide a solid foundation for your teeth and improve the appearance of your smile. The gingiva (your gums) around your teeth is like the frame around a picture. If you’re looking to improve your appearance, let me share some valuable insights and tips to achieve a healthier, more attractive smile.

1. Maintain Good Oral Hygiene. The foundation of a healthy, attractive smile starts with a robust oral hygiene routine. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste removes the plaque that causes gum disease. Flossing daily ensures that you clean the areas between your teeth and along the gumline, where plaque can accumulate.

2. Be Mindful of Your Diet. A nutritious diet is essential for healthy gums. Incorporate foods rich in vitamins C and D, as well as antioxidants, to support gum health and reduce inflammation. Eat fresh fruits,

vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains to provide the necessary nutrients for good health. Minimize sugary snacks and beverages, as they contribute to gum problems and tooth decay.

3. Quit Smoking or Vaping. Nicotine is detrimental to your oral health and the health of your whole body. It can cause discoloration, inflammation, and periodontitis (gum disease). Quitting smoking will improve the health of your gums and the esthetics of your smile.

4. Seek Professional Dental Care. Regular visits to your dentist are crucial for maintaining healthy gums. Dental professionals can detect early signs of gum disease or other oral health issues and provide appropriate restorative and preventive treatments. Professional teeth cleanings remove plaque and tartar buildup, promoting healthier gums and a brighter smile. Inquire about cosmetic dentistry options like gum contouring or gum grafting to address specific esthetic concerns.

5. Protect Your Teeth and Gums. Avoid using your teeth as tools to open things or tear packages. If you grind your teeth at night, consider using a custom fitted mouthguard to prevent excessive pressure on your teeth and gums. While participating in physical

activities or sports, make sure to wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth and gums from injury.

Improving the appearance of your gums is not only beneficial for your overall oral health, but also enhances your smile’s esthetic appeal. By following a consistent oral hygiene routine, adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle, and seeking professional care, you can achieve healthier gums, a more confident smile and improved well-being.

“Preventive Dentistry can add 10 years to human life.” -Dr. Charles Mayo of the Mayo Clinic

Dr. Bradley Hepler, Dr. Jeffrey Priluck and the experienced team at the Atlanta Center for Dental Health provide the most modern advances in cosmetic dentistry. Experience immediate results with procedures to greatly enhance your smile and your health. If you would like a complimentary consultation to discover which of these options is best for you, please call us at 770-992-2236. Dr. Hepler and Dr. Priluck are highly trained and certified to provide you with the latest and best techniques to allow you to achieve your cosmetic and restorative goals.

Hear better. Think sharper.

Brought to you by - Newtown Hearing Center

The research is clear: The worse your hearing is, the less you participate in the little things that make life so enjoyable.1,2 From hearing the waves roll in during a seaside stroll to a conversation over dinner with friends, decreased ability to hear decreases your ability to participate.

What’s worse, that decrease in participation can lead to decreased cognitive skills, even to the point of dementia.

The good news? It’s all found in the remarkable WIDEX MOMENT hearing aid, offered at Newtown Hearing Center. In fact, 90% of people wearing WIDEX MOMENT are satisfied with their ability to participate in everyday life. 3,4

Hear better. Think sharper. Our brains were designed to hear. So much

so, in fact, that when our hearing deteriorates, our brains go into overdrive, striving to ‘fill in the gaps’ and help us fully engage. Hearing aids can help, but they can also produce sound that seems artificial or overly processed, leaving our brains, once again, scrambling to help us stay connected.

WIDEX MOMENT, on the other hand, delivers clearer, more natural sound to your ear — and your brain. It’s a pure spectrum of the sounds you’ve always remembered, in a way you’ve always remembered hearing them. Now, you can participate in what’s happening, instead of worrying about what you’re missing.

Better hearing leads to better living. To see how this sound quality can improve your life, you may contact Newtown Hearing Center at 470-2942116 or request an appointment at www. newtownhearing.com.

1 Ogawa et al. 2019. Hearing-Impaired Elderly People Have Smaller Social Networks: A Population-Based Aging Study. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics.

2 Hwang et al. 2018. Effects of Participation in Social Activities on Cognitive Function Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Korea. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

3 Balling, et al, 2020. Reducing Hearing Aid Delay for Optimal Sound Quality. Hearing Review 27(4);20-26

4 Balling, Townend, Helmink. Sound Quality in Real Life—Not Just for Experts. Hearing Review 2021

The path to reconciliation

“I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.” These words are often cited as facilitating the process of forgiveness. While helpful, they are woefully inadequate when attempting a reconciliation in the face of serious wounding and betrayal, such as infidelity and/or abuse.

When an individual has been betrayed, their world turns upside down, their trust in their betrayer is shattered, and they are plagued with grief, pain, confusion, self-doubts, longings, and lots of questions about how something so terrible could have happened to them. Forgiveness is a mere starting point on the long journey toward healing.

A huge gulf exists between forgive-

ness and reconciliation, bridged only by rebuilding trust. Trust must be re-established prior to reconciliation, which can only be done when the betrayer acknowledges to their partner how they understand their actions affected their partner’s life (body, mind, emotions, spirit, their understanding of trust, relationships, intimacy, and even their own self-worth), and they must express a genuine sense of devastation at having put their partner through that pain. Only then can reconciliation begin.

If you have experienced the trauma of infidelity or abuse, you don't have to struggle alone. At The Summit, many of our counselors specialize in working with trauma survivors, helping them heal and rebuild their lives. Learn more about our services at summitcounseling. org!

Brought to you by - Dr. Alice Hoag, Licensed Professional Counselor and Staff Supervisor at Summit Counseling Center

Team up with Wellstar to prevent these men’s health issues

Brought to you byWellstar

If you’re a sports fan, you’re probably glued to every game, rooting for your team and analyzing every play. But are you as vigilant with your own health?

In addition to knowing your health stats—those important numbers like blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar — you should also watch for health conditions that more commonly impact men.

An annual physical gives you the opportunity to ask your provider questions about your health, and you’ll get a few quick, crucial health screenings that can catch issues

early or put you on track for staying well.

“Men need to check in with a doctor at least once a year for their annual physical,” said Wellstar Primary Care Physician Dr. Stephen Cox. “It’s better to be proactive with your health, find issues early and prevent problems before they start.”

Take action against these conditions

Some illnesses are more likely to affect men than women, so men should be especially mindful about taking steps to prevent these health concerns:

• Cardiac issues. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the United States. About 1 in 13 white men, 1 in 14 Black men and 1 in 17 Hispanic men have coronary heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Knowing your stats like blood pressure and cholesterol can help you assess your risk, and your

Wellstar provider will collaborate with you on a personalized heart health plan.

• Lung cancer. Men are slightly more likely to get lung cancer — the lifetime risk for men is 1 in 16, while it is 1 in 17 for women, according to the American Cancer Society. Black men are about 12% more likely to develop lung cancer compared to white men. Patients can decrease their risk of lung cancer by avoiding smoking.

• Parkinson’s disease. Men are more likely than women to have Parkinson’s disease. Neurologists and neurosurgeons at Wellstar are experts in helping patients manage this condition.

• Kidney stones. The lifetime risk of kidney stones is about 19% in men and 9% in women, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Staying hydrated can help prevent kidney stones.

• Prostate cancer. While all men are at risk for prostate cancer,

Black men are more likely to get prostate cancer and are more commonly affected at younger ages. Men who are 50 or older should ask their doctor about testing, and Black men should discuss testing with their provider at age 45. If you have a family history of prostate cancer, you should also consider screenings at a younger age, and your provider will discuss options with you.

According to Wellstar Urologist Dr. Scott Miller, men need to stay active and stay away from smoking. He also noted a few lifestyle changes that are sometimes overlooked can make a difference in how you feel. “What’s often neglected is a full and consistent night’s sleep,” Dr. Miller said. “And keep stress under control — too much stress can negatively impact our immune systems.”

To find a primary care provider, call (770) 956-7827 or schedule online at wellstar.org.

Pain Relieving Laser Therapy

Brought to you by - Johns Creek Physical Therapy

Having treated hundreds of patients over the past 6 years with Pain Relieving Laser Therapy, it’s not hard for me to appreciate how well it works. But if you’ve never tried it, trust me when I tell you…. you’re missing out!

Several years ago, John Deere ran a promotion on their zero turn lawn mowers. They used a fun tag line, “It’s not how fast you mow, it’s how well you mow FAST!” I wish I could come up with a similar tag line for Pain Relieving Laser Therapy because it can deliver pain relief in just a few minutes. It’s not uncommon for patients to have their pain be reduced by 50% on the first treatment.

How does it work? Pain Relieving Laser Therapy uses light energy to promote healing and reduce pain. Laser Therapy is FDA cleared to treat pain, inflammation, arthritis, and muscle spasms and is a great alternative to medications and injections.

The most common thing we hear after someone tries it for the first

time is “WOW!” I’m sure if you are just reading this article, you are probably thinking, “yeah, RIGHT??!! Nothing works that fast!” But don’t

take my word for it, call our office today and schedule your FREE TRIAL. The only thing you have to lose is your pain!

Johns Creek Physical Therapy 4060 Johns Creek Parkway, Suite H Suwanee, GA 30024 770-622-5344

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Adios COVID: We’re ready to move on

Ah yes, we’re back to the way it was. Not quite the rollicking good times it used to be, but just a smidgen away from normal.

A recent visit inside a bank branch confirmed COVID is firmly in our rear-view mirrors. There wasn’t a mask in sight. Seven customers, one teller and a ton of grousing from one guy making everyone miserable commenting about it taking forever to get anything done. I wanted to say, “Two words for you, Buster: Online banking.”

Mr. Happiness was giving the lone teller an earful and then some. Another thing I wanted to do was offer encouragement for him to keep up the general good vibes. “You got this handled, Buddy. Make the one person actually working feel worse.” Maybe you’ll run her off and the beleaguered Little League Mom, who looked like she’d had enough, would challenge the guy to a fistfight.

Notice these were things I wanted to say. I never uttered a peep, took

care of my business and headed out the door. But not before another customer offered this: “I tell ya’ Eustice, that ol’ boy is wearing me out.”

It might have been frustrating to all the players in this mini production. Looking on the bright side, I figured at least we were out and about instead of sequestered and sheltered in place, watching TV reruns as our minds continued to get more numb.

The grouchy skinflint at the bank hopefully had an Andre the Giant-sized time of getting what he wanted. His tirade gave pause to me appreciating just how far others have come. Not many are talking about COVID these days and the workforce is getting back to normal.

Todd Anthony is the vice president of Organizational Development for my employer, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals in Nashville. That title means he wears many hats, a phenomenon becoming more common with a returning workforce that has diminished in size.

Cumberland CEO and President AJ Kazimi is letting his people know he (and the company) care and appreciate the sacrifice of putting

COVID in the rear-view mirror and being at work all week.

Well, most of the week anyway. Cumberland has instituted giving its folks Friday afternoons off all summer.

“It’s been very well-received,” said Anthony. “People can come in on Friday for a half-day, then get an early start on the weekend.”

It makes sense that Memorial Day and Labor Day, summer holiday bookends, are now four-day weekends at Cumberland.

It’s as if workers have emerged from some sort of work stoppage primordial sludge. Some companies continue to have a problem hitting their pre-COVID stride. It’s sad but Cracker Barrel in Cumming still closes at 5 pm. Unless you want to channel a “Seinfeld” episode and pretend its early bird special time at Del Boca Vista, you’ll be eating Thursday turkey dinner elsewhere.

It's refreshing to hear of a return to normalcy here and across the country.

Longtime dear friend Klint Schahrer is retired and lives in Hayward, Calif., across the bay from San Francisco. On our regular

Zoom call, he shared he is teaching a creative writing class. That simply blew me away.

I suppose he figured if I could do it so could he.

Klint started out as a student, but when COVID-resulted attrition forced the possibility of the discontinuation of this continuing education endeavor, Klint offered to teach the class. He’s having a blast and sounds like he’s got an eclectic group of students.

I suppose having an actress who played Colonel Klink’s secretary for a few “Hogan’s Heroes” episodes qualifies as being “eclectic.”

Our Zoom calls are a perfect way to have 50-plus years of friendship memories and escapades boil to the surface, resulting in lots of laughs.

He ends every call with “I love you, Mikey.”

After inspiring so many untapped tales to be released from my memory banks, I realize I love my friend too.

Mike Tasos has lived in Forsyth County for more than 30 years. He’s an American by birth and considers himself a Southerner by the grace of God. He can be reached at miketasos55@gmail.com.

MIKE TASOS

Columnist

Cutting gardens – Bringing the outside in

Who doesn’t enjoy gathering a beautiful bouquet of flowers and foliage from your yard to bring inside? Ahh, the beauty of bringing the outside in!

Anyone can successfully grow a garden for cutting, whether it’s a big garden bed overflowing with many colors and shapes of flowers and foliage or incorporating a small planting of zinnias in an existing bed. The cutting garden’s size depends on your available space and the time you have to maintain it. It is not a garden grown for show or display, although it will be a riot of colors and textures, but to cultivate flowers for your home or to share.

The cutting garden can include shrubs, perennials and annuals. Shrubs and perennials can provide diverse flowers and foliage during their seasons of bloom. One of my favorite perennials to grow for a long cutting season is Sedum Autumn Joy. In summer, the large flower bud is a chartreuse green that turns to deep pink/ bronze in the fall. The bloom is a unique shape and color addition to a bouquet, as well as long lasting. Annuals can include transplants as well as flowers grown from seed. Two of my favorite annual transplants for foliage are African basil and cinnamon basil. In addition to adding foliage to a bouquet, they add a spike-shaped bloom and a delightful surprise – fragrance.

Tender annuals from seed are the most economical way to grow flowers. When heat-loving annuals are properly maintained, they will produce blooms into fall. In our 7b climate zone, they can be direct seeded around April 15 or after our last frost date. Directions for planting depth and spacing along with any other requirements are printed on the seed packet. Most garden centers stock a collection of annual seeds, and there are a multitude of mail order seed companies. So many unique and heirloom annuals are not sold as plants in garden centers and can only be grown from seed.

Cosmos and zinnias are a few of the easy-to-grow tender annuals considered to be “Cut and Come Again.” As the title suggests, the more you cut them the more they will bloom. Zinnias are the most popular flower grown from seed and my favorite because of their hardiness and their diversity in color and shape. Benary’s Giant zinnias were cultivated for cut flower growing and boast the largest flower head of all zinnias, have a long strong stem, and will last for a week or longer in a vase. The Oklahoma Series zinnias have a smaller flower but bloom continuously and are equally as strong-stemmed and hardy. All

zinnias should be picked frequently and spent blooms deadheaded. Deadheading prevents the flower from going to seed, which signals the plant to stop producing flowers.

The requirements for a cutting garden are the same as they are for any successful garden. First, the site should be located in six hours of sun. This is a condition most flowers require for maximum bloom. Second, the soil should be amended with a good compost plus any nutrients the soil is lacking. A soil test conducted by the County Extension Service can determine this. In addition to the initial soil amendments, organic fertilizer should be added at least twice during the growing season. Annual flowers bloom summer and fall, so they need the extra fertilizer for maximum production. By utilizing all organic products, you will be protecting the abundance of bees and butterflies that will grace your garden daily. Third, the site needs to be watered regularly, especially as seeds are germinating. Drip irrigation is best as it delivers water to the plant roots which avoids wetting the foliage. If you don’t have drip, the site can be watered by hand and located close to your house.

If you have never grown a cutting garden, start with a small, amended bed. Add a few perennials and annual transplants and choose some seed packets to try your hand at direct seeding annuals. You will delight in the diversity and abundance of blooms you can grow and will add more varieties to your garden every year. You’ll be hooked!

Happy gardening!

North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net.

About the author

This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Roswell resident Pat Camp. Pat has always loved to garden, remembering as a child helping her grandmother tend her hydrangeas and loving the earthy smell of the soil. Pat has been a Master Gardener for 23 years, has worked as a Landscape Designer, and is a Georgia Certified Plant Professional. Her cutting garden, which she started three years ago, is her new passion, adding new and more interesting flowers every year. She enjoys making flower bouquets for special occasions and friends, even designing flowers for a wedding. Pat enrolled in the Floret Online Workshop sponsored by Floret Flower Farm which was an intense learning program focused on growing flowers on a small scale. When Pat is not gardening in Georgia or South Carolina, she and her husband are traveling to exotic places as well as our national parks. She enjoys sharing her love of nature and flowers with others, especially her grandchildren.

Learn more

• Flowering Annuals for Georgia Gardens, UGA Extension Bulletin 954, https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B954

• Erin Benzakein, Cut Flower Garden, (Chronicle books, USA, 2017)

• Niki Irving, Growing Flowers, (Yellow Pear Press, USA, 2021)

• Clare Nolan, In Bloom, (Companion House Books, UK, 2019)

PAT CAMP

Guest Columnist

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Dean Rusk: a native son on the world stage

David Dean Rusk (1909-1994) was a diplomat on the world stage during the turbulent cold and hot war decade of the 1960s. Yet little is known about this reserved and very significant public servant and North Georgia son.

Dean Rusk spent his early years on a modest farm on Arnold Mill Road in the Lickskillet community just north of Roswell in Cherokee County. His father Robert Hugh Rusk (1868-1944) and his mother Elizabeth Frances Clotfelter (1875-1959) lived a hardscrabble life as tenant farmers until Dean was 5 years old. His family moved to Atlanta where his father took a low paying job with the postal service as a mail carrier. Dean was the only one in his high school class to graduate in knickers because his parents could not afford long pants. Determined to receive an education, Dean worked his way through Davidson College in North Carolina where he played center on the basketball team. In 1932, he attended Oxford University in England on a Rhodes Scholarship where he received a master’s degree in international relations in 1934. That same year, Dean accepted a position teaching international relations at Mills College in Oakland, California, where he remained until 1940. At Mills, he met a student, Virginia Foisie (1915-1996), whom he married in 1937. While at Mills he studied law at the University of California at Berkeley, although he did not complete a degree there until 1940.

Anticipating U.S. involvement in World War ll, Dean joined the Army in 1940 first in the Third Infantry Division and then in the Military Intelligence Service. From 1943 to 1945 he served in the China-Burma-India theater. He became deputy chief of staff to Gen. Joseph Stilwell and the protege of Gen. George Marshall who would become Secretary of State and author of the Marshall Plan for post-war European recovery. Rusk planned on a military career until Secretary Marshall asked him to join the State Department in 1947 to head the Office of Special Political Affairs. In 1950, Secretary of State Dean Acheson appointed Rusk Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs. During the early days of WW ll, Rusk had developed strong views that appeasement is not a viable policy, and he urged President Truman to resist communist aggression in Southeast Asia.

In 1952, he left the State Department to become president of the Rockefeller Foundation. In 1960, he authored an article in Foreign Affairs journal titled “The President,” which outlined the role of the

president in developing and implementing foreign policy. Sen. John F. Kennedy was impressed by the article, and when he became president a few months later, he appointed Rusk his Secretary of State. Rusk served in that role from 1960 –1969 under presidents Kennedy and Johnson. He left office January 20, 1969, when Richard Nixon assumed the presidency, having served in that role longer than any other Secretary of State, other than Cordell Hull

who served from 1933 to 1944.

Dean’s cousin David Rusk says Kennedy appointed Rusk without ever having met him because of the Foreign Affairs article and because Dean Acheson recommended him so highly. Secretary Rusk and President Johnson had a particularly close working relationship, both having come from simple rural backgrounds.

International crises dominated Rusk’s tenure as Secretary of State, including the

Viet Nam War for which he was roundly criticized, the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the failed Cuban Bay of Pigs Invasion in April 1961, the Berlin Crisis in 1961, the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 and the Six Day War in June 1967. Many books and scholarly papers have been written about those events. They are beyond the scope of this column.

Rusk was appointed professor of International Law at the University of Georgia in 1970 where he led a quiet scholarly life until 1984. In 1990 he published his memoir, “As I Saw It,” with his son Richard, now deceased.

Andy Rusk, Dean’s grandson, spent a lot of time with Dean when both families lived in Athens. Andy describes Dean as “reserved but warm and caring about family. He was always curious about what we were doing. We spent Christmases together.” Andy recalls that Rusk attended his high school and university graduations “because it was important to him that his grandkids get a good education.”

There are many individuals named Rusk or married to people named Rusk in this area. Thus, family reunions have been important over the years, and Dean attended them as often as his schedule permitted. Starting in the early 1970s, reunions took place at the Mount Gilead United Methodist Church on Arnold Mill Road in Woodstock. They moved to the Roswell Recreation Center a few years later, attracting up to 120 people. David Rusk recalls family reunions. “When Dean walked into the room, or came in by wheelchair in his later years, the room became silent. We treated him with respect.”

Dean gave many speeches, often off the cuff, according to David, including a speech at Reinhardt homecoming before 4,000 people in 1961 just a few days after the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Dean Rusk is remembered as a gentleman, quiet and unassuming, but brilliant. He was a person of strong conviction who understood that humble beginnings can lead to great results.

As his grandson Andy says, “Dean Rusk was part of the generation of statesmen that, regardless of circumstances, carried themselves with decorum.”

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of

at

Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him

bobmey@ bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.

FAMILY PROVIDED PHOTOS

This is a rare photo of Gen. Joseph Stilwell and his senior staff, date and location unknown, probably somewhere in the China-Burma-India theater, circa 1943. Stillwell is sixth from the left. Dean Rusk is circled in the second row. To his right in shorts is Gen. Frank Merrill who was put in command of a special guerrilla warfare group that became known as the celebrated Merrill’s Marauders. Rusk was deputy chief of staff to Stilwell.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORY CHEROKEE

Shortly after becoming Secretary of State and just days after the Cuban Bay of Pigs invasion, Dean Rusk spoke at Reinhardt College homecoming before a record crowd of 4,000. He frequently gave speeches and often spoke off the cuff.

RUSK

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Stand-Alone Gloss

PAST TENSE

Sue Kirby Jameson documented her memories of Dunwoody

Sue Kirby Jameson was born Mary Sue Kirby in Pickens County, Georgia, in 1910. She came to Dunwoody with her parents, Tolleson Kirby and Laura Little Kirby, and four siblings in 1914. They purchased land from the Powers family along what is now Pitts Road. The road was called Little Kirby Road. Later, they moved closer to the center of Dunwoody, to a house on Chamblee Dunwoody Road north of the Cheek-Spruill House. The family operated a dairy at this home.

A wonderful collection of her memories is preserved in books she wrote titled “As I Recall Volume 1 and Volume 2.” In the 1990s, her stories would occasionally appear in the Dunwoody Crier.

In “As I Recall,” Jameson tells the story of the year her family planted Kentucky Wonder pole beans between every other row of corn. They had 40 dairy cattle on the farm, so her brothers had fenced off a section for the corn patch.

“Those beans mistook the corn stalks for poles, climbed right up to the top and kept going,” ] Jameson wrote. The family had a bumper crop of beans that year. “We took cone-shaped bushel baskets, walked down the middles (rows), and picked beans. It didn't take long to fill a basket.”

The baskets of beans were loaded onto the family milk trucks. Customers on the milk route were asked if they would like to purchase some beans along with their dairy delivery. The family sold 125 bushels of beans at 50 cents a bushel.

A cannery had recently opened on the Chamblee High School campus, so the Kirbys also canned a lot of beans that year.

Another year, the family had a wheat field, covering 6 acres across from the family home at Little Kirby Road. Jameson recalled watching the laborers cut the wheat, letting it fall into bundles that were tied and left in the field to dry.

The neighboring Warbington family showed up with machinery to thresh the wheat. The children were fascinated watching the machine at work.

At noon, Jameson’s mother set out a big dinner for all the workers. A neighbor helped with the cooking.

The children’s turn to eat came after all the workers finished their meal.

Sometimes after church services on Sunday evenings, the young people of the community would walk to Kirby Dairy for refreshments. The dairy was located along Chamblee Dunwoody Road between today’s Dunwoody Village Parkway and KinderCare Learning Center.

At the dairy, they would find milk, which Jameson refers to as sweet milk, buttermilk, ice cream and chocolate milk. One night, one of the boys decided to try a mixture of buttermilk and heavy whipping cream.

This had an almost instant effect on his stomach. “As we watched him drink it down, his expression changed from pleasant to surprised, to frowning to near panic,” recalled Jameson. He raced out of the milkhouse, convincing the other young people not to try the combination for themselves.

Sue Kirby Jameson left a treasure behind when she wrote her memories. She died in 2004 and is buried at New Hope Cemetery next to her husband Thomas Jameson, in the same area as the home and dairy farm where she once lived.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Sandy Springs. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@ gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

Opinions

Appen Media aims to present a variety of views in its opinion pages. Send your thoughts, questions and letters to pat@ appenmedia.com.

KIRBY FAMILY PHOTO

This 1944 photograph includes many members of the Kirby family, including Sue Kirby Jameson, seated at far left.

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist

GET OUTSIDE GEORGIA

You can ham it up outdoors with shortwave operators

STEVE HUDSON

One of the nicest things about the outside world is that there are all kinds of ways to enjoy it. Traditional favorites include hiking and biking and camping and fishing and birdwatching and –well, you get the idea.

But there are some less traditional ways to have outdoor fun, too.

Some folks, for example, like bungee jumping. That’s the one where you tie yourself to what is essentially a giant rubber band and then jump off a perfectly good tower or a bridge or something, on purpose, and fall through the air toward the ground far below. On the way down you have time to think about things, possibly wondering if the quality control guy over at the giant rubber band factory was having a good day on the day when that particular one was made.

I’m told that the whole thing is fun, but you can rest assured that I will never be able to affirm that personally. I know too much about the frailties of rubber bands (specifically, their annoying tendency to break at exactly the wrong time). So, no bungee jumps for me. I’m over 40, and I don’t have to do that kind of thing

anymore.

But there are alternatives. For instance, some other folks like hang gliding, another sport that sends you through the air. While hang gliding, you are supported underneath a glider of sorts as you soar and swoop in and out among the birds. Birds have been doing the flying thing forever, of course, and so they’re pretty good at it. But we humans come to it less naturally.

I’m told that folks do a lot of this hang gliding thing up in northwest Georgia, congregating in places where otherwise rational humans will strap themselves (and you, if you let them) to a fabric wing and then voluntarily make a running jump off a cliff and into the air. They too say it’s fun.

Oddly enough, the prospect of hang gliding does in fact hold a little bit of appeal to me. Maybe someday I’ll give it try if the opportunity comes along. If I do, I’ll let you know how it goes. Probably.

But there is one other sort of outdoor recreation activity involving “air” that I wholeheartedly embrace – and that is to take a small ham radio rig (ham radio is my other hobby) into the great outdoors in order to “get on the air” from a park or a mountaintop or other outdoor locale. To that end, I’ve even put together a little portable radio set-up that fits neatly into my daypack, and in the process I’ve discovered just how much fun it can be

to sit up on a mountaintop somewhere and talk to people all over the world – no Interweb required.

As it turns out, many ham radio operators enjoy taking their stations “to the field,” as it were – and on Saturday, June 24, and Sunday, June 25, you just might see some hams in action in area parks during an annual ham radio event called “Field Day.”

Sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, a national association of ham operators, Field Day gives hams far and wide a chance to test their operating skills out in the field.

What’s the purpose of Field Day? Well, part of it is just to have fun. Stations compete with each other to see who can make the most contacts with other ham radio operators. But it’s also a great chance for hams to test their ability to operate in the field under less than ideal conditions, much as they might have to do in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.

As one ham once put it, “Communication is easy as long as the power stays on and the internet says on. But what would happen if a community lost its regular communication systems? How would emergency responders and other key groups communicate? I’ll tell you how,” he added. “They could call on ham radio operators to help.”

Many metro Atlanta ham radio clubs

will be participating in this year’s Field Day, and one of them is the Sawnee Amateur Radio Association. SARA, as it’s known, will be operating from the Cumming Fairground RV sites from 2 p.m. Saturday the 24th until 2 p.m. Sunday the 25th, and they encourage visitors to stop by.

And you don’t have to be a ham radio operator to enjoy visiting the SARA Field Day operation. One of the stations that the SARA group will set up is what’s known as the “Get On The Air,” or GOTA, station. It’s intended to allow non-hams to experience what ham radio is like by providing an opportunity to operate a ham station with the help of an experienced, licensed operator. It’s fun! And you don’t have to sign up in advance – just walk up and give it a try!

For more info on the Sawnee Amateur Radio Association, visit sawneemountainradio.org.

To get an idea of where other amateur radio clubs might be holding public Field Day events, visit www.arrl.org/field-daylocator. This site, provided by the American Radio Relay League, is designed to help interested folks find Field Day operations nationwide.

And who knows? Maybe you’ll run across me at one of the Field Day operations. I’ll be enjoying being “on the air” – with no giant rubber bands required!

Columnist

See solution Page 31

Human Resources Manager

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Donor Operations Associate

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