Sandy Springs Crier - November 24, 2022

KELLEY

Georgia House Speaker Ralston dies from illness

By DAVE WILLIAMS Capitol Beat

ATLANTA — Georgia House Speaker David Ralston died Wednesday at the age of 68, just two days after the House Republican Caucus nominated a new speaker to succeed him in January.

Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, had been suffering from an extended illness. His wife, Sheree, his children, and other members of his family were with him when he passed away, his office announced. Arrangements will be an nounced in the future.

Ralston announced early last week that he would not seek election by his House colleagues to another term as speaker, citing his health. Voters in the 7th House District in Northwest Georgia reelected him Nov. 8 without opposition.

At the time of his death, Ralston was the longest currently serving state house speaker in the nation.

As provided by the Georgia Con stitution, House Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, will serve as speaker for the remainder of the cur rent term, which ends in January.

On Monday, House Republicans nominated Majority Leader Jon Burns, R-Newington, to succeed

PROVIDED/MELODY

City weighs whether Juneteenth should be paid holiday

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs officials will examine whether June teenth, a federally recognized holiday commemorating the emancipation of en slaved African Americans, will be added to the city’s schedule of paid holidays in 2023.

Councilmembers were scheduled to approve the 2023 city holiday schedule at a meeting Nov. 15, but after hearing from nearly a dozen residents on why Juneteenth should be officially recog nized as a city holiday, the measure was postponed for further research and discussion until Dec. 6.

Residents who spoke in favor of including the holiday in the city’s 2023 schedule, noted the changing diversity of Sandy Springs and Georgia, saying the city has an important opportunity to honor African American culture and history.

“It’s a holiday that acknowledges the past, but it also acknowledges African American culture,” Sandy Springs resi dent Charles Sharper said. “And I think that’s something we all could get behind. As policymakers, you have an opportu nity in front of you tonight, the opportu nity to choose inclusion.”

Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 and in 2022, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation to make it a paid day off for state employees.

“We’re genuinely in a very special situation,” Sandy Spring Councilwoman Melody Kelley said. “We do have a new

JOURNALISM

Sandy Springs Human Resources Direc tor Jennifer Emory speaks to the City Council Nov. 15 about the city’s 2023 holiday schedule.

federal and state adopted holiday. To be clear, the last time that a federal and state holiday was adopted would have been 1983 and 1984, respectively.”

Currently, Sandy Springs has 10 recognized holidays, including Christ mas, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, President’s Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

City officials will need to decide

whether to make Juneteenth, June 19, a full paid holiday or a “flex holiday,” in which the holiday is recognized, but city offices remain open.

“I don’t think that we’ve thoroughly vetted flex models,” Kelley said. “I think there’s a way corporate America does this all the time, where we can incorpo rate a new holiday at minimal expense to taxpayers.”

LOCAL

City Manager Eden Freeman said it costs the city roughly $210,000 per paid holiday, but a floating holiday in which city operations remain open and staff are given the choice to take the day off, if they want it, would cost $195,000.

But Freeman and other city officials said the cost of instituting the holiday would likely be worth the educational and cultural value for the community.

“To me, this is not a financial deci sion,” City Councilman John Paulson said. “I don’t want it to cost money, but I think the recognition is the important part of this … if we can bring awareness to this.”

Councilmembers voted unanimously to postpone a decision on the calendar, and Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul directed city staff to investigate the dif ferent options of how they could recog nize Juneteenth.

“I think that’s the most important thing,” Paul said. “That people under stand the significant date in our nation’s history and particularly those of us who are native born Southerners, should be ultra-sensitive to the impact of some things our ancestors did.”

The council will reexamine the issue at their Dec. 6 meeting.

Alpharetta, GA

ALEXANDER POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Ralston:

Ralston as speaker. The full House will vote on the nomination on the first day of the 2023 General Assembly session Jan. 9.

Political leaders who served with Ralston remembered him Wednesday as an effective leader who played a key role in the major legislation the General As sembly adopted during his tenure.

“Speaker Ralston was a pioneer in the growth of Georgia’s Republican leadership and leaves an indelible mark on this state,” Gov. Brian Kemp said. “His last session as speaker will long be remembered for his landmark mental health reform bill, helping Georgians fight through inflation, and passing a historic income tax cut that puts more money in the pockets of taxpayers for years to come.

“We are also especially proud of our previous bipartisan efforts on reforming the citizens’ arrest law and adding an anti-hate crime statute to the Georgia code, which would not have happened without the speaker’s steadfast leader ship. These historic accomplishments were only a handful of the numerous hallmarks of David Ralston’s decadeslong service to Georgia.”

“Speaker Ralston was a steady, reli

able guiding force un der the Gold Dome in good times and tough times,” added state Sen. Steve Gooch, RDahlonega, who was elected majority leader by Senate Republicans last week. “He cher ished the idea of his beloved House being a body that truly repre sented all of Georgia’s people, and he respected each of the elected members that comprised it, regardless of parti san differences. It takes a genuinely good heart and decent person to lead that way.”

Democrats, too, reflected on Ralston’s passing.

“Georgia Democrats join the en tire state in mourning Speaker David Ralston,” said U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party. “Speaker Ralston was a statesman who led with fairness and honesty, looked for common ground, and always put his commitment to Georgia first. … Speaker Ralston will be missed dearly – by those who agreed with him, and by those who often didn’t.”

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

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RALSTON

Camp Barney Medintz names executive director

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Camp Barney Medintz, a leading Jewish summer overnight camp owned and operated by The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA), has named Danny Herz as the camp’s new executive direc tor following a nationwide search.

Herz will officially assume his posi tion Jan. 3. He will be responsible for leading and overseeing strategic plan ning, day-to-day operations, facilities management, programming and staff development as well as partnering with MJCCA leadership to set the vision for the future of Camp Barney Medintz.

Herz is currently the executive direc tor of Union for Reform Judaism’s 6 Points Sports Academy, 6 Points Cre ative Arts Academy and 6 Points SciTech Academy. He has been an integral part of that organization for more than 13 years.

“We went through an intensive na tional search to find the right person to take on this monumental responsibility,” said MJCCA CEO Jared Powers. “As we got to know Danny and learned about his commitment to helping campers, staff, students and athletes fulfill their goals, build Jewish identity and develop personally, it became clear his vision and ideology were the right fit for Camp Barney Medintz.”

Established in 1963, Camp Barney Medintz is in the North Georgia moun tains on more than 500 acres complete with two lakes. The camp offers a Jewish camping experience rich in fun, friend ship, adventure and Jewish culture. One of the largest Jewish camps nationwide, campers come from all over the country to build a sense of independence and self-confidence, form lifelong friendships and solidify their connection with their Jewish identity.

Jewish traditions and culture are an integral part of the everyday magic of Camp Barney Medintz, and activities range from zip lining, archery, horse back, swimming and high ropes to arts and crafts, drama, kayaking, playing sports and more.

“Camp Barney Medintz has estab lished itself as a premiere Jewish sum mer camp for families nationwide, and I’m extremely excited to take on this role,” said Herz. “I look forward to bring ing my experiences in overnight camp ing, education and athletics to the Camp Barney Medintz community and to meet ing our campers, staff and alumni.”

In addition to his experience as a camp director, Herz also has a 15-plus year career in education, having served on the senior administrative team at Jewish schools in Southern California

and South Florida. He’s held the roles of teacher, coach, dean of students and athletic director.

Herz earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and his master’s degree from Ohio University. He is a certified camp director by the Ameri can Camp Association and is a certified athletic administrator by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

LOCAL

THE MARCUS JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF ATLANTA/ PROVIDED Danny Herz has been named new ex ecutive director of Camp Barney Med intz, a Jewish summer overnight camp in Cleveland, Ga.

BOGORODSKA,

Cafe Landmark connects guests to Ukraine

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Svitlana Bogoro dska opened Cafe Landmark in Johns Creek last year because she missed the “spirits” in her small, yet crowded, Ukrainian city and wanted to create something that had the same ambi ence.

Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, a city bor dering Russia, she moved to the United States six years ago with her husband. Before opening her business, Bogoro dska struggled to find a sense of com munity, in part, because of the language barrier. She said she prefers her native language to express emotion.

But Cafe Landmark, tucked into a shopping center on Jones Bridge Road with an unassuming facade, provides comfort to Bogorodska — not only for her, through its Ukrainian cuisine and atmosphere, but also for patrons who long for what they’ve had to leave be hind.

A bright, blue and yellow sign that reads “Stand with Ukraine” in all caps, driven into the ground, greets visitors as they walk inside.

Bogorodska’s perspectives echoed the cafe’s mission, available on her website, which is to provide guests “a feeling of their native culture and atmosphere, where they are welcomed and accepted, where they are warm and comfortable.”

She said she saw an “empty room” for something like Cafe Landmark, not ing she isn’t the only one who misses the culture — like others from Ukraine and people from Russia, who still share a lot of common ground, despite the war.

“I know that it’s not popular right now to think that … but in Russia, there

are good people,” Bogorodska said. “They are also victims, they also lost some thing.”

A meeting ground

Bogorodska hurried through the front door into the back to set down her belongings and returned with a sweet smile and easygoing presence.

“Would you like coffee?” she asked, after extending her hand for a soft hand shake. “It’s so cold outside.”

Preparing a cup of Raf, one of her favorite drinks made with espresso, cream and vanilla sugar, Bogorodska described its origin. Raf, native to Rus sia but also popular in nearby countries like Ukraine, is short for Rafael — the man who invented the drink in the mid’90s.

Bogorodska said she also likes cap puccino with hazelnut, adding pine nuts to her cup of Raf for a special blend. The nutty flavor makes for a “great combina

A sign reading, “Stand with Ukraine,” sits in front of Cafe Landmark in Johns Creek. Ukraine-native Svitlana Bogoro dska opened the cafe last year and offers coffee, handcrafted teas and Ukrainian quick bites.

tion,” she said.

Middle-aged with comely features, Bogorodska styled her hair in a French braid and wore a silk scarf around her neck. She sat across the table, occa sionally sipping her drink in the welldecorated space that had soft light and house music playing in the background. She spoke of a host of things — like Ukrainian coffee shops, which are excep tionally social places.

“In my place, people come to meet each other,” Bogorodska said. “A cup of coffee is just a good reason to meet each other.”

In Kharkiv, people don’t spend much time in the car, she said, because they

PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Svitlana Bogorodska, owner of Cafe Landmark, makes herself cup of Raf coffee. Raf is a Russian beverage, popular in nearby countries like Ukraine, made from espresso, cream and vanilla sugar.

A cup of coffee is just a good reason to meet each other.

SVITLANA

owner of Cafe Landmark

Landmark:

walk from place to place, all the time connecting. But that isn’t possible around here, she said, where everything is so spread out.

Cafe Landmark is also for people who are connoisseurs of taste, rather than for those who go for “black liquid” to be guzzled down for quick energy, Bogorod ska said.

Food, a ‘symbol of home’

Outside of coffee and other beverages like bubble tea, the menu at Cafe Land mark boasts a diverse range of food.

The cafe, once owned by someone from Hong Kong, at one point only of fered Asian plates. In case old custom ers return, expecting the old menu, Bogorodska kept the Asian flair. But still, she centers her personal twist of traditional Ukrainian, Slavic quick bites, like borsch and cheese pan cakes.

Borsch, also spelled as “borscht,” is a vibrant, fuchsia-colored savory soup made with beef and pork, vegetables like tomato, carrot and potato, and beetroot. It’s usually served with toasted bread and a dollop of sour cream on the side, both provided in her kind gesture of laying out a sample spread, on a green, leaf-shaped placemat.

Bogorodska said borsch has histori cal roots — centuries ago, families came together to eat it, portioned from a big pot. She also talked about her love for her mother’s style of cooking borsch, which used canned fish and comes from an era when food was sparse.

“Borsch is something you don’t like when you’re a little kid because it’s not sweet,” she said, laughing. “But you adore it as an adult … It’s like a symbol of home because that’s something that your mom will cook when she knows you will visit her.”

She reenacted a familiar scene and said, “When you came …” and theatri cally smelled the air — “I feel like borsch was not done so long ago.”

Cheese pancakes, a sweet dish made from farmers cheese, was served with berries and a shot of condensed milk — a joy among Ukrainians, she said.

And there was another side of sour cream.

Bogorodska later recalled an epi sode of “Friends,” which she uses to learn English, where Ross asks Monica about a Ukrainian kid she used to hang out with in junior high. In the episode, Monica said one of the reasons is be cause his mom would put sour cream on everything.

Stepping from a ‘seashell’

Bogorodska spent a good while talk ing about her gratitude for all the people

Clockwise from top; cheese pancakes, a Slavic dessert, are made from farmers cheese. Borsch, also spelled as “borscht,” is a Ukranian-styled soup made from beef and pork, vegetables and beetroot. Borsch is usually served with a side of bread and sour cream. The inside of Cafe Landmark has soft lighting and ambient music playing in the background. Guests could see a display of desserts on the front counter Nov. 16 and a sign that reads “Lavender Raf,” a coffee drink.

she’s met at Cafe Landmark, who had visited to show support and help her fol lowing the Russian invasion of Ukraine early last year.

“I just thought everyone lived inside of their own seashell,” she said.

The pain in Bogorodska’s eyes and heard in her voice when talking about the devastation of the war was palpable, but also the hope that people gave her, brightening her outlook. Describing herself as someone who was once more emotionally closed off, she said the out pouring of support changed her.

“It was a kind of miracle that you could see with your eyes,” she said. “Be cause I have never seen it before — that compassion.”

Because of her customers’ sincer ity, Bogorodska said she would come

home and share her experience with her husband. She also shared her uplifting experience with friends still in Ukraine, who frequently send her updates.

One update Bogorodska recently received was about a coffee shop, the chosen meeting point with her friends. The cafe recently printed new cups.

“I want just to breathe that smell that’s inside,” she said.

Bogorodska received other messages that illustrate the bravery and resilience of Ukranians, who try to continue life as normal and focus on the future, unde terred by their war-torn surroundings.

“I admire the people who are so brave when everything around them is broken,” she said. “But they don’t agree with it.”

PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Electricity arrives north of Atlanta

Electricity first came to Atlanta in 1884 through the Georgia Electric Light Company. The first use of electric power was for street lighting and street railways.

Morgan Falls Dam on the Chattahoochee River was built in 1904 to supply hydro electric power. That hydroelectric power was for Atlanta. It would be over three decades before electricity came to the area around Morgan Falls.

S. Morgan Smith, inventor of the S wa ter turbine found the site along the Chat tahoochee River in 1897. He started the Atlanta Water and Electric Power Com pany and prepared to develop the site.

During these same years, the Georgia Railway and Electric Company was hav ing difficulty meeting the power demands of the growing city of Atlanta, so Smith contracted to provide power from Morgan Falls. (georgiaencyclopedia.org)

People from Dunwoody and Sandy Springs who have shared history with me remember 1941 as the year that electricity

was available. Fred Donaldson, who was born at what is now Donaldson-Bannister Farm, later moved down the road to a smaller home with his parents. The road was known as Donaldson Road, rather than Vermack Road. He recalled electricity in the home in 1941.

Carlton Renfroe and Jeff Porter, who both lived along Tilly Mill Road, also remembered electricity becoming avail able in 1941. L. C. Orr, who lived in a farmhouse between 1943 and 1948 where Peachtree Middle School is today, said his family never had electricity at their home.

Over in the Sandy Springs corridor, Kathryne Geffcken lived in a home on Spalding Drive known as Kenstone, Ken for Kennesaw Mountain and Stone for Stone Mountain. She remembers that her family used kerosene lamps before elec tricity was available, also in 1941.

Richard Adams grew up along what is now Dunwoody Club Drive in the 1930s in a home without electricity or running water. Their home was on the county line between DeKalb and Milton (now Fulton).

According to the Fulton County School Archives, a request was made in 1925 for electricity at Hammond School in Sandy Springs. The Board of Education agreed to wire the school for electric lights if the

community agreed to “carry the power lines and pay the light bill in the future.” The record does not reflect what year the school had the benefit of electricity.

When Margaret and Z. W. Jones bought a home in Brookhaven Heights in 1922, they decided to start a school for their own children and other children in the neighborhood. They also had to work through the years to get electricity, gas, city water, and roads.

Wright Dairy was located along Briar wood Road, between today’s North Druid Hills Road and Buford Highway. In the 1930s, Paul Wright recalled getting up at 4:00 a.m. to wash and milk the cows. The bottles of milk were placed in a sterilizer, heated by a wood boiler. The family did not have electricity.

As winter approaches, we might get a short sample of that life with a power outage, but it is no comparison. I can still make coffee with my gas stove and read a book by candle or flashlight. It’s an op portunity to literally unplug.

Award-winning author Valerie Bigger staff is a longtime columnist for Appen Me dia. She lives in Sandy Springs. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

Frank

Tara Tucker

Jim Moye – Monuments of faith

Village Park resident Jim Moye is an astounding business leader and phi lanthropist who used his resources to spread support, wisdom, and faith across the nation. He was raised in the midst of World War II. He lost his uncle to the war, before his father joined the forces. The fear of losing his father weighed heavily on Jim’s mind.

Jim’s close friend, Barry Sutlive cites that the fear and trauma changed Jim and molded his lifestyle saying, “He lived those years of his life, those formative years, really shutting himself down emo tionally. He was just hardening himself, being tough.”

The walls Jim built for himself car ried into his adolescence. He avoided vulnerability while striving for a life of success. He was captain of his high school football team, was voted most intelligent, became class president, at tended Georgia Tech, and he went on to marry the homecoming queen. Jim grew a prosperous insurance business, mark ing the start of his successful career. In spite of this, he felt empty.

Jim always pushed himself to achieve more. Instead of embracing his vulner ability, he adopted a crippling drive for

perfection which created tension with his family. Regardless of their success, his children grew distant. Jim became lonely, and eventually found himself in talks for a divorce.

It was in 1976, Jim was challenged by a man to attend a Christian confer ence and accept a path that he whole

heartedly believed would turn Jim’s life around. Reluctantly, Jim attended and pledged himself to his newfound faith. He believed he had been called to reori ent his life for the betterment of his wife, his family, and those around him.

Jim spent the following years with a different attitude. His interest in

business wasn’t monetary; instead, he wanted to help as many people as he could. At this time, he began buying land along the Appalachian trail. When the government claimed eminent domain on the property, Jim sold the land to the U.S. Forest Service. However, he stipulated that the land should offer a purpose to its visitors. After negotiations with the government, an arrangement was made to have a monument placed on the trail for all to see. The monument, aptly named Moye Rest, serves as a beacon of Jim’s faith. He elaborates how travelers on the Appalachian Trail are hiking the trail to find something. For many, it’s purpose. For others, it’s clar ity. For some, it’s faith. Jim hopes that the monument will be there to inspire people in the same way he was inspired, for decades and decades to come.

Jim Moye continues to serve his community by inspiring those around him, and even hiked the trail over the Summer. His encouraging spirit cre ates joy for everybody who surrounds him. To hear more about his legacy and stories of other Village Park community members, visit our blog at www.village parkseniorliving.com or give us a call at (770) 416-0502. We look forward to hearing from you.

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