Sandy Springs Crier - December 22, 2022

County, city officials OK sales tax split

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — After months of turbulent negotiations, threats and conflict, Fulton County and it’s 15 cities have finalized an agreement over the $3 billion local option sales tax.

The LOST one-penny sales tax is used by local governments to fund services like public safety, parks and recreation and libraries, and by county governments to fund state-mandated services like county courts, jails, health departments and elections.

Signed by city and county representatives at an event held at the Central Library in Atlanta Dec. 14, this agreement will grant about 10 percent of total revenues generated over the 10-year life of LOST to Fulton County and the remainder to its cities.

“What I witnessed is something that I know to be true from my decades of representing public entities: addressing contentious matters, sincere, conscientious political leaders find solutions,”

Andy Welch, an attorney representing 13 of Fulton County’s cities, told Appen Media after the signing. “The leaders of the 15

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PUBLIC SAFETY

SANDY SPRINGS POLICE REPORTS

Each week Appen Media requests initial incident reports to inform residents about the safety of their community. Sandy Springs is withholding what it calls “narrative reports.” It is the only city Appen Media covers that does this. Without that information, The Crier is unable to report on crime in the city.

When Appen requested recent incident reports, the city provided documents containing one to three sentences. When Appen requested year-old incident reports, the city provided additional pages titled “Reporting Officer Narrative” and “Case Supplemental Report.”

The Sandy Springs City Attorney has offered the position that “if information in the ‘supplemental/additional report’ would jeopardize the investigation or interfere with victims or witnesses, it should not be released.”

According to “Georgia Law Enforcement and the Open Records Act,” a pamphlet offering guidance to police and journalists on open records, initial police incident reports are subject to disclo-

sure under Georgia’s Open Records Act. That’s regardless of whether they are part of an active investigation. The guidance also stipulates that “any report, whether entitled a ‘supplemental report,’ ‘narrative report,’ or similar document name that is produced as part of an initial incident report or can be characterized as such, is likely to be disclosed.”

The pamphlet was created in collaboration with the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Department of Law, Georgia Department of Public Safety, Georgia Press Association, Georgia First Amendment Foundation, Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, Georgia Public Safety Training Center and Georgia Sheriffs’ Association.

Here are some incidents that took place in Sandy Springs recently that Appen Media is unable to report on more fully:

• On Dec. 3 a Sandy Springs police officer responded to a call at Hammond Drive for a “threat.” The threat is

not specified. The one-sentence report lists the name of a non-resident but does not specify whether they are a suspect or witness. The report does not have any information about how the situation ended.

• On Nov. 30 police responded to Peachtree Dunwoody Road “in reference to a simple battery call.” The report lists the name of a Sandy Springs resident as a victim but gives no further information regarding the battery. The report also states there was a “warrant obtained.”

• A Sandy Springs officer responded to Hightower Trail on Nov. 30 regarding an assault call. The report said the call involved an elderly female, and the crime was listed as “elder abuse.” There are four other names listed, but the report does not state their connection to the incident. The officer wrote “When I arrived, I conducted my investigation.” No other information was given.

Appen Media will continue to pursue the release of full incident reports, which it believes are subject to release under the Open Records Act.

Records Act.

HANS APPEN Publisher CONTACT

CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS/PROVIDED Appen Media contends that the full reports, like the year-old ones at left and below, are immedietely subject to release under Georgia’s Open

ROSWELL, Ga. — North Fulton Community Charities welcomed Sandy Holiday as the new Executive Director of the nonprofit organization at the end of November. Two weeks later, Holiday says the work has been a whirlwind.

Holiday takes over the role from Mary Good, who served as Interim Executive Director from June to November. Holiday comes to NFCC from Atlanta Children’s Shelter, where she served as the Executive Director for 13 years.

As director, Sandy will lead the nonprofit organization in its goal to aid individuals and families in need. NFCC serves over 8,500 residents every year in Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park and Roswell.

The organization has multiple programs to assist residents, including care management and financial assistance, food pantry, education, clothing assistance and seasonal aid.

During her first week, Holiday

Tax:

Fulton Cities and Fulton County found a solution despite the unnecessary conflict the LOST statute encourages. They all have served their citizens well.”

Prior to this agreement, city and county officials spent several months in official and unofficial negotiation and mediation sessions, debating whether Fulton County should receive a much larger portion of the tax revenues than it has received in recent years.

County negotiators initially argued for returning to a pre-2000 LOST distribution rate split of 35 percent to the county and 65 percent the cities, which raised an immediate outcry from city officials and residents.

However, after months of negotiating, county officials relented and approved the final 90/10 sales tax split at a meeting Nov. 2.

Over the last month, the agreement was ratified by council members in each of Fulton County’s 15 cities.

Per the agreement, cities in Fulton County would see a staggered decrease in LOST distribution percentages over the 10 years, so that the county share

can increase from 4.9 to 9.9 percent.

Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry said the agreement provides a “softer landing.” The city gets the same tax cut next year, he said, but over time the city’s percentage will decrease and the county’s will increase.

Even though cities will see losses in

worked with the organization’s Giving Tuesday initiative. Volunteers assembled hundreds of senior baskets and received donations for a future Toyland event.

“I must say the highlight for me has been meeting the individuals and families that we impact,” Holiday said.

Prior to Holiday’s role with Atlanta Children’s Shelter, she worked as the State Operations Director with the State Office of Child Support. She has a doctorate from Emory Law.

the short run, officials said expected economic growth in the coming decade will make up for any losses cities might experience at first.

Now that the agreement has been signed by all parties, it will be filed with the state of Georgia before the deadline on Dec. 31.

for ALL Jews

FULTON COUNTY/PROVIDED

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks at a signing event for the 2023 local option sales tax agreement held at the Central Library in Atlanta Dec. 14.

RESOURCEFUL AND TENACIOUS

Sandy Springs woman invents recovery tool

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — When Dawn Clements was 23 years old and pregnant with her first child, she herniated five discs in her back. It’s a pain Clements remembers vividly decades later, and it’s what inspired her to invent the Fit Buddy.

The Fit Buddy looks unassuming. It’s curved, with a pointed edge on one side. Despite its simplicity, the fitness tool has over 20 applications for muscle tension, recovery, mobility and flexibility.

The packaging shows a few of the uses, like standing on the curved wood to stretch calf muscles or putting the point of the tool into the palm of the hand. Clements uses the Fit Buddy every day to massage her body.

After Clements herniated the discs in her back, she spent years looking for a solution. Surgery at the time was too high risk, and she got dismissed from physical therapy for not making progress. Clements then started looking at alternatives to traditional medicine.

It was years before Clements really improved. She credits her chiropractor, swimming and massage as helping her improve. Yet at 46 and 47, Clements reherniated her back.

“I went to see this chiropractor, and he said, ‘You need to take a rock or as a stick that has a rounded end, and you need to just press it into you,” Clements said.

She also started going to Korean yoga, where she used a wooden tool in class to stretch out her muscles.

“I just thought it would be so cool if it was well designed because I would use it in classes, and I just loved it,” Clements said. “I thought I could design one that’s better, with a point to get into that area myself.”

Once she had the idea, Clements dove into meetings with chiropractors, physical therapists, personal trainers and doctors to figure out the best design and use for the tool. She wanted it to be as functional as possible

“It was going in finding more ways to use it, finding what they liked and didn’t like,” Clements said.

She would create prototypes with Styrofoam and shape it using a hot knife, going through numerous iterations of the tool before she settled on her favorite. She created the first official model in 2016 with a woodworker.

The result was lightweight wooden tool called the Fit Buddy, an easy to transport companion for any moment.

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Creating the product was one thing, with multiple roadblocks and three different manufacturers. Clements had to learn how to manage production, quality control and the work of a new business.

Selling the product was a new challenge entirely.

Clements sold one of her first Fit Buddies to a friend on her tennis team, Alyson Rogers. They’ve been playing tennis together for close to 15 years, and Rogers went to the yoga classes where Clements got her inspiration.

“I mean it’s pretty amazing, honestly,” Rogers said. “I was proud of her and kind of admired her tenacity.”

Clements started taking her product anywhere she could, targeting people she knew dealt with pain and muscle tension.

“Before COVID-19, I would go into gyms and studios and I would have a banner and a mat,” Clements said. “I would also go to Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and corporate events.”

Clements said flight attendants were a major focus when she designed the product. She knew they dealt with stiff and sore muscles and wanted to ensure the Fit Buddy could fit easily in a carryon.

She also wanted it to be accessible in exercise spaces. Clements eventually got her product into a gym used by players from the National Football League and the National Basketball Association. Soon enough, they started using her products.

Before the onset of COVID-19, Clements taught classes where she would demonstrate how to use the tool.

“It’s pretty awesome watching her get out there and telling people about it,” Rogers said.

Clements said even in casual interactions, she can tell when someone is an athlete or deals with chronic pain. She’ll strike up conversation to introduce

the Fit Buddy to them.

“If people are professional athletes, a lot of it is in the way they carry their body and make eye contact,” Clements said.

With one athlete, after a brief conversation, he showed her even more ways to use the tool — something Clements said is a frequent occurrence.

“I’m an extrovert, and I love to talk to people,” Clements said. “I love to learn.”

Clements patented the design for the Fit Buddy in 2019, but she still works on the product.

“She’s still tweaking it along the way,” Rogers said.

Clements said she’s open to learning about new uses for the Fit Buddy. She’s also had to learn a lot about running a business. With a degree in communications, a lot of her education happened as she began her business, or with a women entrepreneur program she joined.

Now, decades after her herniated discs and years from the idea for the Fit Buddy, Clements said she has at least 1,000 Fit Buddies in circulation. It’s a number she only hopes will grow over time.

“I would love to get it into the gyms where the Atlanta Falcons or Hawks or working out,” Clements said, “to actually do a workshop with the athletes.”

Sitting in her office, Fit Buddy in hand, Clements reflected on what’s motivated her through the years of work.

“My father always said I was resourceful and tenacious,” Clements said. “I think that’s benefitted me because it’s ingrained in my mind that I’m resourceful and tenacious, and you have to be in business.”

DELANEY TARR/APPEN MEDIA

Clements demonstrates how to use the Fit Buddy to help with hand pain, rotating her palm on the rounded point of the tool.

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STUDIO SERIES: GLENN PHILLIPS BAND

What: Admired by Frank Zappa and R.E.M. alike, Glenn Phillips’s guitar skills have brought him a long way from the local Hampton Grease Band. He has played with everyone from Bo Diddley to Talking Heads. His music defies classification and is widely praised for its emotional impact.

When: Thursday, Dec. 29, 8 p.m.

JUST FOR FUN:

WINTER PUPPET SERIES: HOLIDAY PUNCH

What: A fast paced, fun-filled show featuring fabulous puppets performing fantastic feats. Marionettes, hand puppets, shadow puppets, blacklight puppets, rod puppets and more will sing, dance and perform tricks that will have you laughing and shouting for more.

When: Thursday, Dec. 22, 10 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St, Roswell Cost: $10, ages 2 and under are free More info: roswellgov.com

‘TROLLS’ AT AURORA CINEPLEX

What: Enjoy $3 Winter Family Flicks at Aurora Cineplex for the Christmas break with a showing of the movie “Trolls.” This holiday season, enter a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach. When: Dec. 26 - Jan. 2, 10 a.m. Where: Aurora Cineplex, 5100 Commerce Parkway, Roswell Cost: $3 More info: visitroswellga.com

LOCAL NEWS

Where: Byers Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs Cost: Tickets start at $40; For the after-party, tickets start at $55 More info: sandyspringsga.gov

NEW YEARS EVE AT GATE CITY

What: Head to Gate City for food, friends and fun to say goodbye to 2022. Gate City will be partying with 18 beers on tap and seasonal craft cocktails. DJ Bryan Dale will be playing from 9pm-1am. Frybaby ATL will be on site from 2-8pm. When: Saturday, Dec. 31, 12pm - 1 a.m.

Where: Gate City, 43 Magnolia Street, Roswell More info: gatecitybrewingcompany. com

ANGEL BAR CHRISTMAS POP-UP

What: The FTE Christmas Pop-up Bar spreads holiday cheer and plenty of booze in the form of yuletide-themed cocktails. Adorned with an explosion of tinsel, ribbon, and countless other Christmas touches, our bar is dedicated to celebrating in the spirit of the holidays. Please wear your ugly/ tacky Christmas sweaters or outfits. Bring the family and celebrate like the Griswold’s.

When: Up to Dec. 31, times vary Where: From the Earth, 1570 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell More info: ftebrewing.com

Did

Where: Studio Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs Cost: Tickets start at $20 More info: sandyspringsga.gov Then imagine the number of other readers that noticed it too! Advertise your products and services in our newspapers and get noticed by our 262,500 readers every week in North Atlanta.* CONTACT YOUR MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE TODAY! 770-442-3278

NEW YEAR’S EVE SWINGIN’ PARTY WITH JOE GRANSDEN & FRANCINE REED

What: Georgia Music Hall of Famer Francine Reed is back, and she’s on Byers Theatre stage with big-band leader and Sandy Springs native Joe Gransden. On New Year’s Eve, they’ll have you swinging into the new year with holiday favorites, along with Gransden’s 16-piece band. There’s an after-party in the Studio Theatre with dancing and other entertainment, light bites and desserts, and a toast at midnight.

When: Saturday, Dec. 31, 8 p.m.

ENCHANTED WOODLAND TRAIL

What: The fairies and gnomes have been busy building whimsical houses along Chattahoochee Nature Center’s forested trails. Slow down as you search for houses made from tiny natural objects. Take notice of the beautiful and enchanting features of the winter woods.

When: Up to Feb. 28, open daily except for December 24-26 and January 1-3 Where: Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell Cost: $15 for adults More info: chattnaturecenter.org

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OPINION

Christmas with Charlie and Myrtice Blackburn

Davis and her husband Manget Davis lived in this same house.

Myrtice Loyd was part of a family that also went by the name Lord. Genealogy records found on ancestry.com show that the family is documented as Lord in census and other records. However, the gravestones of Myrtice’ parents bear the name Loyd.

VALERIE

BIGGERSTAFF

In the last Past Tense, I shared some of the story of Charlie and Myrtice Blackburn as told in the 1978 Dunwoody Crier article, “A Life Shared and Times Remembered.” Every year they celebrated Christmas and their wedding anniversary because they married Dec. 24, 1922.

Their marriage took place at the Dunwoody Methodist Church parsonage, the home of the church minister. The parsonage sat where Dunwoody United Methodist Church is today. The church building was on the other side of Mount Vernon Road. There were only two churches in Dunwoody, the Methodist and Baptist, both small wood buildings.

Myrtice Loyd was born in 1899 and Charlie was born in 1904. He lived most of his life in Dunwoody but lived in Atlanta a few years as a child. Charlie recalled the train trip his family would take to visit his grandparents Calhoun and Mary Jane Copeland Spruill for Christmas.

Charlie Blackburn’s family rode the Air-Line Belle from Atlanta to Chamblee. From there they boarded the engine known as Buck, which was part of the Roswell Railroad. The route of the Roswell Railroad was from Chamblee through Dunwoody and on to the Roswell Depot, just south of the Chattahoochee River.

Grandfather Spruill would meet the family at the Dunwoody Depot. It was usually night when they arrived, and Spruill would carry a lantern to guide everyone to the family home on Chamblee Dunwoody Road, just south of Mount Vernon Road. In later years, Dunwoody School principal Elizabeth

Charlie and Myrtice Blackburn both shared that their Christmas morning presents consisted of an apple or orange and a small toy. Some years there might be a peppermint stick. Only the children received presents. The couple also recalled that there was a Christmas tree at the church in those days, but no one had a tree in their home. The one at the church was cut on Christmas Eve and decorated before church that night.

A big dinner was served on Christmas Day, with ham, chicken, homemade cakes and pies. Everything was cooked on a wood-burning stove. Charlie explained how dinner was served at noon, elaborating, “Some high-falootin people call supper dinner, but that’s not right.”

Charlie died in 1984 and Myrtice in 1987. They are both buried in the historic New Hope Cemetery along Chamblee Dunwoody Road just north of Dunwoody Village Parkway.

The next Past Tense will feature more history of the Air-Line Belle and Nancy Hanks engines and their importance for traveling during the holidays, both for visiting family and for shopping in Atlanta. If you have memories of these trains, please share them by email.

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

PROVIDED

This 1925 photo includes five generations of Charlie Blackburn’s family. Beginning on the bottom right corner is great grandmother Salina Copeland, bottom left is grandmother Mary Jane Copeland Spruill holding Edward Blackburn (Charlie and Myrtice Blackburn’s son), top left is mother Eliza Spruill Blackburn, and top right is Charlie Blackburn.

The poetry of moving water

I went walking the other day along Amicalola Creek in Dawson County, and it was nice. You should do it too. It was the first time I’ve been walking like that in a while, and it made me realize I’ve missed it. Rediscovery can be good for the soul. It can.

poem writing thing turns out to be a remarkably effective way to crystallize thoughts and bring clarity to one’s mind.

STEVE HUDSON Get Outside Georgia, aa4bw@comcast.net

Lately I’ve been doing something else again that I haven’t done in a long, long time. I’ve been sitting down with a pad of paper and a ballpoint pen and (are you ready for this?) rediscovering just how much fun it can be to writing poetry.

Yes, poetry.

But what, precisely, is poetry? I asked the Interweb for definition. Most all the sources agreed that poems are a highly developed and often sophisticated literary form that uses focused language and elements of rhythm to creatively express emotion or feeling.

Highly developed sophistication… focused…creative. Yep, that’s me. All that notwithstanding, this

THE INK PENN

It’s not like regular writing. Not at all. If I write some sort of “long form prose” (that’s writer talk for rambling on and on, kind of like I’m doing now) then I’ve got lots of words to play with and can pretty much go wherever I want to, at least until the laptop’s battery dies or Carl over at the paper sends me a note and says that, no, there really isn’t space to run a 26,000-word column on the subtle beauty of such-and-such a waterfall.

With a poem, on the other hand, you’ve got fewer words to work with, and so every one really counts. You’ve got to choose them carefully. You’ve got to choose lots of things carefully in life, of course, and I suppose it’s possible that word choice when writing poems is good practice for the bigger choices that sometimes come along.

And if you really get carried away with the whole poetry thing, you can even self-impose various limits that focus you even more. You could, for example, tell yourself that you’re gonna write a “haiku,” a kind of

poem written in three phrases with a total of 17 syllables. Just 17.

We poet types know about these things. Aren’t you impressed?

Let me tell you, that’s not a lot of syllables. With only 17 to play with, things like rhyme and meter and all that just sort of go out the window. What’s left is essence, essential meaning, the real and true heart of what you’re trying to say.

“But that’s still too easy,” she says. “Want a real challenge? Try doing it in six words.”

Six words? Only six?

“Yes,” she says. “And those six words must tell a story.”

The six-word story, she tells me, is a real thing. I am intrigued.

“Tell me more,” I say. “Give me an example.”

“OK,” she says.

She pauses then, and turns her eyes away, considering, composing. Then at last she looks at me again and says, her voice a little softer, “I find myself finding myself again.”

“Like that,” she says after a moment. “Six words.”

And now I’m walking beside Amicalola Creek. It’s early November. Delayed Harvest trout season has begun. The Ami, as they call it, is a

good Delayed Harvest stream, a nice place to fish, and I’ve ended up at the access point near the Georgia 53 bridge – ostensibly to check out the water for a future edition of this column.

I make my way to the creekside trail. If I turn right, I’ll follow the flow upstream, walking along water that I’ve fished so many times before.

But I turn left instead. I follow the boardwalk downstream, away from what is so familiar, away from those waters I fished for so many years. I pass under the Highway 53 bridge, moving now beyond the road that brought me here.

I keep going. The creek grows more excited, more animated, gathering intensity –

I stop and listen. I listen to the poetry of moving water, the free verse of rapids, the haiku of riffles, and the six-word stories of each little splashing cascade.

Again, I hear in my mind’s ear her voice.

“I find myself finding myself again.”

I sit down on a rock. The music of the creek embraces me, and I listen.

Take a trip to Brittany in two books

I was fortunate enough to visit Normandy in 2014 but the closest I got to Brittany was having a tour guide on my cycling trip whose family owned a farm there. It’s long been my practice to find and read works of fiction—especially mysteries—set in the locales I plan to visit, and that’s how I stumbled across this author years ago. I’ve read the earlier books in the series and was tickled to find the most recent one at the library.

“The Granite Coast” by Jean-Luc Bannalec

When I stumbled across Book seven in the series, I brought it

home and immediately logged onto the library website to reserve this one—Book six. I prefer to read a series in order when I can.

This one was a delight. Who knew there were so many very different locales in Brittany? The author splits his time between Germany and France and someone else translates his books into English. Every book is like a virtual vacation. In this one, Commissaire Dupin is taking a forced vacation with his girlfriend and is trying mightily to relax. Of course, his boredom is relieved by a murder and several lesser mysteries in the picturesque village on the Granite Coast. Read it for the descriptions of the pink granite. Read it for the murder mystery. Read it for the evolving relationships. You won’t be disappointed.

“The King Arthur Case” by JeanLuc Bannalec

OMG. As a King Arthur addict and Bannalec fan, how could I go wrong with this book? Arthurian legend and a murder mystery all in one made this an entertaining page-turner for me.

Visit yet another locale in Brittany when Commissaire Dupin and his team take a field trip to the Forest of Broceliande, the setting for “the legend of all legends,” that of King Arthur as told by Chretien de Troyes. When Dupin discovers the body of a scholar on their first stop, the field trip quickly turns to the business of finding the murderer, and just as quickly, the body count grows.

Woven throughout the modernday mystery are tales of the Knights of the Round Table. As are all Bannalec’s mysteries, this one is

filled with twists and turns, good food, and good wine. Read it for the intrigue and the fairy tale legend and come away hungry! I also came away with the urge to visit Brittany--as I always do when I read this series.

If you’re intrigued, I suggest you start with Book one—“Death in Brittany.” I recall being fascinated by the descriptions of the shoreline and the famous painters who visited the locale in the days of old. I love learning things when I read fiction, and in these books, I always do.

Award-winning author Kathy Manos Penn is a Sandy Springs resident. Find her cozy mysteries locally at The Enchanted Forest in Dunwoody and Bookmiser in East Cobb or on Amazon. Contact her at inkpenn119@gmail.com, and follow her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ KathyManosPennAuthor/.

KATHY MANOS PENN The Ink Penn, inkpenn119@gmail.com

OPINION

Christmas trees and heroes

In honor of the holiday season this week’s column will explore the transition of one man from combat pilot to successful Christmas tree farmer.

Born in San Jose, California, Gordon Hunter attended UCLA on a Naval ROTC scholarship. After graduation in 1964 he was sent to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, where two years later he earned his wings. He soon found himself in the middle of the Vietnam War aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin. There he piloted an A4 Skyhawk, a nimble delta-wing single pilot attack bomber. Skyhawks logged more missions in Vietnam than any other naval aircraft, and 195 carrier based Skyhawks were shot down during the war with their hero pilots either killed or taken captive.

about Christmas tree farming, Gordon did research and concluded that growing trees would be a good family business and a way to generate income to pay for their four daughters’ college expenses. He and Brooke planted some 200-300 Virginia Pine trees and nurtured them during their 4-5 year growing cycle and opened for business the day after Thanksgiving in 1990.

BOB MEYERS Columnist bobmey@bellsouth.net

Gordon served three deployments in Vietnam, flying nearly 300 combat missions. Gordon said during one of his deployments they lost nearly one-third of their pilots, including the future U.S. Senator John McCain who spent five years in a North Vietnamese prison.

The day he was shot down started off like any other daily bombing run with a breakfast of bacon and eggs to be followed by a 90-minute mission over Hanoi. A formation of 20 A-4 bombers from Hunter’s squadron, VA-163, known as the “Saints,” supported by two fighter planes squadrons of F-8 Crusader aircraft made the run. Pilots knew that the target area was well defended by missiles and 50 and 57mm

DEATH NOTICES

Suzanne Blazovich, 81, of Alpharetta, passed away on December 11, 2022.

Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Helen Cox, 93, of Alpharetta, passed away on December 13, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Sara Fagundes, 87, of Roswell, passed away on December 11, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

heavy machine guns, any one of which could bring down a plane.

“You could usually avoid the surfaceto-air missiles if you could see them, but sadly, many did not,” Gordon said.

During his entire tour of duty his plane was hit only once by machine gun ground fire when a bullet lodged in the plane’s instrument panel.

After his Vietnam service, Gordon was assigned to be a Naval flight instructor at Lemoore Naval Air Station in California. One day he received a call from Delta Airlines. They needed pilots. Gordon

accepted their offer and spent the next 30 years as a Delta pilot.

Gordon and his wife Brooke lived in Stone Mountain which was convenient to the Atlanta airport. Having been a competitive sailor all his life, while in Stone Mountain Gordon operated a part-time sailboat business. He also served in a Naval Reserve squadron based at Naval Air Station Atlanta (now closed) which was co-based with Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta.

In 1983, Gordon and Brooke bought a piece of property and moved to Milton where they considered various ways of using the property. After reading an article

They bought an additional 100 Frazier fir trees, known for their fragrance, from North Carolina, trucking them to Georgia themselves. After experimenting with Virginia pine trees for several years, they switched to the naturally shaped and sturdy Leyland cypress trees. The current mix is about 200-300 Leyland cypress trees grown on the property and about 1,000 Frazier firs every year. The business is open to the public from Thanksgiving to mid-December.

For the Hunters, Christmas trees bring hope and light into the world and symbolize giving service to others, such as military service.

“The evergreen tree symbolizes eternal life and the spirit of Christ,” Gordon said.

Brooke’s background is also unusual for a Christmas tree farmer. She attended Brigham Young University for a year, spent a year of study abroad in Vienna, Austria, and then attended UCLA where she earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Modern Dance, the first degree of its kind in America. She taught dance at Fresno State University in California and Spellman College in Atlanta. She did choreography in local schools in north Georgia, and of course, she trimmed many trees. The business is now run by their daughters while Gordon and Brooke divide their time between Georgia and Florida.

Veronica Genito, 60, of Milton, passed away on December 6, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Catherine Lindsey, 90, of Alpharetta, passed away on December 11, 2022.

Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Rosalie MacLaren, 98, of Alpharetta, passed away on December 8, 2022.

Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Michael Pannell, 42, of Roswell, passed away on December 7, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Linda Varni, 73, of Milton, passed away on December 7, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Betsy Whitley, 92, of Sandy Springs, passed away on December 10, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

The tradition of modern Christmas trees is often traced back to 16th-century Germany, although evergreens were used in pre-Christian times at the winter solstice to remind people of the coming spring. The winter solstice, the first day of winter, is also the shortest day of the year. This year, it falls on Wednesday, Dec. 21, when the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun. On that date we will have eight hours and 46 minutes of daylight.

Christmas trees were generally restricted to Europe until the use of decorated trees by Queen Victoria and her German born husband Prince Albert was popularized in the American press in the mid-1850s. We can thank the Victorian

of the Milton

City of

era for several important Christmas traditions such as Christmas cards and the decorated Christmas tree.

Bob is director emeritus

Historical Society and a Member of the

Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net.

LESLIE WATSON/PROVIDED People attending the events at the Hunter Christmas Tree Farm can donate gifts to North Fulton Charities. The farm sells trees from Thanksgiving to midDecember.

FAMILY/PROVIDED

LtCdr Gordon Hunter is pictured standing on his Navy A-4 Skyhawk light bomber aboard the aircraft carrier Oriskany off the coast of Viet Nam. Hunter flew nearly 300 combat missions in Viet Nam. 1967.

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON TIP YOUR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY PERSON

This holiday season, consider giving your newspaper delivery person a tip for their weekly delivery of the free community newspaper to your driveway. These folks work hard to make sure you are informed of all the local happenings, rain or shine, week in and week out.

Importantly, at Appen Media, we have always been intentional about our desire to keep delivery of our newspapers free. That said, it would mean the world to us if you would consider tipping your newspaper delivery person so that they will have a little extra money for the holiday season.

If you can help us help these amazing people, we promise to keep delivering high quality news to your driveway, for free, every week. Free home delivery of 105,000 homes is hard work –and we couldn’t do it without our amazing delivery folks.

How you can give your delivery person a tip:

We have created an online portal at www.appenmedia.com/deliverytip.

100% of every dollar you contribute will be spread out evenly between the 24 newspaper delivery people that Appen Media employs. Whether you give $5 or $50, they will greatly appreciate it.

If you prefer, you can also mail a check made out to “Appen Media Group C/O Newspaper Delivery Tip” to 319 North Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.