Front covers 1998

EAST COBBER Front Covers 1998 January 1998: Sam Olens February 1998: Kaley Babbin March 1998: Kessel Stelling April 1998: Pat Cleary May 1998: Amanda Burke June/July 1998: Michael Cox and children, Marlee and Mason August 1998: John Kerwood September: 1998: Cherie Eastburn and Marty Berry October: 1998: 5 Year Anniversary Edition November 1998: George Kurpis December 1998: Linda Payton

Cover Photos taken by Michael Drewitz

January 1998: Sam Olens Sam Olens is this year’s annual recipient of the East Cobb Citizen-of-the-year award. This award is cosponsored by the East Cobb Division of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, the East Cobb Civitans, East Cobb Kiwanis, East Cobb Optimist, East Cobb Rotary Club and East Cobb Lions Club. The award winner has made some impact on the East Cobb area and must live and/or work here.

An East Cobber for 10 years, Sam has been very active in the East Cobb Civic Association. For the past six years he has been president of this association of 100 East Cobb homeowners’ associations that monitors local zonings and lobbies for/against their approval.

Sam shares his thoughts on becoming ‘Citizen of the Year,’ “…it is not an individual award, but reflects the hard work of the East Cobb Civic Association…this award is shared with them.”

Sam is also on the board of Safepath, Cobb County Athletic League and the Cobb County Housing Authority. He is also a member of Congregation Etz Chaim.

Sam Olens is a partner in the law firm, Rand, Ezor & Olens. He lives with his wife Lisa, his daughter, Lauren, 7, and son, Jonathan, 5, in Chadds Lake subdivision.

February 1998: Kaley Babbin Gracing the cover this month is Katey Babbin, a third-grader at Tritt Elementary School. Like so many other children, Katey has discovered a sport and is committed to do her best.

She first visited Parkaire Ice Arena when she was three years old. Since then she has taken lessons which now have evolved into coaching sessions with Cindy McConn. (Cindy’s daughter, Brittney, recently competed in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships) She has been skating competitively for one year and has earned gold medals in her age group in the skating contests she has entered. Katey says her favorite part about skating is the “jumps and spins.”

Katey enjoys the support of her whole family: her grandma, Patty Casper, her mother, Randy, father, Lep Babbin and her little brother, Robbie. In her spare time, she does her homework and helps her “mommy make dinner”.

March 1998: Kessel Stelling Kessel Stelling, Chairman and CEO of Riverside Bank, is on our cover this month. A prominent and respected businessman, Kessel is also well-known for his contributions to the non-profit community. He has served as president of the Cobb YMCA, a policy board member of the Regional Business Coalition, and was on the Development Authority of Cobb County. As the current Chairman of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce he defines his role as, “providing leadership… and to promote and strengthen the County’s economy.” According to Kessel, one of the best ways to promote the economy is to support the 1% tax for the schools and to continue the 1% Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) tax.

Kessel believes that his volunteer positions “have not been a burden… but a great way to get to know nice people, and make things happen….” On a professional level, he believes taking care of the health of the community leads to the health of his business.

Kessel has lived in East Cobb for 17 years with his wife, Carol. Their son Carl attends Dickerson Middle School and other son, Drew, 9, attends Timber Ridge Elementary School.

April 1998: Pat Cleary This month’s cover photograph is of Pat Cleary, president of the Marietta Council of Garden Clubs. She is pictures in front of the Marietta Educational Garden Center located at 505 Kennesaw Avenue in Marietta. In 1996, the Benson family donated their historical home and 31/2 acres for use as a garden center.

With 24 clubs and 725 members, Pat is busy coordinating flower shows, keeping up with administrative duties, and planning fundraising projects that ultimately promote the “love of gardening,” Currently in the middle of her two-year term, Pat says she has been working to “get the Council into the 21st century…” As president she believes she has had the “good fortune to meet so many lovely people and develop wonderful friendships.”

An East Cobb resident for the past 21 years, Pat lives in the Indian hills subdivision with her husband, John, and her 3 cats.

May 1998: Amanda Burke Amanda Burke, 36, was “shocked and very excited” when she heard she was EAST COBBER’s 1998 Mother of the Year. She decided to nominate herself because she wanted to “write and share her feelings about being a mother.” Amanda is pictured with her three children, Jake, 7, a first-grader at Mountain View Elementary School; Ally, 5, a kindergartner at Mountain View; and, Brock, 20 months.

Her Favorite Part about being a mom: “the hugs!” Her motherly advice: “... love ‘em as much as you can because they grow up so fast.”

Married for 9 1/2 years to Randy Burke, Amanda lives in the North Hampton subdivision.

A one-year resident of East Cobb, she “can’t say enough good things about living in East Cobb... from the great schools to the nice neighborhoods.”

June/July 1998: Michael Cox and children, Marlee and Mason To celebrate Father’s Day and the importance of fathers all year around, the EAST COBBER features the winner of the 1998 Father of the Year essay contest, Michael Cox. Thanks to his wife’s excellent essay, Michael was “blown away” when he was told he was designated as a “Father of the Year.” Michael is the proud father of Marlee, 6 1/2, and Mason, 3 1/2, and another child on the way! His favorite part of being a dad is “the unconditional love his children display.” He makes “absolutely sure that one-on-one time is made for each child every day.”

An East Cobber for 14 years, and married to his wife, Lisa, for 12 years, Michael and his family live in Inman Park subdivision.

August 1998: John Kerwood John Kerwood, president and CEO of Feed the Hungry Foundation is on our front cover this month. In 1986, John was asked to head this non-profit organization. “After spending my life doing for me, I decided to give myself... to help my community.� During his tenure Feed the Hungry was expanded from operating on a part-time, Christmas outreach project to a fulltime year-round organization offering food donations, a job bank and other services to 5 countries throughout the metro Atlanta area.

John lives in the Chastain Lakes subdivision with his wife Lynne. He has two grown sons, Jeff, 24, and John, 26. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of East Cobb and East Side Baptist Church.

September 1998: Cherie Eastburn and Marty Berry East Cobb County would not enjoy such a fine reputation for its top-notch schools if it were not for each of the school’s PTAs. Leading the 34 PTAs as co-presidents of the Eastern Cobb County Council (ECCC) of PTAs, are Cherie Eastburn and Marty Berry. “This is not your mother’s PTA!” says Marty Berry. “Lobbying local and state government, dealing with substance abuse problems, and sponsoring parenting programs are just a few ways our PTAs have gone beyond serving cookies at Open Houses.” This year’s ECCC focus is “encouraging community connections for children.” As Cherie explains, “we will be encouraging local businesses and clubs to volunteer at the schools.”

An East Cobber for 10 years, Cherie lives in the Sentinel Lake subdivision with her husband, John and 2 daughters, Amanda, 17, and Meredith, 15. Both girls attend Wheeler High School. Marty has lived in East Cobb for 14 years. She lives in the Piedmont Chase subdivision with her husband Brian, and 2 daughters, Sara, 11, who attends Simpson Middle School and Erin, 8, who attends Kincaid Elementary School.

October 1998: 5 Year Anniversary Edition To commemorate our five years of publishing, the cover design features some of our previous cover people. Spliced in the middle are photos from the annual EAST COBB Parade and Festival-- a community tradition the EAST COBBER is proud to have started four years ago.

All of the people spotlighted on the front cover are selected based on their contributions to the quality of life in East Cobb. Here are a select few on this month’s cover: top row (I-r): Tom McCleskey, Executive Director, Cobb County YMCA; Debbie Coleman, EAST COBBER’s Mother of the Year 1996; Steven Byess, Director of the Cobb County Symphony Orchestra; Spin Baker. Bottom row (I-r): Yvonne Williams, President of Cobb County Chamber of Commerce; Kessel Stelling, President of Riverside Bank; Michael Cox, EAST COBBER Father of the Year 1998; Cathy Henson, President of the Georgia PTA.

November 1998: George Kurpis Veterans Day, celebrated every November 11, has been set aside as a day to remember the sacrifices men and women made during wars to ensure peace and freedom. Appropriately, this month’s cover has been set aside for one of those twentieth century war heroes that live among us: George Kurpis.

It was early morning, December 7, 1941. As the sun was beginning to rise in Oahu, Hawaii, a fleet of Japanese naval air forces bombed Pearl Harbor. Of the approximately 100 U.S. Navy ships present in the harbor that day, eight battleships were damaged and five sunk—one of those sunk was the USS West Virginia. George Kurpis was stationed on the USS West Virginia. Still in his teens at the time, the 76 year-old veteran says he learned a valuable lesson, “…God must have had a good reason to save me and I have always helped others…”

An East Cobber for 13 years, George says he believes the best part about East Cobb is the “friendly people” and the variety of activities for senior citizens.

George lives in the Rio Montana subdivision with Helen, his wife of 53 years. He has two grown children and two grandchildren. He enjoys gardening and participates in an aerobics class twice a week.

December 1998: Linda Payton A hallmark of ever holiday season is the multitude of volunteers standing beside red kettles ringing bells is front of stores. Pictured on our front cover is Captain Linda Payton, kettle drive coordinator for the Marietta/Cobb Salvation Army. Last year, the Red Kettle drive collected $92,000 in Cobb County. (Incidentally, one of the most productive spots was in East Cobb at the Target store, corner of Sandy Plains and Shallowford.) “I enjoy seeing the faces of the grateful people when they are helped by the red kettle funds,” says Captain Payton. The Marietta/Cobb Salvation Army will provide approximately 650 families with Christmas dinners, toys, and food baskets. The Salvation Army also operates a community dinner, offers camping programs, and helps those in financial need throughout the year.

As an ordained minister and officer of the church, Captain Payton receives no salary. Captain Payton explains, “This is not just a job... God has led me to do this...” She lives in East Cobb in a home provided by The Salvation Army.