CITIZEN Est. 1988 Covering Snellville, Lawrenceville, Grayson, Loganville
Vol. 31 No. 1
Local book award page 3
Perfect attendance page 8
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Maintaining for 147 years...
NOVEMBER 2018
By Julie Thompson GwinnettCitizen.com Although Gwinnet County is home to many old buildings, it’s not common to find an establishment that has maintained both its name and property for more than 100 years. In this way, the 147-year old Yellow River Baptist Church is unusual. Yellow River was founded in 1871 during the Reconstruction period. Attempting to recover from the Civil War, a group of local farmers decided what the people needed was a church. They erected a small wooden structure on Five Forks Trickum Rd, which was then just an old wagon trail back then, hardly knowing the church would endure an entire century and some odd decades. Today, Yellow River’s congregation consists of nearly 250 regular attending members. And the church campus includes four buildings, all of which have been renovated in the past eight years. While the buildings have followed the
See YELLOW on Page 30
Herniated discs page 21
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Photo by Emmett Clower
(L-R) Seated Lucy Phillips, Standing (L-R) Ann Britt, Rev Mark Davis, Senior Pastor Kevin L. Creasman, Lucille Holland. Lucy and Lucille are twins.
Alton C. Crews Middle Standards and Classics School student’s “R2Concert Series begins Knee2” wins hospital’s this Christmas Name Our Robot contest
School counselor of the year page 29
INSIDE Picture Perfect 4 Gwinnett Pulse 6 Spiritual 10 & 15 Road Runner 16 Health & Wellness 18 Classifieds 26 PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ABC DIRECT ECR-WSS POSTAL CUSTOMER
Special Photo
Eastside Senior Team awarding Alton C. Crews Middle School principal and winning student Shayda Torab with $500 donation to their school in honor of this accomplishment. L-R: Dr. Stephen Higgins, Eastside Medical Center Chief Medical Officer, Amy Wheeler, Eastside Medical Center Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Omar Hadi, Mako Trained Orthopedic Surgeon at Eastside Medical Center, Dr. Stacey Schepens, Alton C. Crews Middle School Principal, Shayda Torab, Eastside Name Our Robot Contest Winner, Trent Lind, Eastside Medical Center Chief Executive Officer, Chad Lockhart, Eastside Medical Center Chief Operating Officer
By Staff Reports Eastside Medical Center celebrated the addition of the hospital’s new surgical robot, the Mako System robotic-arm, with an open house, ribbon cutting, and Name Our Robot awards ceremony on Thursday, October 25 at their main
hospital located at 1700 Medical Way in Snellville. Attendees included hospital leaders, community leaders, chamber members, and Gwinnett and Walton County middle school principals, teachers, and students.
See ROBOT on Page 24
Special Photo
Allan Wiltshire and “The Andrews Sisters” (L-R: Leslie Pennington, Bonnie Pennington, Theresa Hawkins) perform Christmas Classics
By Tiffany Brix GwinnettCitizen.com Standards and Classics Concert SerMajor holidays are often a time that we not only celebrate but also reflect. We reflect on those similar moments and how they have evolved over our life. We reflect on the people around us. We reflect on who we miss the most who aren’t beside us for whatever reason. We reflect on what that holiday means to us.
Allan Wiltshire has an extra special gift of reflection to give us —The Standards and Classics Concert Series, a 1960s variety show-type concert with live covers of iconic music from the 40s, 50s, and 60s that celebrate the essence of each holiday. Standards and Classics of Christmas is the first installment of the series. Allan and Standards and Classics partnered with Eddie Owen Pres-
See CONCERT on Page 22