Moxie

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SPRING|2016

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Winter 2015

Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Braselton is proud to share exciting news about the opening of our new obstetrical suites, due October 2016.

Our newest addition features 10 state-of-the-art labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) rooms, allowing mothers the comfort of staying in the same room throughout their visit.

Are you expecting, too? Celebrate with us by sharing your ultrasound or pregnancy announcement on social media.

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We’ll be spending the next few months planning every special detail for our expectant moms and newest babies. Because at NGMC, we understand that no two are the same.

Visit nghs.com/braseltonbaby or call 770-824-3168 to find an obstetrician delivering in Braselton. celebrating women of north georgia

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on the cover

Dixie Truelove works tirelessly to make her dairy farm a success, while also taking time to enjoy the little things life has to offer.

table of contents Moxie is a publication of The Times, 345 Green St., Gainesville, Ga. A Morris Multimedia Inc. property.

Charlotte Atkins Publisher

Portrait Showcase

Norman Baggs General Manager

8 women, 8 stories to tell. Capturing their spirit through the lens and showing sides of them not all get to see.

Keith Albertson Editor

08| Catiel Felts

32| Kingsley Peeples

10| Valerie Walston

40| Kit Dunlap

22| Deborah Mack

50| Martha Nesbitt

28| Dixie Truelove

52| Amanda McClure

Michelle Boaen Jameson Art Director Steven Welch Creative Director Scott Rogers Staff photographer Erin O. Smith Staff photographer

She Said Questions No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Morris Multimedia Inc.

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We asked, they answered. Peppered throughout Moxie are little insights from area women — everything from what their greatest satisfactions are, biggest fears and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Spring 2016

Lifestyles

12| Bon Appétit, Y’all Learning by doing: Kids in the kitchen.

The best way for your children to gain culinary skills is first-hand experience.

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14| Better Than Eating Out Breakfast burritos and parfaits make the perfect morning meal.

26| For the Health of It Medically supervised ‘extreme’ weight loss is a benefit for those looking to shed pounds.

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Making a difference United Way brings Hall County together.

They’ve got moxie

18| Moms with Moxie MOMS Club shares wisdom, offers fellowship.

20| Healthy Partnership Hospital CEO, board chair reflect on decade of achievement.

30| Historical Moxie Helen Dortch Longstreet: Gainesville’s ‘fighting lady’ an advocate for many causes.

36| Brava Lessie Smithgall is Gainesville’s matriarch of the arts.

42| Minding her Moxie Moments Go Red event raises awareness for heart disease, and Bridal events showcase North Georgia wedding options. celebrating women of north georgia

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own business Teryl Worster infuses fitness passion into spa industry.

44| 50 plus & fabulous Betty Norton was first female in area to ger real estate license.

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Publisher’s Musings

Celebrating women in leadership There are as many forms of leadership as there are people in those roles. Some are charismatic firebrands while others take a quieter, more thoughtful approach. Most fall in the spectrum in-between.

But effective leadership is paramount whether building a prosperous business or guiding a meaningful community cause or shaping young minds.

In this edition of Moxie, we celebrate leadership and some of the women who exemplify the core traits needed to succeed and lead. They are leaders in business, in education and in community service. But they are just a sampling of the women leaders in North Georgia because there are too many to spotlight here, though we plan to keep doing so in coming editions.

That’s because we are blessed to have many women in key positions here. Martha Nesbitt, president emeritus of Gainesville State College, puts it this way: “We have a large percentage of women CEOs, vice presidents, judges, leaders of nonprofits, managers and volunteers who have made a tremendous difference in helping make this such a great place to live and work.”

Indeed. And you don’t have to have a top title to be a leader. Those in middle manager and front-line positions often wield the greatest influence in guiding others.

It’s vital as women that we cultivate, mentor and support other women in their leadership growth and development. Those of us in executive positions need to pay it forward to make sure we are lifting up those who show talent, tenacity and potential.

We have the opportunity to be divine connections in their journeys to success.

So pay attention to those women and men who can have impact. The most successful leaders are those who are surrounded by others who are empowered and confident to take the lead on their tasks

or teams’ goals.

You will find examples of leadership throughout the features in this spring edition of Moxie.

Certainly our showcase portraits shine the light on strong leaders.

In 50-Plus and Fabulous we celebrate Betty Norton, our local “queen of real estate” who has been a trailblazer and mentor with unparalleled grace.

Then in Brava there’s Lessie Smithgall, with multiple legacies as co-founder of The Times with her late beloved husband Charles and benefactor for the creation of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Gainesville. She also has left her mark on the arts and culture.

Approaching 105, she is a matriarch of the arts in North Georgia.

And while both of those ladies are grand dames in our community, leadership does not always come with acclaim. Mothers, teachers, volunteers, family and peers all are influences who guide, nudge and cheer others to achievement.

I believe mightily that if those of us in leadership roles do so with a servant’s heart with a collaborative and nurturing spirit that we can cultivate great change where needed and manifest success where desired. But it takes hard work. Leading is not easy. It takes a willing spirit, thick skin, perseverance and a commitment to “do” ... not just delegate.

There are many examples and thoughts on leadership in these pages, from the front lines of service to the C suites. Let their words and actions inspire you and encourage you.

I’d like to share a couple of my favorite quotes about leadership from fellow

Southern ladies, one with charismatic moxie that I noted at the beginning and one more discrete yet influential.

Singer-songwriter Dolly Parton says, “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has this to say: “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”

We all are blessed with opportunities to lead in some way: at work, at home, in church, in community service and in daily life. It is no small thing to influence the lives and actions of others. And it usually takes a good dose of moxie!

| Publisher 6

Spring 2016

Catiel Felts

Molding a life, and a career

By Charlotte Atkins Catiel Felts, Gainesville’s communication and tourism director, is a mainstay after two decades with the city. But it was a job at a small radio station, WPLO on the square, that lured her to the Lake Lanier area in 1989. A couple of years later she moved to Radio Center.

Now she leads Gainesville’s governmental and destination messaging.

Naturally, she says that being “a good communicator” is vital for those in leadership, whether communication is in one’s title or not. Honesty and surrounding “myself with talented people” are also key traits.

“Relationships are everything,” she says.

That’s true in work and life. That’s why during her leisure time she loves to meet friends at the House of Clay in Braselton to throw pottery at a creative girls night out.

“I am such a perfectionist in the rest of my life. I love doing pottery because I just go with it and it doesn’t have to be perfect,” she said during a recent Thursday evening pottery session.

Jazzercise and computer Scrabble are also among her other after-hour pursuits.

Music is also a thread through her life.

“I am a music fanatic, loving everything from Barry Manilow

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to Pitbull,” Catiel shared. Being a songwriter would be her dream job and learning to play the piano is on her bucket list.

The most notable thing she’s checked off that list is traveling to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itzá in Mexico during the Winter Solstice in 2012.

“I could write a book on the colorful characters I met on the van ride from Cancun to the ruins!”

But it’s life at home in North Georgia that she relishes. “The view of the mountains, the trees, and the lake, but this is second to the Southern hospitality!”

Spending quality time with her family, which includes her two dogs “who rule our home,” is what anchors her.

“I have a squirrel sanctuary in my backyard. We feed the squirrels and the birds and pretty much anything that shows up.”

That said, she does have an eye toward the future that may involve an ocean instead of a lake nearby. “My husband and I are planning to retire to the beach in a few years.”

But until then, the city of Gainesville and its quality of life is the main message Catiel wants to deliver to local residents and visitors.

Spring 2016

Catiel Felts started doing pottery two years ago at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center. Now she’s a regular at the House of Clay in Braselton. It’s a creative and social outlet for this city leader.

Photo by Scott Rogers

celebrating women of north georgia

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Valerie Walston is able to live life boldly because she is firmly anchored in her faith. It allows her to be grounded even as she soars.

Photo by Scott Rogers

Valerie Walston

Working toward balance, spiritual growth

By Charlotte Atkins She’s bodacious and vivacious.

Contagious and tenacious.

And while many fear speaking in front of others, Valerie Walston has no fear of a microphone.

“I love, love, love, public speaking! I also love helping others plan presentations and prepare for speeches.”

Those who know Valerie know she has an ebullient personality. Even she calls herself an “extreme extrovert.” All those superlatives make her an engaging Dean of Students for Brenau University.

She embraces her boldness, saying it’s key to being an effective leader.

“Women who are leaders need to go out of their way to help other women to become leaders. If you see untapped leadership potential in another woman, tell her, encourage her and mentor her, so that she can reach her full potential professionally, personally, and spiritually.”

Transparency is part of Valerie’s leadership approach.

“We have all gone through difficult situations in our lives. It is so important to tell your story. There is another woman who may learn from your mistakes. It takes courage to be transparent,” she says.

Leadership also takes tenacity. “Get the job done with a level of excellence for which you can be proud. Work as hard as you can with a level of professionalism and determination that is contagious. Remember to be tenacious, but do it with love.”

And if you can do all that while maintaining balance, then you’re on to something, says Valerie.

“Life is short and it is important to live life well. Work is a major priority in my life, but my family and loved ones are far more important than work. When I am on my celebrating women of north georgia

deathbed, I don’t think I will be worrying about completing reports, responding to emails, overseeing the budget or any other work-related project. I just want my family and friends to know that I love them from the deepest place in my heart and I can hope that I have shown that love throughout my life.”

For balance, her personal pursuits include “Zumba, traveling, dolphin watching, collecting candles, going to the beach.”

Her community service resume includes WomenSource (past president), Habitat for Humanity, Toastmasters International and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

And her bucket list is a list of long and varied goals, some of which include finishing the degree she’s pursuing (“I understand why a doctorate is called a terminal degree.”); taking a cruise on one the largest cruise ships in the world; swimming with dolphins; establishing a college fund for first-generation women of color who are Pell eligible, willing to be mentored, with average GPAs. (“Sometimes the ordinary college student with an average GPA can turn out to be an extraordinary leader.”)

Her list goes on: Be a mom, after retirement be the lead usher in her church, convince her mother to move to Gainesville and own a boutique spa.

The top thing on her personal “to do” list is to get married and that is in the works.

“I am not married yet, but I feel blessed that James ‘finally put a ring on it.’ He is my muse. He inspires me, supports me, and encourages me,” says Valerie. “I am less fearful to take risk in life now that I have a great man by my side. He protects me, he prays with me and he is careful not to judge.”

Her faith is the cornerstone of her life.

And she has found her church family at St. John Baptist Church. It is there that Valerie came to know she was home.

“Eleven years ago when I moved to Gainesville, I did not know a soul. I am thankful for my Brenau family because Brenau connected me to Gainesville professionally,” said Valerie. “More importantly, when I visited St. John for the first time, I knew Gainesville was my home.

The St. John family welcomed me with open arms many years ago when I was a stranger to Gainesville and I still feel God’s love within the walls of my beloved church home!”

On the lobby wall of St. John are four words: Word. Worship. Witness. Work.

Valerie works. For Brenau. For WomenSource and other community service endeavors. For personal growth. But the basis of all that work and her leadership is not for personal glory or accolades.

“I have read tons of books on leadership and workplace management from which I have gained an abundance of knowledge.

Interestingly enough, the best advice has come from the Good Book.”

She says two scriptural references keep her grounded. Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.”

“In essence, we are working for the one who created us. I work everyday. I work on schoolwork. I work at home. I work at Brenau, I work in my community and I work to maintain a personal relationship.

It’s all a job. I feel encouraged and blessed when I am reminded for whom I am really working!

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Mary Ann Clever, a dietitian and diabetes educator with the Longstreet Clinic, teaches kids about nutrition during the Kids in the Kitchen event held at the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County building recently.

Photo by Erin O. Smith

Bon Appétit, Y’all Learning by doing: Kids in the Kitchen

By Pamela A. Keene The kids piled into the commercial kitchen at the Junior League of Gainesville headquarters on a cool Saturday morning, not sure what they’d find behind the swinging doors. Greeted

by Chef Tim Broxton, their eyes grew wide as he told them they would be fixing their own breakfast meals: parfaits and breakfast burritos.

It was part of the Kids in the Kitchen program hosted annually by the Junior League since 2009. This year the Junior League joined forces with WomenSource.

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“It just seemed like a natural partnership, because it’s our mission to help women of all ages and backgrounds achieve personal and professional success,” says Robyn Lynch, board member with WomenSource. “Our mission in Junior League is so similar, developing the potential of women through volunteerism,” continued Joy Banks, president of the Junior League.

“This is an opportunity for our two groups to work together to help kids learn good health and have fun making kid-

friendly nutritious breakfast items.”

More than 30 youngsters — the youngest age 5, the oldest pre-teen — gathered with parents and volunteers at this year’s Kids in the Kitchen for cooking lessons and wise words about healthy eating. Half of the group headed to the kitchen with Chef Tim; the other half participated in fun and games about nutrition in the classroom.

“Our goal is to help them learn about and make good food choices from all five food groups,” said Mary Ann Spring 2016

Clever, registered dietitian with the Longstreet Clinic, who presented information about good health and eating in an interactive format.

Halfway through the hourlong session, the groups traded places so everyone had a turn learning about foods and trying their skills in the kitchen.

About that cooking experience. Youngsters gathered around Chef Tim while he showed them their choices of ingredients: eggs and egg substitute, sliced American cheese, pre-cooked sausage and bacon, yogurt, fresh blueberries, granola, chocolate chips and chopped vegetables.

Then it was their turn to cook. Each was given a bowl to prepare the filling for a breakfast burrito using a soft flour tortilla, adding savory ingredients to a microwave-safe dish to cook for themselves — under the supervision of adults, of course.

Then they laid out their flour

tortillas, poured on the cooked ingredients, rolled them up and munched away at a quick, tasty and healthy breakfast.

“The key is to make something that’s easy and doesn’t take much time,” Chef Tim told the youngsters. “Many mornings everyone’s in a rush to get out the door, so having the ingredients prepared the night before makes it much simpler for all family members to start their day off with a good nutritious breakfast.”

While one kitchen group was making burritos, the other headed to the parfait bar where they were given clear plastic cups and free rein to create their own healthy parfait. Some began with a spoonful of yogurt; others started with berries or a sprinkle of cold cereal and granola.

“It’s completely up to you to create your own parfait,” he said. “Pretend you’re an artist and these are your paints. Be as

Eleuterio Miguel, 11, and Rosalinda Isabela Miguel, 4, get a hand while making parfaits.

artistic as you want and make it as unique as you.”

Mae Burnette, 7, her sister Annie, 5, and their mom Elizabeth chatted after the kitchen session.

“I loved making the parfaits,” Mae said.

“Both girls help out in our

kitchen at home, helping with mashing sweet potatoes, stirring eggs and pouring ingredients into bowls,” said Elizabeth, who grew up in the restaurant business. “I’ve been very intentional about all of us being (Continued on next page)

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Kid-friendly cooking Breakfast Burritos Ingredients Soft flour tortillas – one per person Eggs or egg substitute – one egg or 2 ounces of substitute per person Pre-cooked sausage Pre-cooked bacon Chopped vegetables, such as onions, sweet bell peppers Spinach or other leafy vegetables Slices of American cheese Other items as desired Mild salsa or ketchup for garnish Put egg into a small microwave-safe individual serving glass bowl Choose ingredients and combine with eggs.

Microwave for 30 seconds; stir; return to microwave for 20

to 30 additional seconds. (Leave dish in microwave for about a minute to cool.)

Put cooked ingredients onto the flour tortilla, garnish with salsa; roll up and eat.

Breakfast Parfaits Ingredients Any type of yogurt – plain, vanilla or with fruit Cold cereal, such as Rice Krispies, Honey Nut Oatmeal Squares or Cheerios Granola Fresh seasonal berries (blueberries, strawberries) Seasonal fruits, sliced, chopped or chunked Chocolate chips, sprinkles Start with an individual-sized cup or bowl. Choose and add favorite ingredients in layers in any order. Serve and eat.

(Continued from previous page)

Addison Peeples, 5, gets help while making a breakfast burrito during the Kids in the Kitchen event held at the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County building.

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together in the kitchen.”

Isabella Morrison, 7, helps her mom Patricia in the kitchen as well. Favorite foods they cook include brownies, pancakes and cookies.

“I get to beat the eggs,” Isabella said.

“I’ve always had her in the kitchen with me, and we love cooking together and want to learn even more healthy ways to cook,” Patricia said.

“I also want her to realize that marshmallows and candy aren’t the only food groups,” she added with a laugh.

The morning was judged a success by parents, youngsters and organizers. Both groups sponsor regular events and activities in the community to support their missions.

“Programs like Kids in the Kitchen are good ways to encourage families to spend time together and learn about good health,” said Lynch.

“We want people to learn to make good food choices so that they will grow well and be healthy.”

Spring 2016

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Natalia Duteau helps Mariana Deteau, 1, during MOMS Club of Gainesville at Michael’s in Gainesville. The group gets together for play dates, crafts, ladies nights out and more.

Photos by Erin O. Smith

Moms with Moxie MOMS Club shares wisdom, offers fellowship

By Pamela A. Keene

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First-time moms often yearn for answers to the many questions they have after the birth of a baby, concerns that pop up several times a day and may seem too trivial to ask their doctors. And sometimes they can feel lonely with very little adult interaction during the day as stay-at-home moms.

“For a first-time mom, having someone to call in the middle of the night to ease your mind is such a comfort,” says Christina Walters, mother of 3-year-old Ava and 1-year old Michael. “And as mothers of young children, we can tend to feel a little isolated and need some regular adult conversation. My husband Mike is great, helps a lot and is very supportive, but of course he’s at work all day, so having a network of other mothers is so important to me.”

A relative newcomer to Gainesville – she and Mike moved from Suwanee three years ago -- Walters did an online search after Ava was born to find a local connection to other new moms. She found MOMS Club of Gainesville, part of

Spring 2016

an international organization designed just for moms and their children.

The Gainesville chapter is one of nearly 40 in Georgia that provides support for stay-athome moms, a welcoming environment and an active activity schedule for moms and their children, and a variety of topics of interest to mothers.

“I joined for a number of reasons: to help socialize my children with other children, to have activities that we could do together, to meet other moms so that I could have adult conversation and someone to ask questions,” she says. “I never expected to form the relationships I have with these wonderful moms that I talk with every day. It’s nice to have the dynamic of being a mom in common.”

This year, Christina is serving as president of the 40-member group.

“I was really more of an introvert growing up, so this is another good step for me,” she says. “Everyone in the group does her part to help plan activities and programs.”

MOMS Club of Gainesville hosts multiple events each week for moms and their children, from craft sessions and play dates in private homes to field trips to INK and story time the Hall County Library; morning and afternoon

MOMS Clubs Website: www.momsclub.org/ Social media: MOMS Club of Gainesville, www.facebook.com/ MomsofNortheastGA/ Phone: Christina Walters at 770-561-1719. activities offer flexibility. Once a month, a business meeting – that includes bringing the children – keeps the group on track with scheduling and organizational needs; usually a volunteer babysitter member watches the kids.

Monthly new-member luncheons, monthly date nights for mom and dad and other activities keep the social and support at the forefront. Moms’ Nights Out can include trivia night, a trip to the movies or dinners out with other moms.

“Normally we want a hot meal, especially one that we did not have to fix ourselves,” Walters says. “And having some evening events offers a chance for the moms who work part time to participate.”

In addition to providing support for moms and a place for children to have new friends, MOMS Club of Gainesville conducts a major

community project annually. In 2014, it donated children’s books to the Hall County Library; last year MOMS Club donated arts supplies to the Hall County Library for crafts programs.

This year, the group is raising funds to help the library purchase puppets for story time.

MOMS Clubs began in 1983 in California when at-home mom Mary James reached out to other moms to combat being along at home.

Today there are more than 1,500 chapters in the United States with more than 100,000 members. Clubs around the world in eight countries are active in Nigeria, Italy, Vietnam and Canada.

Membership is not limited to moms of newborns, toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Members often stay actively involved as their families grow and their older children enter school.

“We’re always looking for new members, moms who want to find a good supportive network of friends for themselves and their children,” Walters says. “The club is really about the moms, but it’s about the children too. And when you see the moms that belong, it’s easy to recognize that when you have a happy mom, you’ll have happy kids.”

Christen Summerour helps her son Jaxson, 3, put on his ladybug hat during MOMS Club of Gainesville at Michael’s. The group allows mothers to get together, meet new people, share their experiences and learn new things.

celebrating women of north georgia

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A healthy partnership Hospital CEO, board chair, reflect on decade of achievement By frank Reddy

From the moment she put on her candy striper outfit at age 12, Mary Lynn Coyle has taken a great deal of pride in her work. While it’s been sometime since her stint as a young volunteer at what was then Hall County Hospital, her reasons for wanting to remain involved with the field of health care haven’t changed.

“I grew up appreciating people who are passionate about health care,” said Coyle, who recently stepped down from serving as board chair of Northeast Georgia Health System since 2007.

Passion is a trait Coyle shares with Carol Burrell, president and CEO of Northeast Georgia Health System. Burrell has served in senior management at the hospital since 1999, and feels that by working with Coyle “we’ve been able to accomplish a lot together and get through good times as well as challenging times.”

Coyle and Burrell worked together for much of the past decade, during which quality and outcomes at NGHS have ranked among the best in the state and even the nation. The hospital received

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Mary Lynn Coyle, left, as board chair, and Carol Burrell as president and CEO, have together led Northeast Georgia Health System to numerous healthcare accolades, including being named Georgia’s No. 1 hospital and No. 2 in the nation.

countless accolades – including being named Georgia’s No. 1 Hospital and No. 2 in the nation – and achieved milestones such as the opening of NGMC Braselton; a new Women and Children’s Pavilion; a new imaging center; and the construction of the North Patient Tower, among many other historic highlights.

A native of Carl, Ga., Burrell came to NGHS in January 1999, and later served as executive vice president and chief operating officer from 2004-2011. In June 2011, she was named president and CEO. A self-ascribed “servant-leader” Burrell

said it’s important for her to “be able to give to others and be able to model to the best degree I can the aspirations the organization as a whole is trying to attain … working in conjunction with the board and in particular with Mary Lynn, we try to look on a day-to-day basis for what kind of legacy we can leave while trying to continue and foster a culture that will live long beyond our time here.”

In 2013, Burrell and Coyle led the system through a clarification of the organization’s core values, a process defining four short phrases that make “an NGHS employee.”

Spring 2016

Coyle said the effort was a point of pride for the two women.

“One of those values has to do with having a passion for quality,” Coyle said.

“And that permeates the organization.

We have great leadership and a wonderful staff who are always putting the patients first. Sometimes, in a big organization your mission gets lost … but we’ve always had our eye on improving the health of our community in everything we do.”

For a woman who got her start in the medical field sporting a candy striper outfit, Coyle has come a long way. In 1991, she was named as chair for the Medical Center Auxiliary’s first Marketplace event, raising funds for the Medical Center Foundation.

Following that, she served as chair of Lanier Park Hospital’s board of trustees.

In 2001, when Northeast Georgia Medical Center acquired Lanier Park Hospital, she was tapped to serve on the Unification Committee to determine the best use of the facility. In 2002, she led

celebrating women of north georgia

a committee that resulted in significant expansion projects at the hospital. In 2005, she joined the Northeast Georgia Health System Board and was named chair in 2007.

Coyle said it’s been “an honor and privilege to be a part of the organization during this time of tremendous growth and tremendous recognition.”

Burrell said the growth and achievements have been a team effort all around.

“It takes a lot of people to make it work,” Burrell said. “We have great board members, medical staff and community leaders who are very focused on being better tomorrow than we are today.”

Burrell said she was glad to have worked with someone like Coyle, who shared her passion.

“The relationship Mary Lynn and I have had – she as board chair and me as a senior leader – has been one that’s been extraordinarily supporting and encouraging for me, to help me lead the organization,” Burrell said.

21

Deborah Mack Hats off to a community leader

By Charlotte Atkins Deborah Mack is known for wearing many hats in the community: Teacher.

State employee. Elected official. Nonprofit volunteer and leader.

Then there are her real hats, in just about every color and style imaginable. More than one for every day of the year.

“I started wearing hats about 20 years ago, when my hair began to thin and I was having some health issues with my back and neck,” she said. “It was suggested by my sister that I wear a hat to prevent the cold air from going down my neck and back. So began the hat wearing.”

Now it’s a trademark look, but there’s more to Deborah than her hats. “My shoe collection is as interesting as my hat collection is.”

That’s because all the shoes are coordinated with all the hats, especially for her “dress up” attire.

“I don’t ‘dress up’ as much now as I did years ago, but I have not gotten rid of any of them.” But on Sundays she still goes all out, head to toe.

Her impeccable fashion sense aside, it’s her servant’s heart that people see and remember.

A longtime state employee, Deborah has devoted her time and energy since retirement in 2000 to numerous service organizations and their missions.

“I have served on boards of several nonprofit organizations, being a founding member of Gateway Domestic Violence

22

Center, The Guest House and WomenSource.

I served as president of Gateway, WomenSource, Avita Community Partners, and Girls Inc during the merger with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hall County,” she said. “There are other boards that I have served on including United Way, Chamber of Commerce, a mentor in the Gainesville School System, and a member of the Juvenile Review Panel, just to name a few.”

She was also a District 4 Hall County commissioner for six years.

She says the hallmarks of a good leader are simple: Love people. Listen. Follow through with ideas/plans and commit to organization.”

Her main lesson on being a leader: “Never disrespect or lie to or about a person.”

Such values spring from her upbringing.

Deborah looks back on her seven decades of life and recalls the influence and inspiration of her parents, whom she calls her heroes.

“In spite of their limited education, they taught me the importance of education and hard work. My mother employed great management skills in how she managed the household budget and my father’s earning power, in spite of not being able to read and write,’’ she said.

Her father worked for Southern Railroad and would have to take a safety test every year. “I would read the manual to him and he would take the test orally and pass it.”

It was those roots that have provided her

foundation here in Gainesville, where she was born and raised. Her journey included being part of first graduating class of E.E. Butler High School, followed by graduation from Spelman College in Atlanta.

Then Deborah came back home and began work as a pre-kindergarten teacher at Fair Street Elementary School for a couple of years with a summer stint teaching at Head Start. But the bulk of her career, some 32 years, was spent working at the Georgia Department of Labor.

She enjoys retirement and says “shopping, traveling and crossword puzzles” are among her favorite pastimes. Her bucket list, past and present, involves the nation’s capital. A notable event included attending President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Still on her list would be to attend a state dinner at the White House.

Deborah’s passion is serving God and her fellow man.

“I want to help others in any area that I am able to help,” she said. “To be involved in the community and learn as much about services and assistance that will help people with any situation that they are facing in their lives.”

Though retired, she’s as busy as most with full-time jobs it would seem since she attends many community events and functions each week. But then those provide plenty of occasions to showcase her fabulous hats and her giving spirit.

Spring 2016

Deborah Mack is a fashion icon in North Georgia. She’s known for her unparalleled hat collection and her servant’s heart. In a rare occurrence, Deborah allowed us to photograph her sans hat.

Photo by Scott Rogers

Watkins Total Healthcare office manager Jeanne Hanlin saw significant weight loss on the hCG program.

Photos by Scott Rogers

For The Health of It Medically supervised weight loss a benefit for those looking to shed pounds 24

By CARLY SHAREC Many women are motivated by weight loss not just for aesthetic reasons, but for health as well.

“There are many complications from morbid obesity that can be alleviated from even a modest weight loss,” said Dr. Eileen Javellana, medical director of the medical weight loss program with The Longstreet Clinic. Excess weight can cause everything from headaches and sleep apnea to heart disease and stroke, she pointed out.

“The quality of your life is diminished,” she said.

“When the body’s carrying that excess weight, it realizes something is wrong.”

“It really affects every part of your health,” agreed Dr. Mary Watkins of Watkins Total Healthcare in Gainesville. Watkins, a chiropractor, said she sees the ramifications of carrying excess weight from patients with joint problems.

Both Javellana and Watkins stressed the importance of weight loss being a lifestyle change, emphasizing regular, routine exercise combined with a sensible diet complete with lean protein and plenty of vegetables.

Spring 2016

She said...

What women leaders do you admire?

Cheryl Smith Dr. Mary Watkins and Watkins Total Healthcare office manager Jeanne Hanlin both experieneced significant weight loss on the hCG program.

Inset: Dr. Eileen Javellana of Longstreet Clinic.

But they also recognize that many people will need extra help and support through medically supervised programs.

Javellana oversees lowcalorie programs through The Longstreet Clinic; they typically run from 800 to 1,000 calories during a set period of time, and involve meal replacements.

People involved with the programs can expect to address physical fitness and nutrition, while also finding support in a group setting.

“I think that’s the most important aspect,” Javellana said.

“I always say that you have to get your mentality in the game, so to

Watkins Total Healthcare 961 Green St. NE, Gainesville, GA 30501 watkinstotalhealthcare. com Bariatrics/Obesity celebrating women of north georgia

speak. The most important part of any weight loss is between the ears.”

The programs are divided into three phases. The first is reduction, when patients will be on the low-calorie plan. During the second phase, foods are reintroduced into the diet. And then, finally, patients will go into maintenance.

The amount of time these programs take are really up to the patient; while some can be on the fast-track of only six weeks, Javellana said many people prefer the support system of going for months, or even up to one to two years.

Solutions at The Longstreet Clinic 705 Jesse Jewell Parkway, Suite 130, Gainesville, GA 30501 longstreetclinic.com/bariatrics/medical weightloss

Ayn Rand. She communicated her philosophy through her writings, interviews and lectures. Margaret Thatcher was such a strong woman in a very dominant man’s world. She was competent, forceful (when needed), compassionate and a voice for her people.

She didn’t strive for power but for the security and safety of her country. She did not bow down to political correctness, but for right and wrong.

Ginette Williams

Cindy Wellborn

One woman I admire in today’s society is Oprah Winfrey. She is a woman that truly overcame a difficult childhood, consisting of poverty and abuse, and is now such a strong role model for women all over the world. I really admire that she uses her fame and wealth to shed light on difficult topics that usually get ignored.

Pat Summit. She has the most wins as NCAA coach.

Has eight NCAA championships.

Named Naismith Basketball Coach of the Year. Never had a losing season.

Julie Ann Hamilton

Amanda Wilbanks

Laura Bush. I think she is the epitome of grace and character.

Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, because when people initially shunned her first product she did not take no for an answer and continued to bring her product to market despite the odds and resistance.

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She said...

What habit would you break … or have broken of which you are proud?

Sarah Ellington Smith

For years I drank a diet carbonated beverage, literally morning, noon and night, some days as many as 10 or 12.

I quit cold turkey 19 months ago.

Jeanne Stolar

I have raised the altitude of my helicopter from 50 feet to 2,500 feet.

Candis Stephens

Jordan Allen

I learned to love myself, a huge undertaking – hard work. I thought I did when I was young, then realized I had so much work to do. It was a long, arduous process, but I feel the joy as a result of living a positive life.

Biting my nails. I would like to have pretty nails.

Joy Holeman

The habit that I have broken is I stopped drinking sodas about three years ago.

Linda Berger

I wish I could break my habit of bingewatching tv shows on Netflix.

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27

Dixie Truelove

Dixie Truelove is a country girl who can transform into a glamour girl with ease. Here she’s all dolled up in gala-garb with farmland and cows in the background. In left photo, she is shown with one of her newest calves, Charlotte.

Photos by: Scott Rogers

Milking life for all it’s worth

By Charlotte Atkins

D

ixie Truelove was the first girl president of the Future Farmers of America at North Hall High School. She’s been farming and leading ever since.

A second-generation dairy farmer, she wrangles more than 200 Holstein cows for milking and breeding, and usually has a dozen or so calves that need bottle feeding.

Hers is not the normal business woman’s schedule. She’s usually at the Truelove Dairy barn at 1:15 a.m. “to help start milking. Then I feed the babies. Usually get home around 3 a.m.”

Then she’s back up feeding the cows at 7:30. Milking starts around noon again. So much of her sleep comes in three-hour shifts.

But the rolling farmland in North Hall is her life’s blood and her heritage.

Her father Elmer Truelove was a Hall County Commissioner and dairy farmer. So it’s no surprise that Dixie followed in his boot-clad footsteps.

She jumped into public service in her 20s, serving on Hall County’s Planning and Zoning board for some 10 years. Her community service has been plentiful as well.

She has served as Junior League of Hall County president, WomenSource founding president and Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce chair. In 2017 she will be chairman of the board at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center.

A Georgia alum, she’s currently serving on UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences board. Plus she a Dairy Farmers of America spokesperson. That’s brave in and of itself because she confesses to not being comfortable talking to large gatherings.

“But I’ve grown with each experience of standing up in front of groups of people,” she says.

So Dixie is comfortable in jeans, boots and a University of

28

Georgia hoodie on a four-wheeler or in formal evening attire with stole, pumps and bling at a benefit gala.

She’s only had one non-farm job in her life. “I worked at Baskin Robbins as a teenager.” But that’s fine by her since she loves life on the farm and all that means.

She can “drive anything from a stick-shift convertible to a tractor to a dump truck.” In fact, during her Moxie photo shoot, she was all dolled up with a glamour girl look when the 1962 Corvette roadster we were going to use for the photo had a dead battery. She kicked off her high heels, laid the fur stole aside, hauled over the charging cart and jumper cables and popped the hood to take care of matters.

That’s Dixie’s style of leadership. She’s a doer. Traits she feels are Spring 2016

important for those in leadership are “listening to and hearing what those around you are saying as well as taking a moment to think before speaking … not that I always do that.”

She says it’s vital to have diplomacy even when there are differing viewpoints on the table. In one such case, she discovered she had a poker tell – a certain head tilt – that signaled when she disagreed with something someone was saying. “I’ve had to work on that.”

When she’s leading a group, she prefers that stakeholders speak up rather than quietly hold back concerns that may need to be addressed.

When cows and community commitments allow, she does like to travel. Favorite places include the Rocky Mountains (“So huge!”) and celebrating women of north georgia

Italy (“Different pace.”) and she also loves the beach.

But she’s happiest at home in the midst of 300 acres of farmland with her husband Mike and a slew of animals. In addition to herds of cows, there are her dogs Champ and Roxy and a pride of both house and barn cats.

“I have to have animals in my life.”

Simply put, the North Georgia countryside is Dixie’s home. It’s where she gets her renewal and her peace.

“It’s just so pretty. I grew up always seeing the mountains. From the back of mom and daddy’s house we could see the Blue Ridge Mountains. Best sunrises and sunsets are out here in the country.”

And cows. Lots of black and white cows.

29

Historical Moxie

Helen Dortch Longstreet: Gainesville’s ‘fighting lady’

By JOHNNY VARDEMAN Helen Dortch Longstreet earned her nickname as “the fighting lady,” but not just because she once ran off a burglar by firing a pistol at him.

She spent her lifetime fighting for causes close to her heart: against damming the Tallulah River, defending her husband Confederate Gen. James Longstreet against his critics, rights for women and blacks, against corrupt politicians, for lifting people out of poverty and lobbying for a new post office in Gainesville and statues for her husband and Confederate Col. C.C. Sanders.

Born in 1863, in the middle of Civil War, she grew up in Carnesville in Northeast Georgia as Ellen Dortch, daughter of J.S. Dortch, a prominent lawyer and newspaper publisher. She worked at the Weekly Tribune at an early age and fought for her father when the local school board tried to run him off as school commissioner.

Her father died after a fall from a buggy while Ellen was still young.

She had to take over the newspaper as editor at age 21 in 1884 as the sole support of her mother.

Ellen Dortch secured her education at Georgia Baptist Female Seminary, which became Brenau College in Gainesville, and Notre Dame Convent in Baltimore.

She left the Carnesville paper in the early 1890s to live in Milledgeville and start another newspaper, the Chronicle. The longtime local newspaper, the Milledgeville Times-Recorder, had nothing but praise for her, calling her brilliant. Others in the Georgia press praised her work, and an Atlanta paper called her the “brainy secretary of Georgia Women’s Press Club.”

Ellen’s newspaper lasted only two years, but while in Milledgeville she helped establish Georgia Normal and Industrial College, which is now Georgia College in Milledgeville, formerly Georgia State College for Women. She had had help from state Rep. W.Y. Atkinson.

Atkinson later became governor, and named her his secretary. That connection also led her to become the first woman to hold statewide public office in Georgia as assistant state librarian in 1894.

Ellen Dortch wasn’t satisfied with that. She lobbied the state legislature to overwhelmingly approve the Dortch bill to make females eligible to become state librarian.

As one newspaper wrote that she enjoyed “universal esteem in Georgia,” she planned to run for the office in 1896. However, her

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Helen Dortch Longstreet.

Image courtesy of the House Divided Project at Dickinson College.

courtship with Gen. James Longstreet was warming, and she would marry him the next year.

Gen. Longstreet’s first wife, Maria Louise, died in December 1889.

Their daughter had been Ellen’s roommate in college, and she had known the general during childhood. She also had helped him write his memoirs.

Not surprisingly in that uptight Victorian age, their marriage Sept.

8, 1897, raised eyebrows as she was just 34 years old and he 76. The ceremony conducted by Gov. Atkinson in the governor’s mansion had Spring 2016

been a big secret, although several dignitaries and close friends attended.

The Longstreets apparently felt the need to explain their marriage to the public. Each wrote a lengthy letter to the New York Journal, setting out their reasons. It was significant that the letters were first published in New York, but the Atlanta and local papers later reprinted them.

The new Mrs. Longstreet, changing her first name to Helen, wrote a lengthy letter that spoke of her love for the general, but also was a pitch for women’s rights and ambitions, as well as a not-so-subtle stab at their critics.

“You ask why I, a young woman, married so old a man,” she wrote. “Because I loved him to be sure for no true woman would ever marry a man whom she did not love, though there are always envious persons ready to draw conclusions and to ascribe motives ...

“Do you know, Mr. Editor, that women are born with ideals and ambitions just as men are, but that our social condition, while giving free vent to the one, crushes down or restrains the other ... By custom (young women) are restricted to the company of their own age and many young and undeveloped men, who afterwards prove to be nothing but the veriest clods of clay. ... How many young women I know who would have chosen older husbands but for social tradition. ... The man who is advanced in years has his record made up, and the woman can decide for herself whether he be such a one as would develop all that was best in herself. ... I would never marry a simpering man who had no ideas in his head and who lacked the energy to make a man of himself.”

The letter went on about how Gen. Longstreet had been a hero in war and peace, and they shared many of the same ideals.

The general’s letter was just as eloquent and lengthy and probably was enhanced considerably by his new wife’s way with words.

The couple honeymooned in Porter Springs, a Lumpkin County resort, later in Mexico as guest of the Mexican president.

When Gen. Longstreet was appointed U.S. Commissioner of Railroads, they moved to Washington, D.C., but continued to spend summers in Gainesville.

Six years into their marriage, her husband died Jan. 2, 1904, at age 82. She doubled her efforts to resurrect his reputation, especially in her book, “Lee and Longstreet at High Tide.”

Critics had blamed the general for the South’s loss at Gettysburg, and she produced actual records from the war and comments from numerous Confederate officers and rank-andfile soldiers refuting the accusations. celebrating women of north georgia

Helen had been active in politics and won appointment as Gainesville postmistress.

During her eight years in office, she was instrumental in getting a new post office at the corner of Washington and Green Street.

The building still stands as part of the Federal Building complex.

She also led the campaign for a statue of Confederate Col. C.C. Sanders on the corner of the post office, the only monument to a Confederate soldier on federal property. The 1936 tornado broke the statue apart.

A big controversy erupted over her reappointment as postmistress. President William H. Taft appointed Mrs. H.W.J. Ham because Helen had supported Teddy Roosevelt for president.

Mrs. Longstreet didn’t sit still. During 191112, she fought Georgia Railway and Power’s plans to build a dam on the Tallulah River in Tallulah Gorge, which she called “The Niagara of the South.” Her campaign is considered the first serious conservation movement in Georgia.

As president of the Tallulah Falls Conservation Association, she called the power company “a soulless waterpower trust.”

Having no money for lawyers or advertising their cause, she recruited speakers who spread out all over the state campaigning against the dam.

But it rose despite her, and the once robust river now meanders meekly at the bottom of the 1,000-foot, 2-mile chasm.

In a concession to environmentalists and kayakers, the now-Georgia Power Co. in recent years allowed periodic releases from the dam to restore the river to its natural flow. Georgia Power also worked with the state to operate the gorge as a state park in 1993. Trails around the gorge are named in Helen Longstreet’s memory.

In 1915, Helen filed for bankruptcy in Gainesville, and her home sold for $5,900. The house, now a chiropractor’s office, still stands across the street from First Baptist Church.

She was active in the women’s suffrage movement and also campaigned for blacks’ right to vote. Her writings were published widely, and she lectured often, advocating for Progressive reform.

At one point, Helen went to the Virgin Islands to work for better economic and social conditions and against corrupt politicians. In 1936 she appealed to friends to help her return to the United States. A Washington newspaper reported her stranded, penniless and perhaps near death.

Without help, she said, “I shall not be alive much longer, but there are a few last things I

want to do, and I don’t want to die here.”

A Russian princess, daughter of Gen. U.S. Grant, sent a check for $60 and helped her raise money for other expenses.

Back in the States, Helen organized the Longstreet Memorial Association and Longstreet Memorial Exhibit at the New York World’s Fair in 1939 and Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco in 1940. She also attended other exhibits and conventions across the country in her quest to raise money for a statue of Gen. Longstreet at Gettysburg. With help from movie star Mary Pickford, they broke ground for the statue at Gettysburg in 1941, but World War II put the statue on hold.

During the war, Helen worked as a riveter at Bell Aircraft in Atlanta. Bell apparently didn’t know she was 80 years old and wanted her to leave. She wouldn’t, declaring she was No. 1 in her riveting class. Life Magazine ran a story and pictures of her as “Rosie the Riveter.”

For a time she lived in the Commercial Hotel in Cornelia, spending most of her time in her room writing and rarely being seen on the streets.

In 1950, she ran an unsuccessful independent campaign for governor against Herman Talmadge. She railed against what she called five evils: “communism, Ku Klux Klanism, county unitism, one-partyism and Talmadgeism.”

Her final years of a long, productive, though at times controversial life were sad for her and her friends. In 1955, she was found wandering almost incoherent around Elmira, N.Y. Two years later, she was admitted to Central State Hospital in Milledgeville for mental illness. She died there May 3, 1962, at age 99, the last surviving widow of a Confederate commander.

Helen Dortch Longstreet was buried in West View Cemetery in Atlanta. She had said out of respect for the first Mrs. Longstreet, she didn’t want to be buried in Gainesville’s Alta Vista Cemetery, where her husband and his first wife were buried.

She didn’t live to see her husband’s statue finally erected at Gettysburg in 1998. In recent years, the local United Daughters of the Confederacy also erected a statue of Gen. Longstreet at his former home site in north Gainesville.

Helen Longstreet was the first woman to have her portrait hung in the State Capitol.

Johnny Vardeman is retired editor of The Times.

His column on Northeast Georgia history, legacy and lore appears each Sunday..

31

Kingsley Barrett was a high school and college golf star. Now she is an up and coming community leader in North Georgia.

Photo by Scott Rogers

Kingsley Peeples Golf enthusiast loves going for the green

By Charlotte Atkins The name Kingsley Barrett Peeples is synonymous with golf in these parts. There’s no way to tell her story without golf coloring the conversation.

But driving a little white ball all over the links has opened doors to opportunity and adventure for this young leader. It’s taken her to Japan.

Winning four Georgia high school golf championships secured her a place in the Gainesville High Hall of Fame recently. And it won her a scholarship to Auburn University for the chance to be an NCAA athelete and get her college education.

Kingsley, named for her mother’s maiden name of King, is now a CPA at BatesCarter in her hometown of Gainesville. At 33, she’s engaged in the community in a number of ways, including Rotary Club of Gainesville and Junior League of Hall County.

She is currently chairman of the board for the nonprofit WomenSource, which provides education and resources to help women succeed in both their personal and professional lives.

“I am also consistently amazed at the strong women we have in our community. Through being involved with WomenSource and other organizations, I have been able to meet and work with a diverse group of women who are making a difference in the community and adding to the enjoyment of living here,” Kingsley says .

For her, confidence is the cornerstone of leadership.

“A leader has to be confident in her ability because it gives others a feeling of trust and everyone wants to follow a leader they can trust.

Successful women leaders know exactly who they are, what they want and what they bring to the table. I have found that women can develop confidence by taking on tough assignments and excelling at them and developing expertise that sets them apart.”

Having a spirit that never gives up is key, too, she says.

“Strong leaders focus on staying optimistic. A leader who knows what she wants is always determined and does not let challenges stop her from achieving her goals or fulfilling her mission and purpose.”

That’s why she’s engaged in making her native Gainesville a better place and gives of her time and energy. celebrating women of north georgia

“A leader has a responsibility to give back to others by encouraging and inspiring. A person does not become a strong leader without having the help of others along the way.”

Anyone who knows Kingsley knows she’s passionate and leads by example. Simply put: She’s a doer.

“If you are not passionate, you will not be motivated to reach the goal. I am a hard worker and always willing to do the work that is required to get the job done. I have high expectations of myself and try to challenge others to set goals that may be above their abilities, but in the end will help them grow,” she says.

In her personal life, family and golf remain her mainstays. The two are inexorably linked.

“Playing golf is one of my favorite activities. My dad gave me the love of golf and some of my favorite memories growing up are playing on Sunday afternoons with him and traveling to golf tournaments. My husband enjoys playing golf and my kids are already showing an interest so I look forward to spending many Sunday afternoons on the golf course with my family.”

As a teen, she got to play at Augusta National, a dream of pretty much anyone who holds a golf club with any proficiency. So now her bucket list includes traveling to Europe to play some of the world’s greatest golf courses there.

Of course, she’s a mother so some travel plans will have a different focus like say a family vacation Disney World. “We will have to build ourselves up for this one and need an adult vacation after!”

Kingsley’s love of family and her community fuel her life. That’s why she and her husband chose to return home to Gainesville.

“What I love most about living in North Georgia are the people, the community and the traditions. We are fortunate to live in a very generous community where people are willing to support and help each other. I want to teach my kids that we have a responsibility to give back to the community with our time and talents.”

33

Jackie Wallace has led the non-profit United Way of Hall County since 2007.

Making a

Photo by Scott Rogers

difference

United Way brings Hall County togather

By Brandee A. Thomas

34

Spring 2016

In the world of nonprofits, when you find a good volunteer, you don’t let go.

Need proof? Just ask Jackie Wallace, president and chief professional officer of the United Way of Hall County, who joined the organization’s staff in 2000.

“I’d been a donor for years and also a volunteer throughout my banking career. I was actually serving on the (United Way) campaign cabinet that year. LeTrell Simpson was the campaign chair and she had asked me to head one of the divisions of the campaign for her, so I was very involved,” Wallace recalls.

“I’d been in banking for a long time and was ready to make a change in my career, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next.

(I was asked) to come on board as a contract employee for six months — 16 years later, I’m still here!

“I like to say that I showed up and wouldn’t leave.”

Over the years, in addition to her current role, Wallace has served as the vice president of resource development and CFO/COO. She has witnessed firsthand how community growth has refocused the United Way team of employees and community volunteers.

“There was some great leadership and vision that started this organization (locally) in 1948, but we’re a very different organization than we were then, just like we’ll be a different organization in five years than we are now,” Wallace says.

“That’s the beauty of being a local organization, we can adapt as the needs of our community changes. What might not have been an issue 10 years ago today may be a glaring issue in our community.”

One of the largest changes occurred just a year into Wallace’s tenure as president. The Great Recession of 2008 pushed the entire nation into a financial crisis, and locally, the United Way wasn’t immune.

“Giving changed. It wasn’t that people didn’t want to give, they just couldn’t give. We saw for the first time people who had been donors to the United Way were now asking for help,” Wallace recalls.

“That changed our world. It changed how we look at nonprofits and how we meet the needs of our community. It made us look at the longer strategy. Up until then — and there wasn’t anything wrong with it at that time — the measure of our success was how much money did we raise and how many people were served in the organizations that we gave money to. That was appropriate.

“The measure of our success now needs to be what difference are we making in the lives of people who live here. Me, you, everybody.

Not just the needy or the less fortunate, this is about all of us who call Hall County home. How do we make this community better?”

The answer? Help children succeed in school. Make sure there is community access to mental and physical health resources. Help more families become self-sufficient.

“We look at it as a more holistic picture,” Wallace says of the organization’s rallying

celebrating women of north georgia

Joy Griffin, currently the vice president of resource development, will be stepping into Jackie Wallace’s shoes in April.

behind the causes of health, income and education.

One of the highlights of her tenure is the fact that despite the challenges of the recession, the United Way never reduced its funding to partner agencies. That’s not to say belts weren’t tightened in-house, but those agencies didn’t have to face yet another reduction in funding.

“Many years, we gave more because we knew those organizations were struggling,” Wallace said. “It’s through the wisdom and guidance of our board that we were able to do that. We were able to manage our resources and be able to say, ‘Right now, they need it more than we do, so let’s put it right back into the community.’

“When our revenue was down, we utilized our reserves to make sure that those organizations on the front line had as many resources that we could possibly give. I think I’m most proud of that.”

She’s also proud that the United Way has been able to cultivate so many lasting partnerships during her tenure.

“I’m especially proud that the United Way was one of the organizations that helped to get the Georgia Mountain Food Bank started. We actually invested some startup funds in that. I served on their board of directors and helped write policies and procedures for them,” Wallace says.

“Same way with WomenSource. United Way was one of three partners that helped to get that organization started. That actually came out of a meeting we held in the basement of (the United Way) building. We brought a bunch of women together and said, ‘What do you think about this.’ It grew from there. It was very organic. I love that we were part of incubating that.

“I’m also very proud that we were able to provide some funding for pilot programs that I think have great value for our community.

We don’t have to always be the lead or own a project; we just want to be a partner.”

After nearly two decades of growing those relationships, Wallace will vacate her position in April, but she doesn’t do so haphazardly.

The work that the organization performs every day, campaign by campaign, pledge by pledge, is too important for anything less than a thoughtful transition.

For the past year, she has helped her board of directors work on strategic planning for the immediate future and most recently, Wallace has begun the work of bringing her successor, Joy Griffin, currently the vice president of resource development, up to speed.

“It wasn’t until I saw the workings of the organization that I realized how important it is to our community and every community where there is a United Way,” Wallace says.

The work of the United Way is far greater that the individuals and staff positions.

The most important idea that Wallace says she can pass on to the next president is to remember that the United Way has the unique responsibility to keep its finger on the pulse of what’s happening in Hall.

“We have to (regularly) say, ‘OK, what is going on in our community that we need to be dealing with and who are the best people that we can bring to the table to deal with it,” Wallace says.

“There are people who serve in nonprofit roles who deal with things on a daily basis that most of us don’t want to even think about — child abuse, crime, families in crisis, domestic abuse I can’t do that. What I can do is serve in this capacity to hopefully help make their work happen.

“And that’s the beauty of the United Way. We are here to serve. We work for the people of Hall County. It’s not about me or any of the staff. We’re here because the community wants us here. We’re here because the community needs us here.”

Another piece of wisdom that Wallace has for future staff and volunteers is to always remember that although a large part of what the United Way does is to raise money, its work is far more than account balances and campaign goals.

“It’s not just dollars and cents, we’re talking about people’s lives. When we can’t give support to an organization, there are going to be some lives that are negatively impacted,” Wallace says.

“Those are the things that keep me up some nights. Unfortunately, we can’t do it all, so we have to choose. That’s very hard.

“Many people think of us primarily as a fundraiser. Obviously we can’t do our work without financial resources, but that’s just the beginning. The real heart of it is when we invest those resources into programs and organizations that are changing lives every day.

“Improving lives in Hall County. That’s what it’s all about.”

35

Brava Lessie Smithgall, matriarch of the arts

By Charlotte Atkins Celestia Bailey Smithgall was just a girl of 12 or 13 when her father took her and her sister to the opera. She fell in love with the arts in that moment. “’La Traviata’ is the first opera I ever heard,” Lessie Smithgall said recently as she warmed by the fireplace in the sitting room of her Gainesville home. “I love it still.”

Some 92 years later, the spark ignited that day still burns brightly in her passion for the arts.

Lessie and her late husband Charles have left their mark in North Georgia in so many ways. The couple has preserved huge areas of land for the enjoyment of nature lovers: 5,600 acres near Helen known as Smithgall Woods, now a Georgia state park, and the 185-acre land donation that became the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville-A Smithgall Woodland Legacy.

They also are founders of The Times newspaper, which Lessie, who will celebrate her 105th birthday April 1, still reads each day.

“I start with the obit list on the front page to make sure I am not there,” she said, laughing.

And most certainly culture in Georgia owes much to the Smithgalls’ love and support of the arts.

In fact, The Arts Council Inc. in Gainesville was formed in 1970 on Lessie’s

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porch, and she was its first president. That came after a feasibility study by the Junior Service League.

“Arts councils were a relatively new animal, but a number of councils were started the same way, through the recommendation of the Junior Leagues in their town and members providing the volunteer support,” said Gladys Wyant, the council’s executive director.

“We can give credit to Lessie Smithgall for not only actively serving as president in The Arts Council’s beginning, but also for providing her time and seed money to assist in the organization’s financial stability in those first few years.”

The first office of The Arts Council was simply a drawer in Lessie’s home with meetings held around her dining table, Gladys said.

Lessie has continued to be steadfast, active supporter through the council’s Friends of the Arts. She and Charlie, along with other community members, have given major matching grants over the years to support The Arts Council’s purchase of the CSX Railroad property and to renovate and expand the old downtown railroad depot, now known as the Smithgall Arts Center.

Gladys says it’s important that people like the Smithgalls recognize the value of the arts as an essential part of a healthy,

thriving community.

“The arts can sometimes be expensive, and it takes the people with vision and appreciation to support these ideals so that the arts are affordable and accessible to the general public,” she said.

“I think that I can say that Lessie has supported all of the programs that The Arts Council has provided for the community, especially the Arts in Schools program that began in 1980 when the county schools had little or no access through their schools in music, visual, theater, dance or other performing visual or literary arts.”

One of Lessie’s favorite council programs is the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She was also instrumental in fostering programs at the metro and state level. The June event will mark The Arts Council’s 40th anniversary with the ASO. As a writer, Lessie was interested in others who shared her zest for writing, so she created the Northeast Georgia Writer’s Club with seed money from The Arts Council. She also played a role in starting the esteemed Peabody Awards, presented annually in Athens to honor excellence in media. A published author, her memoir “I Took the Fork” recounts highlights of her long and meaningful life.

In the late 1960s or 1970s, Lessie was asked to join a group of other arts Spring 2016

Lessie Smithgall, who turns 105 in April, is a respected and beloved patron of the arts. She recently was photographed by award-winning portraitist Tracy Page for The Times.

Photo by Tracy Page

advocates from Gainesville and around the state to address the government’s role in the arts. Georgia Council for the Arts was created at her dining room table during these discussions, and was for many years a line item in the governor’s budget. Today, it’s part of Georgia’s Department of Economic Development.

Lessie feels strongly the arts should be part of the government agenda at the highest level.

“The president of the United States has a Cabinet with a secretary of defense, of education and commerce,” said Lessie. “I think there should be a secretary of the arts.”

She’s even written a couple of presidents over the years to tell them so.

She received a response from at least one noting there are days set aside to celebrate the arts, but that’s not quite enough to someone as passionate about the arts as Lessie.

“It’s important for the arts to be there for people to learn about and to enjoy,” she says.

Longtime friend Ed Cabell has known Lessie for 48 years and calls her a tireless champion of the arts.

“As a co-founder of the Georgia Citizens for the Arts, the first and only arts lobbying organization in the state, she helped to more than double the arts funding for the Georgia Arts Council that helped thousands of arts organizations throughout the state,” he said.

He also noted she was instrumental in the survival of Gainesville Theatre Alliance in the early years by spearheading the establishment of Theatre Wings and Theatre Wing Endowment.

“Her generosity and enthusiastic support of the arts has left a lasting impact not only in Gainesville but throughout the state,” Ed said. “I dare say that without her, the arts would not be what they are in Gainesville.

Through her energetic and unwavering support of the arts, she has truly help make Gainesville and Georgia a better and more humane place to live, and for that we are in her debt.”

It’s thanks to Ed, the founder and

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longtime director of the GTA, and their mutual love of theater that LeTrell Simpson and Lessie became dear friends. In the 1980s, Ed started a travel group and put together a trip to London that included tickets for theatrical shows. Lessie and LeTrell were seatmates for the matinee performance of a new hit, “Starlight Express.”

“We had flown all night, and although the skaters often threatened to skate into our laps, I must confess we snoozed through much of the performance,” LeTrell said. “We were wide awake for the remaining performances and our mutual love of travel, art and Ed Cabell drew us together.”

Some of those travelers – dubbed the “Caberellos” by Lessie – have remained friends and meet several times a year to reconnect and reminisce.

Lessie made another headline-making donation last year. She donated a piece

by Rembrandt van Rijn to the Quinlan Visual Arts Center. Titled “Rembrandt’s Father in a High Hat,” the portrait had been in Charles and Lessie’s art collection in their home.

The Dutch ink etching on paper dates back to 1630, picturing what is believed to be Rembrandt’s father wearing a cloak and cap.

“My husband loved to collect art portraits,” said Lessie. “The Rembrandt was hanging here in our house on the way to the ‘can’t wait’ bathroom. Some thought it should be in a gallery so people could see it.”

So now it is part of the Quinlan’s permanent collection. The donation is the biggest contribution to the collection, said Amanda McClure, the Quinlan’s executive director.

“The Rembrandt was such a wonderful gift. It’s an incredible honor to be charged with its care and the responsibility of sharing it with the world,” said Amanda. “It was very important to Mrs. Smithgall that anyone visiting our center and viewing the exhibitions and permanent collection (which are free, by the way) should be granted access. And we agreed. It has brought in some additional visitors and

is such an asset.”

That pleases Lessie. “We are so fortunate to have an art center of the caliber of the Quinlan right here in Gainesville,” she said.

The accolades Lessie has received over the years for her impact on the arts are too numerous to name, and she’s too humble to recite any herself.

A few of note include that she was the first recipient in 2008 of the Georgia Arts and Entertainment Legacy Award, which honors people who have made a significant contribution to the vitality, diversity and enrichment of Georgia’s cultural legacy.

She has been a member of the board of directors for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, appointed by the governor to the board of directors of the Georgia Council for the Arts, a board of trustees’ member of Woodruff Arts Alliance and honorary trustee of Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival.

Lessie was the organizer and first chairman of the Georgia Sponsors for the Atlanta Symphony.

Brenau University conferred on her an honorary doctorate of humane letters, primarily because of her contributions and support of the arts in Gainesville, Atlanta and elsewhere.

And she has received the Quinlan’s “Medallion Award,” its top honor for individuals who have served the arts center with great distinction.

With more than a 104 years of life lived and still counting, Lessie keeps the art of storytelling alive as she revels in regaling others with her adventures and remembrances, many rooted in the arts.

One of her favorite pastimes still is to sit in her parlor, rich with art on its walls and shelves and brimming with memories, and listen to opera.

Indeed Lessie is our matriarch of the arts, though she avoids having the spotlight shine on her and her contributions, preferring instead to shift the attention to her beloved husband Charlie. In fact, the pair were partners in every way for some 63 years of marriage, and both worked to make sure Gainesville and Georgia were rich in arts and culture.

And we are all the richer for it.

Spring 2016

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Kit Dunlap, president of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, has been a leader in economic and business development as well as water preservation and planning in Georgia for decades.

Photo by Scott Rogers

Kit Dunlap

Testing the waters, pushing the limits

By Charlotte Atkins Kathryn Long Dunlap, aka “Kit,” is the epitome of enduring leadership in Hall County. At the helm of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce for going on 20 years, she’s been a vital force in ensuring the region’s economy is one of the most robust in Georgia.

Born and raised in Jasper, Ala., she arrived in Gainesville the 1960s for her college education.

“Came to Brenau, then just a women’s college. Lived at Brenau in dorm, Delta Delta Delta house and graduated. Married and been in Gainesville since.“ What some may not know about those years at Brenau is that Kit taught kinesiology, golf and swimming there. That’s because she was swimmer of note.

“I held a Southeast swimming record, for awhile, in 50-yard freestyle.”

While she’s legendary in chamber of commerce circles, her leadership has extended beyond the local chamber.

“I served as chairman of Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism (now Georgia Department Economic Development) and on the board for 10 years.” She has for many years also worked on water issues with the North Georgia Water Planning District.

As one of Georgia’s most respected chiefs her recipe for leadership includes being “independent and able to take care

of yourself. Persistence. Have a goal and you will achieve. Be willing to change and listen to others ... then move on with a decision.”

She says her greatest lesson as a leader is to “gather the trust of those you are working with by working hard and encouraging your team. Surround yourself with the best folks possible. You must be able to communicate and multitask.”

Her work is a passion for her. “Leading the Greater Hall Chamber, supporting business. The Chamber is the hub.”

She also continues her work with the Water Planning District for the state. Other community service includes serving on the boards of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Brenau University, SunTrust Bank of Northeast Georgia and Gainesville-Hall 96 that oversees Lake Lanier Olympic Park.

Her personal pursuits include “spending time with grandchildren, collecting and viewing art, reading spy thrillers and behind-the-scenes politics.”

Her wish list includes helping “solve the water issues of Georgia and see the Glades Reservoir completed.” She also aims for the Chamber to be the best business organization in the state and see the accomplishments of Vision 2030 Big Ideas. On her personal list, she’d like to travel to Italy again.

And she’d like to see Alabama’s

Crimson Tide keep winning. “Roll Tide.”

Her grandmother, Stella, was her hero because she ended up caring for three teenagers ages 10, 12 and 14 to provide for, educate and prepare for life.

“Stella was 70 years of age when taking on this task. She lived to 95.”

What a brave and loving thing to do.

Kit’s singular bravest moment takes her back to the pool where she spent so much of her youth was when she attempted her first 2« somersault off a 10-meter diving board. She’s aimed high ever since.

If she could do any job in the world, Kit says being an ambassador to Great Britain or China would be intriguing, or owning a bookstore at the beach.

But she loves the job and life she has here in North Georgia.

Loves it for our “mountains, Lake Lanier, exceptional health care, good public and private schools and local colleges, good jobs and a diverse economy, a bounty of art via Quinlan Arts Center, Brenau University, the Arts Council plus good restaurants, theater, parks” and more.

“I have visited a lot of cities and towns all over the world and it’s always good to come home. This is truly the best place to live, work, play and stay.”

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Minding her own business Teryl Worster Infuses Fitness Passion into Spa Industry

By CARLY SHAREC Teryl Worster’s career path took its initial turn when she decided she wanted a more flexible job that would allow her to stay home with her children.

“I was in the hospitality industry, working for hotel restaurant management, when I had my third child,” Worster said. “I had time to stay home, so I decided to go back (to school) and get an education in exercise science.”

Worster was 33 when she began competing in fitness competitions, pushing her body to the limit and getting in the best shape she could possibly be in. Worster recalled competing against younger women, being the only one in the room with small children shouting “Go, Mom!” “I was basically a walking billboard to show that, yes, you could have three children and still be fit,” she said. “And from that, I was lucky enough to be able to start a fitness business of my own.”

As a trainer and coach, she was able to have that flexibility she desired and was able to make her own hours, allowing her to spend more time with her young children.

In 2005, she used that business experience and teamed up with her soon-to-be husband, Erich Worster, and moved to Gainesville from Florida. She opened a business in downtown Gainesville, offering training and physical fitness sessions.

“It was a 30-minute fun, fast-paced fitness class,” Worster recalled. “It was so popular. Even if I were to start it up again now, I’m sure there would be a waiting list.”

Unfortunately, when the economy took a downturn during the 2008 recession, she had to close the business’ doors. However, another door opened when she joined Erich full-time over at the Spa on Green Street, which he had purchased in 2004.

At the time, she said, most people still saw the spa industry as offering luxury services, not true health benefits. One of her joys over the past few years has been to see the shift in thinking.

The spa offers what one might think as typical services, like

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Teryl Worster, owner and spa director, poses for a photo at the Spa on Green Street.

Photo by Erin O. Smith

massage, facials and waxing. However, other services include reflexology, fitness and nutritional consultations and other wellness-focused programs.

“People are starting to understand that it’s more about health and not just about treating yourself on occasion,” Worster said.

She noted that even something like a massage or facial provides relaxation benefits proven to produce positive reactions in the body.

While Worster’s had a love for the fitness and health industry for years, it was when one of her daughters was diagnosed with leukemia at age 18 that Worster fully began to see her role in the industry. She credits her daughter’s good health for her eventual full recovery.

“That’s part of my soap box and my passion,” Worster said with enthusiasm. “I love trying to give people the best leg up they can have in life, because no one knows when or if there’s going to be any kind of obstacles or health challenges that could show up in your future. But if you are consistently putting your best foot forward, keeping yourself in the best possible shape and condition, treating your body in a way that you can care for it and allow it to recover … (you have a) better chance of full recovery.

“Women in particular,” she added. “We’re so busy trying to make our way in the world, taking care of other people, that we don’t take the same amount of time to take care of our own Spring 2016

physical vehicle, our bodies, as we would our car. But we can buy a new car when something happens to our car. We can’t replace our physical body. And that is the goal of what we provide here at the spa.

It’s not just a service, but motivation and education and enjoyment.”

In beginning a business, Worster encourages women to go with

their intuition.

“My best words of wisdom for someone who is looking to create something in their life … would be to really be courageous and to have confidence in what they’re doing and to do their homework.

“Women are so capable of creating.

That’s what we’re here to do,” she added.

“But there are so many obstacles for women in the world when it comes to wanting to start their own business, but the most important thing is to be courageous enough to move with the impulse. Surround yourself with the people who can help you get the job done.

Don’t try to do it alone, and believe you can do it.”

The Spa on Green Street 635 Green St. NW Gainesville, GA 30501 678-450-1570 www.spaongreenstreet.com

Above left: Barbara Miller, Pilates instructor, helps Kim Parker with one of the Pilates machines at the Spa on Green Street. Above: A variety of medicines for immune system support, digestive health and energy line the shelves in one office at the Spa on Green Street. Left: Genie Comley pays Jill Cross, front desk associate, for her visit to the Spa on Green Street.

Photos by Erin O. Smith

celebrating women of north georgia

43

Betty Norton flips through one of the books that was influential to her while she was in real estate. Norton earned her master’s degree at the University of Georgia and became Hall County’s first school psychologist from 1968 to 1970, during which time she also obtained a real estate license.

Photos by Erin O. Smith

50 plus & fabulous

Norton was first female in area to get real estate license 44

By frank Reddy

Inside the president’s office at The Norton Agency in Gainesville, there’s a giant photograph propped against the wall. Every time Betty Norton sees the image, which features a formerly elegant residence decaying in post-revolution Cuba, her thoughts drift to her family’s long journey to America.

She is also reminded there are times when the condition of one’s home can reflect the resolve of the human spirit.

Betty came to America with her Cuban family when she was 4. Like millions of other immigrants to the United States during that time, she came through Ellis Island to arrive in New York City.

Spring 2016

“My father wanted more,” Betty says. “He wanted something better.”

Over the next several years, she lived in New Jersey and Florida — and even South America — before ultimately coming to Gainesville.

She’d heard about Brenau University and came to Hall County in the early 1950s, where she would meet and marry Frank Norton Sr., son of Norton Agency Founder W.L. Norton.

She and Frank had three children, and she was a stay-athome mom who volunteered in the community. She credits her decade of service with the Junior League, an organization of young women performing community services, as the basis for the leadership skills she would later come to use in the real estate industry.

She went back to school, earned her master’s degree at the University of Georgia and became Hall County’s first school psychologist from 1968 to 1970, during which time she also obtained a real estate license.

While it’s true Betty was the first woman in the area to get a real estate license, she wasn’t daunted by it. She greeted the situation the same she always has: by being prepared.

“I have done many things that scared me to death, but I have tried to prepare to do them well. (In the real estate business) men treated me cordially, and I acted professionally, so I was accepted.”

Her entrance into the Hall County Board of Realtors did surprise some.

“Our firm at the time didn’t think it would be unusual for me to join, so I did,” Betty says. “And, it was a shock to every other real estate person.”

In the early 70s, there were seven real estate companies that made up the Hall County Board of Realtors, all represented by men.

By 1977, Betty was board president. To this day, she still has a small brass pin designating her leadership; it glimmers with the same brilliance as it did the first time she affixed it to her jacket. In fact, she’s got all kinds of pins, a whole alphabet of acronyms denoting industry organizations she led over the past several decades.

Throughout Betty’s career, her celebrating women of north georgia

Betty Norton laughs as she talks about her family during an interview at the Norton Agency. Norton was the first woman in the area to get a real estate license.

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main focus has been introducing newcomers to the area, often very important ones. In the early 1970s, when Chicago-based Wrigley’s built a plant in Hall County, it was Betty who showed the company leaders around Gainesville.

“I visited with these families ... these longtime Chicago families who came to redneck Georgia,” she says, laughing. “They didn’t want to come. They didn’t know anybody here, so I spent my time with these newcomers and I made them feel comfortable here. ... Pretty soon, they grew to love this place.”

A whole slew of new industries followed the gum manufacturer to Hall County, setting up other big businesses here.

“And, I worked with almost all of those executives and spent time with their families,”

Norton says. “I’ve worked with newcomers ever since.”

While she’s been retired for some time, the colleagues she once worked with have nothing but respect for her.

“Betty’s the queen of real estate,” says Susan Moss, an agent with the Norton Agency. “She’s well known, well liked and well respected. She’s opened doors for many women Realtors, that’s for sure.”

Back in the early ’70s, when Betty Norton was still blazing trails for women and had just gotten her real estate license, her father-in-law, W.L. Norton, told her something that stuck.

“He told me that for every house, there is a buyer waiting to improve himself and to live there. He taught me to look at what we do as helping a person achieve a better lifestyle. He taught me the value someone places on their

home.”

And, if she ever forgets, all she has to do is walk into her son Frank Norton Jr.’s office and look at the photo propped against the wall.

“About three years ago, Frank Jr. and his wife Nancy (went on) a mission trip to Cuba ... the group was able to go behind the Cuban ‘curtain’ and see how the people were actually living,” Betty says. Frank happened upon the residence and snapped a picture.

Despite the dilapidation, she says, there was a stateliness to the home’s upkeep — makeshift repairs and beautiful pots of fresh flowers stood in stark contrast to the crumbling architecture.

“Although no one had funds to make repairs,” she says. “There was still a feeling of pride there.”

Betty Norton speaks with Susan Moss, a real estate agent with the Norton Agency, in a conference room there. Betty helped train Susan when she first started at the agency.

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Spring 2016

Top: Norton has a variety of pins she has collected over the years as she received different certifications in real estate. Above left: Betty Norton received her original real estate license November 24, 1969. Above right: Betty Norton moved to Gainesville in the early 1950s, where she would meet and marry Frank Norton Sr., son of Norton Agency Founder W.L. Norton. Betty Norton later earned her master’s degree at the University of Georgia and became Hall County’s first school psychologist from 1968 to 1970. celebrating women of north georgia

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If I didn’t have to work, I would still be a busy woman.

Incorporating travel and helping others would become my passion. Traveling to countries on medical mission trips would keep my calendar full.

It would allow me to see places I would not normally see and I would meet people that I would never have met. Providing others with medical help that they would not otherwise receive would keep my heart full while traveling would keep my curiosity satisfied.

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I’ve always wanted to learn how to weld!

Building and creating furniture would be something I’d like to have more time to do.

I would also volunteer my time at the animal shelter or being a baby cuddler at the hospital.

Art and writing projects, travel, volunteering, decorating, gardening, spending time with family and friends … all the usual suspects.

Stacy Pruitt

I actually like to work, but it would be really nice not to stress out over it the way I do sometimes. I would probably write some horrible novel if I didn’t have to work.

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Marjay Randall

Relax on the beach for now, but one day I would like to join the Peace Corps.

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She said...

Name three characteristics that make a strong, effective leader.

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Knowledge.

Compassion.

Perseverance. Know your subject matter, but show compassion and understanding to others and yourself when things don’t go as planned. (And invariably they won’t.)

And above, never give up. Perseverance is key.

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Developing, inspiring and empowering other leaders; communicating well; leading by example with servant leadership.

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Be a good listener.

Work with your employees, never expecting them to do what you wouldn’t do.

Be firm and fair to all.

Someone who’s consistent in her message; contrite with the willingness to show her weaknesses; convictional leading with her heart.

Understanding, vision and patience. Strong leaders know where to go next and how to coach others to get there.

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49

Martha Nesbitt is an esteemed academic leader who stays remarkably fit and active in her retirement. Golf is just one of her many leisure pursuits.

Photo by Erin O. Smith

Martha Nesbitt

Staying involved, serving the local community

By Charlotte Atkins Martha Nesbitt came to North Georgia in 1997 to serve as president of then-Gainesville State College, now the University of North Georgia.

In her almost 20 years here as an admired academic leader, she’s taken note of something that sets the area apart.

“We have a large percentage of women CEOs, vice presidents, judges, leaders of nonprofits, managers and volunteers who have made a tremendous difference in helping make this such a great place to live and work,” she said. “It is not only a tribute to the talented and competent women, but also to the male leaders who are comfortable in supporting and working with women to benefit the community.”

She says the most vital lesson she’s learned as a leader is the importance of inclusion by “involving people who will be affected by your decisions and the importance of open and honest communication.”

Other key character traits are building trust among those with whom you work, the ability to foster teamwork and “being competent and knowledgeable in one’s field, surrounding oneself with competent people and delegating appropriately.”

Though she is retired with the title of celebrating women of north georgia

college president emeritus, Martha has remained active.

“Since my retirement in 2012, I am passionate about staying involved and serving this community and, at the same time, having additional time for my family and friends.”

She enjoys exercise classes, golf, swimming, bridge, reading and walking her miniature poodle Princess.

“I also treasure my annual ‘Mommy and Me’ trips with our daughter, Ann, and snow skiing with our son, John and his family in Montana.”

Martha has always been physically active, and played multiple sports as a young woman.

“In high school, I was named an all state girls basketball player and was a competitive swimmer who traveled to Cuba two times to participate in the Havalanta Games, a competition between Atlanta and Havana that started as a friendship program between the two cities after World War II. It was discontinued after Castro came into power.”

That was followed by more international travel.

“I studied at the University of Oslo International Summer School while in

college (Duke University) and traveled afterward to the Soviet Union.”

Over the decades, she’s had adventures and trips to many parts of the world, but probably the most notable was a five-week Fulbright Seminar to India in 1990.

“My companions were 11 other higher education faculty and administrators from Georgia. The experience was an immersion in Indian history and culture and insight into the challenges of a third world country.”

Her most recent travel adventure was Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands.

Still on her wish list: “I would like to travel in a hot air balloon over the Grand Canyon.”

Still, she loves coming home.

“There are so many things to love about North Georgia — the lake, the mountains, the cultural, recreational and educational opportunities. But the most important are the people and their generous spirit that impressed me from the time I moved here. I continue to be amazed by so many people’s generosity in both time and financial support for the extraordinary number of nonprofit agencies for a community our size.”

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Amanda McClure

Leadership with an artistic touch

By Charlotte Atkins Art. You’d think that being surrounded by it and artists day in and day out that Amanda McClure, executive director for the Quinlan Visual Art Center, might get saturated.

“But I couldn’t live without art,” she said. “Whenever I travel, I like to explore the local art scene, and that isn’t necessarily a trip to a high-end gallery or a museum. Art can be found anywhere and I delight when it appears in the simplest of forms. I love to see how different communities embrace and appropriate art for varying purposes.”

For example, in Seattle, after she and her husband visited the first Starbucks, they took a walk through the city’s sculptural art program.

“Much to my delight, we stumbled across a giant sculpture of a wheeled eraser. There’s an entire generation that doesn’t have a clue what a typewriter eraser is and here is one two stories high just hanging out next to a highway.

What was purpose did it serve? I have no idea, but I recall it with such clarity and continue to talk about it, so it made a powerful impression. I love finding unexpected things like this.”

But if she’s charting a course, her bucket list is quite varied. “I want to see the world’s largest ball of twine. And

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Stonehenge.” To find art in all its forms perhaps?

Amanda’s passion for art is what infuses her leadership at the Gainesville art center. Honesty is the cornerstone of her leadership approach.

“I never have encountered an issue personally or professionally that didn’t benefit from being direct, genuine and true to myself.”

Good thing. Amanda, 38, says she has no poker face. “I hate being the keeper of a secret and I am incapable of telling a convincing lie.”

Having a voice is also key when leading.

“Don’t be afraid to offer your opinion or insight even in a room where you are outnumbered — and by outnumbered, I mean a number of ways — by peers that may have more experience, by the opposite sex, by people with another agenda.”

Leadership with a personal touch is her trademark. “As a woman reared by Southern women, I have learned to never underestimate the power of a wellcrafted, handwritten note of gratitude.”

Her 18-month-old son, Max, is the center of her personal universe. She also enjoys reading, cooking, science fiction movies and “chasing my toddler and

trying to teach him funny things to say to old ladies and knitting ridiculous things for him to wear while he still lets me.”

Knitting is a favorite pastime and she’s been working on an extra long Dr. Wholike scarf.

Other secrets? “At home, I’m terribly accident prone. I spill and smash like it is an Olympic sport.”

Her dream job (other than the Quinlan) would be “to be one of the members of Publisher’s Clearing House Prize Patrol. Can you imagine it being your job to knock on someone’s door with balloons and a million-dollar check?”

Her Quinlan gig that started in 2004 was intended to be a “pit stop” in her career and the chance to spend time with her grandmother who had retired to Gainesville. But then she met and married Jeff, and now they have a toddler and a home and community they love.

“Marrying a local made me part of something that I never really had before — a large extended family and a community where I could take on a much more active role. I love volunteering to help facilitate progress and positive change. You can play a significant part in projects in this community if you choose.”

Spring 2016

Amanda McClure, executive director for the Quinlan Visual Art Center, just can’t seem to get enough art. Here she’s surrounded by pieces that were being readied for the center’s annual Gala held in March.

Photo by Scott Rogers

Moxie Happenings March March 18 Brenau University Women’s Leadership Colloquium, Gainesville. 1:304:30 p.m. at the university’s Hosch Auditorium. Free and open to public. www.brenau.edu/about/leadershipcolloquium/

March 19 The Times North Georgia Women’s Expo at the Brenau Downtown Center in Gainesville. Morning and afternoon sessions are planned 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 and benefits WomenSource.

Exhibitors, programs, fashion show and prize giveaways. www.northgeorgiawomensexpo.com March 19 Suwanee Craft Beer Fest, Suwanee.

Town Center Park, Suwanee. $45$110. www.suwaneebeerfest.com.

March 19 Harlem Legends vs. Hall County All Stars Team, Gainesville. Clinic at 3 p.m. Game at 5 p.m. Riverside Military Academy, 2001 Riverside Drive, Gainesville. $10-$25. 678-617-3884.

March 19 Dancing with the Stars for Hope, Mount Airy. 7 p.m. Habersham Central High School auditorium, 2059 Old Highway 197 S, Clarkesville.

Fundraiser for Circle of Hope and the Habersham County Rotary Club. www.dancingwiththestarsforhope. com. 706-776-3406.

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March 19 YMCA Easter egg hunt, Gainesville. 9:30 a.m. YMCA, 2455 Howard Road, Gainesville. Free. www.

GAMountainsYMCA.org.

March 19 Jamie Laval, Dahlonega. 8-10 p.m.

The Crimson Moon, 24 N. Park St., Dahlonega. $18-$20. $9 for students under 22. 706-864-3982. www. thecrimsonmoon.com. www.jamielaval.com.

March 19 Anna Sellick & The Hot Club of Nashville, Gainesville. 8 p.m. Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St. SW, Gainesville. $30 for individual, $125 for the series. www. theartscouncil.net. 770-534-2787.

March 20 Annual Easter egg hunt, Gainesville. 2 p.m. Midtown Greenway, 682 Grove St. Gainesville. Time slots vary by age and can be found on the website. www.gainesville.org.

March 21 Brenau University Gospel Choir: “Shout,” Gainesville. 7:30 p.m. Brenau University, John S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts, Hosch Theater, 500 Washington St. SE, Gainesville.770-538-4764. www.brenau.edu/ fineartshumanities/music March 22 Dance, Gainesville. 7 p.m. American Legion, 2343 Riverside Drive, Gainesville. $8. Cha-cha, ballroom, swing and line dancing. www.lanierdance. com.

March 22 “The Philadelphia Story,” Oakwood.

Through April 16. University of North Georgia Gainesville’s Ed Cabell Theatre, 3850 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood. $12-$20. 678-717-3624, www.gaines villetheatrealliance.org.

March 22 Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Athens. 8 p.m. Hodgson Concert Hall, 230 River Road, Athens. $25-$80. www.pac.uga.edu. 706-542-4400.

March 22 Vocal Chamber Ensemble: “A Time in Music … A Moment in Eternity,” Gainesville. 7:30 p.m. Brenau University, John S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts, Atrium, 500 Washington St. SE, Gainesville. 770-538-4764. www. brenau.edu/fineartshumanities/music March 24-27 Easter Eggstravaganza and Rabbit Palooza, Cleveland. Wildlife Wonders, 2912 Paradise Valley Road, Cleveland. 706-348-7279.

March 26 “Hop on Over,” Clarkesville. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Historic Mauldin House gardens, Downtown Clarkesville. Free pictures with the Easter Bunny. www. clarkesvillega.com/activities.cfm March 26 Second annual Blue Ribbon Biscuit and Bluegrass Festival, Sautee Nacoochee. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sautee Nacoochee Center, 283 Ga. 225 N, Sautee Nacoochee. $10. 16 and younger free.

706-878-3300 or www.snca.org March 26 “Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence” exhibition, Atlanta.

March 26 through Aug. 14. Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta. www.fernbankmuseum.org.

March 29 Springtime festival, Cleveland. March 29 through April 10. Wildlife Wonders, 2912 Paradise Valley Road, Cleveland. 706-3487279.

Spring 2016

March 31 University of North Georgia Winds Ensemble, Gainesville. 7:30 p.m. Riverside Military Academy, 2001 Riverside Drive, Gainesville. 770-538-2194. ung.edu/music/wind-ensemble.php

April April 1 America, Atlanta. 7:30 p.m. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. $35.50-$85.50 www.atlantasymphony.org or 404-733-4900.

coochee. Register by April 1. dfrom@ snca.org.

April 11 Andrea Hollander poetry reading, Gainesville. 12:30 p.m. Brenau University, Trustee Library, QuietZone, 500 Washington St. SE, Gainesville. 770534-6195. sbrim@brenau.edu.

April 12 Spectrum singers: “Wanderlust …

Songs of Travel,” Gainesville. 7:30 p.m.

Brenau University, Pearce Auditorium, 500 Washington St. SE, Gainesville.

Free. 770-538-4764. www.brenau.edu/ fineartshumanities/music

April 24 Van Morrison, Alpharetta. 8 p.m.

Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. $69.50$250.50. amphitheatre-ga.com.

April 26 University of North Georgia Symphonic Band, Gainesville. 7:30 p.m.

Riverside Military Academy, 2001 Riverside Drive, Gainesville. 770-538-2194. ung.edu/music/wind-ensemble.php.

April 29-30 Blue Ridge Trout Festival, Blue Ridge.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Downtown City Park, Blue Ridge. $5. 706-838-5259. www. blueridgetroutfest.com.

April 1 “Little Red Riding Hood” opera, Gainesville. 7:30 p.m. April 1. 2:30 p.m.

April 2. Brenau University, Pearce Auditorium, 500 Washington St. SE, Gainesville. $5. 770-538-4764. www.brenau. edu/fineartshumanities/music

April 16 Bluegrass Farm Jam, Alto. Noon.

Jaemor Farm, 5340 Cornelia Highway, Alto. www.bluegrassfarmjam. com.

April 2 “The Return,” Dahlonega. 8 p.m. Holly Theater, 69 W. Main St., Dahlonega. $19.99. www.hollytheater.com. 706864-3759.

April 30 12th annual Spring Chicken Festival/ Chicken Cook-Off, Gainesville. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for 10 chicken samples.

April 16-17 Register by March 30. www.downtownBear on the Square Mountain Festival, gainesville.com. 770-297-1141.

Dahlonega. www.bearonthesquare.org.

April 5 Spectrum Winds, Gainesville. 7:30 p.m. Brenau University, Pearce Auditorium, 500 Washington St. SE, Gainesville. Free. 770-538-4764. www.brenau. edu/fineartshumanities/music April 8-9 Master Gardener plant sale and garden event, Cumming. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

235 Castleberry Road, Cumming. Free.

770-887-2418.

April 10 Children’s theater camp, Sautee Nacoochee. 2-4 p.m. Sundays April 10 through May 22. Sautee Nacoochee Center, 283 Ga. 255 N, Sautee Nacelebrating women of north georgia

April 16 Brenau student fashion show, Gainesville. 4:30 p.m. Brenau University, Pearce Auditorium, 500 Washington St. SE, Gainesville. 770-534-6240.

April 23 American Legion Post 127 fundraiser, Gainesville. 6 p.m. 1705 Cleveland Highway, Gainesville. $25 per person fundraiser, $26 online. Ages 21 and older. Featuring Swingin’ Medallions & Alligator Hat Band. www.post127concert.com or tickets4vets@gmail.com.

April 23 Carter Calvert & The Roger Cohen Trio, Gainesville. 8 p.m. Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St. SW, Gainesville. $30 for individual, $125 for the series. www.theartscouncil. net. 770-534-2787.

April 30 Hiroya Tsukamoto, Sautee Nacoochee.

7:30 p.m. Center Theatre, 283 Ga. 255 N, Sautee Nacoochee. $12-$18. snca.org/snc/performance/billboard. php#Tsukamoto or 706-878-3300.

May May 14 Jon Regen, Gainesville. 8 p.m. Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St. SW, Gainesville. $30 for individual, $125 for the series. www. theartscouncil.net.

May 24 An Evening with Jeanne Robertson, Gainesville. 7:30 p.m. Pearce Auditorium, 1 Centennial Circle, Gainesville. $28-$35. www.theartscouncil.net or 770-534-2787.

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Moxie Moments

Here Come the Brides!

Two recent events helped brides to be and bride wannabes plan their dream weddings. The Gainesville Civic Center’s 24th annual Bridal Expo provided an array of vendors and a fashion show with wow factor galore in January. Then in February, The Walters Barn in Lula presented its Winter Bridal Show featuring a  vow renewal and bridal demonstrations for a real taste of wedding experiences.

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Spring 2016

She said...

If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Ashton Blackwood

Invisibility. Just think about it. How powerful that could be.

Beth Laughinghouse

Time travel. I’m a big family history researcher so it would be great to be able to go back and be able to ask questions that have been stumping me for years.

celebrating women of north georgia

Alison Reeger Cook

Patsy Kilmartin

Since I was a kid, I wished I could shape-shift — to have the ability to get into someone else’s shoes for awhile, to gain a better understanding of what others go through. But I think the most needed superpower would be to instantly heal people. We need more healers in the world.

Super strong and could fly. I am actually afraid to fly, but think if I had that power I would appreciate it and would want to use it for good. I’d like to be super strong to help the underdog.

Jessica Tullar

The ability to fully and effectively be in multiple places at one — home, kids’ school, work and at the park playing.

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Go Red event

There were a couple key Girls Day Out and Girls Night Out events for good causes that drew crowds of women this season. The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Luncheon and Health Fair was held Feb. 5 at First Baptist Church with Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal as the keynote speaker. Then on Feb. 18 the Junior League of Hall County held a Little Black Dress benefit dubbed Stilettos and Studs to raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Hall County at Tap it.

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Spring 2016

GET IN THE

GAME FOR 138 YEARS, Brenau University has helped women reach their full potential. Brenau professors know your name. Classmates become your biggest supporters. In and out of the classroom you will discover a world full of possibilities.

•

Undergr Undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, education, mass communication, health sciences, fine arts and humanities

•

Nationally competitive athletics

•

World-class art galleries

•

Modern, real-world health care classrooms and laboratories

•

Graduates prepared to work and lead

Apply today and uncover the gold that lies within you. brenau.edu/apply

Mary Katherine “MK” Jabbia.

Senior biology honor student.

All-American swimmer. Member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Student Government Association president.

BRENAU IN GAINESVILLE: HISTORIC CAMPUS | DOWNTOWN CENTER | BRENAU EAST AT FEATHERBONE | GRINDLE ATHLETICS PARK, NEW HOLLAND BRENAU ACROSS THE REGION: AUGUSTA | JACKSONVILLE | NORTH ATLANTA /NORCROSS | SOUTH ATLANTA/FAIRBURN | ONLINE 500 Washington Street SE | Gainesville, Georgia 30501 | 800.252.5119 | www.brenau.edu