► PAGE 3 City set to celebrate National Bike Month
South Vietnamese, U.S. veterans commemorate 1975 fall of Saigon
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dozens of retired South Vietnamese and Americans gathered at Brook Run Park April 29 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
The Black April Commemoration honors the memory of allies, civilians and soldiers of the former Republic of Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces captured the southern capital of Saigon, marking the end of the American-backed government and the war.
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, District 6
Commissioner Ted Terry, state Rep. Long Tran (D-District 80, Dunwoody) attended the twohour ceremony at Georgia Way South and Crescent Circle. The ceremony was held at the new war memorial, crowd-funded by the Vietnamese American Community of Georgia and the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association. It’s the only Vietnam War Memorial in the United States created as a partnership between the South Vietnamese and American veteran communities. Both groups and Dunwoody officials unveiled the $1.5 million monument last October.
See SAIGON, Page 18
Council splits on approving maintenance facility
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council approved a slate of contracts for capital projects April 28, including $3 million to build a new maintenance facility at Brook Run Park.
In a 4-3 vote, officials approved a guaranteed maximum price for construction of two new buildings at the west edge of the park.
While the project could cost as much as $3.78 million, the city set aside just $1.5 million in its 2025 budget. The balance will come from the sale of the city’s North Shallowford Road property and a Georgetown Gateway project surplus. Other funding comes from stormwater reserves and insurance payouts.
The expense set some on edge, as Dunwoody faces fiscal challenges. The city had to pull $1.26 million of its
reserves to fund this year’s budget.
“I just think it’s really expensive … are we picking the absolute worst time?”
Mayor Lynn Deutsch said. “I think everything is expensive right now.”
One building houses offices for the Parks and Recreation Department, and the other is a warehouse for the Public Works Department to store equipment and materials.
In November, the City Council approved a $114,000 contract with
Moeller Purcell for a construction manager to develop a guaranteed price for the maintenance facility.
Public Works Director Michael Smith said both buildings are pre-engineered metal structures, and a significant part of the project is stormwater management. Currently, he said the site drains directly into a nearby stream running through the 110-acre park.
See FACILITY, Page 18
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
From left, John Butler, chair emeritus of the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association, and Vietnamese American Community of Georgia President TraMy Nguyen welcome scores of people to the April 29 Black April Commemoration at the new Brook Run Park Vietnam War Memorial.
Fred Miles and time spent as Japanese prisoner of war
In January 2025, I wrote about a July 2, 1944, service held at Dunwoody Baptist Church to honor community members who were serving during World War II. I wanted to learn more about the individuals on the list and decided to start with Pvt. Fred Miles, listed as interned at Camp Hakodate in Japan.
Fred’s parents, Nancy and Fred Miles, Sr., moved from Atlanta to the corner of Dalrymple and Brandon Mill Road in 1915, a year before he was born. The property later became known as Lost Corners and is now Lost Corners Preserve, thanks to a planned donation by Peggy Miles. Peggy was Fred’s younger sister. His other siblings were Edward, Totsy and Henry.
A fire in 1973 at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, destroyed much of the World War II military personnel files, so finding out more about Fred Miles meant piecing together history from various sources.
He completed his draft card in 1940, indicating he was employed by A C Miller Co. in Atlanta, a truck and auto body manufacturer. Miles was single when he enlisted, and his mother was his contact person. He entered service at Fort McPherson June 5, 1941, training from June 16 to September 20, 1941, at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. (fold3.com and ancestry.com)
National Archives records show that Pvt. Fred H Miles was part of the 36th Infantry Division, 131st Field Artillery Regiment, Headquarters Battery. The majority of this regiment was from Texas.
On May 15, 1943, the Atlanta Journal newspaper reported that after not hearing from Fred for a year and a half, his mother received a telegram from the War Department. He was a prisoner of the Japanese, according to the
International Red Cross. Miles was a member of the Lost Battalion, captured on Java, part of the Dutch East Indies when the Dutch ended their resistance to Japan in March 1942.
The Miles family occasionally received a card from Fred. In October 1945, 29-year-old Miles was liberated and returned to the U.S. He spent time recovering at Battey General Hospital in Rome, Georgia, before returning to his Sandy Springs home. Recollections from other prisoners at Hakodate indicate brutal conditions including 10-hour workdays in the coal mine or on the docks. Some prisoners were sent to work on the Burma Railway. There were beatings and little food offered.” (Atlanta Journal, Oct. 16, 1945, “Japanese prisoner of three years returns”)
The prisoners were able to hear about the outside world at night with a radio smuggled in by the 200 American prisoners and a detachment of Canadians. The radio was cleverly concealed in a paneled wall.
When Miles returned home, his mother said she “…never gave up hope that she would see him alive again.”
Miles received three bronze battle stars, a Presidential citation, seven overseas service bars, and a ribbon for service in the AsiaticPacific Theater according to his Honorable Discharge papers. At the end of his service, his rank was corporal. (ancestry.com)
The 1950 census records show Fred Miles working as a motor mechanic. He and wife Minnie Amy Reece lived on Hilderbrand Road with their two children. Minnie Reece Miles died in 1962, and Fred Miles died in 1974. Both are buried at Arlington Memorial Park.
Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.
LARRY D. MOORE/HISTORICAL MARKER DATA BASE A historical marker in Texas recognizes the history of the Lost Battalion.
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist
- so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!
MONKEY BUSINESS
1. Great ape. Winter pear. Falafel bread.
2. Second or sixth US president. Small monkey of tropical South America. Ice house.
3. Music genre. Command to Rover. Long-tailed monkey of Asia
4. Get bigger. Long-armed ape of Borneo. Skin problems.
5. Monkey with long fur of S.America, Round Table member. Aleutian island.
6. Milky gem. Extra large. Ring-tailed primate.
7. Monkey with dog-like muzzle. Exploding star. Trojan War hero.
1 Great ape. Winter pear. Falafel bread
2. Second or sixth US president. Small monkey of tropical South America. Ice house.
How to Solve: Each line in the puzzle above has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is the first letter of the second answer, and so on. The connecting letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each answer (the answers in line 1 are 4, 5 and 5 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, which each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!
3. Music genre. Command to Rover. Long-tailed monkey of Asia.
4. Get bigger. Long-armed ape of Borneo. Skin problems
5. Monkey with long beautiful fur of South America. Round Table member. Aleutian island.
6. Milky gem. Extra large. Ring-tailed primate.
7. Monkey with dog-like muzzle Exploding star. Trojan War hero.
Find expert epilepsy care at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center
Brought to you byDr. Ericka Bennett, Wellstar Neurologist
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that is characterized by recurrent seizures and affects millions of people worldwide. These seizures result from sudden abnormal electrical activity in the brain, which can cause temporary disturbances in movement, behavior, sensation or awareness. Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center provides expert, specialized care for epilepsy.
The new The Epilepsy and Seizures Program at Wellstar, one of only a few programs of its kind in Georgia, provides comprehensive care to help people manage several types of seizures, including absence, tonic, atonic, clonic, myoclonic and tonicclonic seizures. The expert team surrounds patients with support
throughout their entire care journey, providing specialized outpatient and inpatient treatment.
Which types of doctors diagnose and treat epilepsy?
Diagnosing epilepsy requires the expertise of a multidisciplinary medical team. Each specialist brings a different perspective and skill set to ensure the most accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment plan:
• Neurologist: Performs initial assessments, orders imaging and begins treatment
• Epileptologist: This is a neurologist with specialized training in epilepsy. They lead the diagnostic process and manage complex cases.
• Neuropsychologist: They conduct cognitive and behavioral evaluations, especially in preparation for epilepsy surgery.
• Neurosurgeon: They assess whether surgical treatment is a viable and safe option for epilepsy that isn’t helped by medications.
• Nurse Coordinator: They are here
to help you navigate through your diagnosis and treatment. They can help with scheduling, educating you about your diagnosis and connecting you with community resources.
What is the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) and how can the EMU at Wellstar North Fulton help with management of your epilepsy?
An epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) is a specialized inpatient facility designed to diagnose and evaluate seizure disorders. Patients are voluntarily admitted, on average between three to five days, for continuous video electroencephalogram monitoring. This comprehensive assessment helps differentiate epilepsy from other conditions that mimic seizures, such as movement disorders, fainting spells or psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.
Why is an EMU hospitalization essential for epilepsy diagnosis and treatment?
1. Accurate diagnosis: The EMU
provides high-precision monitoring, ensuring that patients receive the correct diagnosis and, consequently, the right treatment.
2. Personalized treatment plans: By analyzing seizure patterns, neurologists can tailor a treatment plan specific to the patient and their diagnosis.
3. Identifying surgical candidates: For patients whose seizures are not well-controlled with medication, an EMU evaluation can determine if epilepsy surgery is a viable option.
What are the next steps after spending time in the EMU?
Once the EMU hospitalization is complete, your epileptologist will review important data collected from the hospitalization, confirm the diagnosis, discuss if you are a surgical candidate and adjust the treatment plan accordingly.
Learn more about neuro care at Wellstar at wellstar.org/neurocare. To schedule an appointment with Wellstar Neurologist Dr. Ericka Bennett in Roswell, call (770) 663-4649.
BENNETT
Dunwoody honors resident, business as Sustainability Heroes
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody recognized Donna Burt and local business Ark Coffeehaus as recipients of the 2024 Sustainability Hero Awards at the April 28 City Council meeting.
Initiated in 2012, the Sustainability Hero Award program celebrates exemplary individuals and organizations for their dedication, service and leadership in environmentally friendly practices. Dunwoody Sustainability Committee members select the winners each year, and nominations for the awards are open to the community.
Committee Chair Colin Mey said sustainability is not just a goal, it’s a legacy built by those who lead with action.
“We’re proud to honor our Sustainability Heroes: an individual whose passion lights the way and a business whose innovation proves that progress and planet can thrive together,” Mey said. “Their commitment sets the standard proving that every effort, large or small, shapes a greener and brighter future for us all.”
City Councilman Rob Price is a liaison to the committee
Donna Burt is individual recipient of the Sustainability Hero Award for her commitment to driving community change and modeling sustainable actions in her everyday life.
See AWARD, Page 18
Front center, Dunwoody resident and longtime volunteer Donna Bert displays her 2025 Sustainability Hero Award alongside members of the Dunwoody City Council Sustainability Committee at the April 28 City Council meeting.
CITY OF DUNWOODY/PROVIDED
‘Ma and pa’ store survives Sandy Springs bustle
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Bob and Suzan Bourman moved to Sandy Springs in 1983 for the city’s strong public schools.
Before long, they established themselves in the community by opening a gifts and bridal registry shop, Fragile Gifts, which has become beloved throughout the city.
Fragile, as many residents call it, sports a 9,000-square-foot showroom with walls covered in classic dinnerware, fine gifts and stemware. About 25 percent of its business comes from its bridal registry.
The shop sits across Roswell Road from City Springs and the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center.
“It’s a little ma and pa store, and we still are an alternative to department stores,” Bob Bourman said. “What’s great is when you’re a little neighborhood store and you start meeting your neighbors and cliental ... to know them by first name is not something you get at the malls.”
He said he thinks customers enjoy patronizing Fragile because they get things, like complimentary gift wrapping, that are hard to find in today’s world of online shopping and declining brick-and-mortar retail service.
“We’re still doing it; we do it because we started doing it,” Bob said. “Now, people come here and expect we’re going to wrap … paper is more expensive, boxes, everything.”
City Councilwoman Jody Reichel, who represents District 4 where the shop is located, said Fragile has been her go-to place for gifts for 30 years.
“Susan and Bob embody true customer service — always helpful, thoughtful and dedicated,” Reichel said. “I am so grateful for their loyalty and the special role they play in our Sandy Springs community.”
Trade disputes spark worries
When asked if the shop is seeing any impacts of trade disruptions and tariffs, Bob said they’re feeling it now.
“We haven’t been hit yet with tariff surcharges, but they’re starting in the
Fragile Gifts, a local gift and bridal registry shop, has a 9,000-square-foot showroom just across Roswell Road (Ga. 9) from City Springs and the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. The business is nearly twice as old as the city.
first week of May,” he said. “Many of our vendors have already reached out to us, instead of changing cost process they’re just going to add 10-20 percent to every invoice that we get, which is going to make it tough on us.”
Pricing merchandise to match increased taxes on imports can be tricky.
“We’ve tried really hard to get our inventory where we want it to be … without overdoing it, not knowing what’s going to happen, so we won’t have to get too affected by the tariffs,” Bob said.
“If [vendors] are doing the melamine from China, they’re already not taking delivery in May on goods because the tariffs are 145 percent and they just can’t afford that,” Bob said. “It’s a touchy situation ... who knows what’s going to happen, people are scared.”
Melamine is an industrial chemical used as a coating in tableware and other common products like paints and plastics.
The game right now is wait-and-see at Fragile Gifts. Bob said he’s noticed a decrease in foot traffic while customer questions on pricing and tariffs has increased.
For a local business like Fragile Gifts, it’s a real problem as it approaches busy season with weddings and graduations.
Bob said he hopes people, especially
those in government, settle economic policies. Small business owners are paying for it right now.
“Big department stores can absorb some of that stuff, they’re still buying at better prices than we are,” he said. “We’re kind of stuck; we’ll see in May; I get three or four emails a day from our vendors.”
How it started
Susan hails from Charleston, and Bob is a Pittsburgh native. The Bourmans found a home in Sandy Springs, sending their children to Riverwood International Charter School and watching their grandkids play ball at Chastain Park.
Bob owned a series of athletic footwear franchises across Metro Atlanta in the early ’80s, which eventually turned into Lenox Mall’s Footlocker after decades of acquisitions and reorganizations.
“I was going to work for Nike, and my wife wanted to open up a little gift store in Sandy Springs,” Bob said. “So, I said, ‘Well, I got six months before I start to work for Nike,’ and here we are 38 years later.”
Fragile Gifts has moved a couple of times in its nearly four decades in Sandy Springs. The shop is twice as old as the city, and the Bourmans have seen City Springs transform from an old Targetanchored shopping center into a retail,
and Bob Bourman, sit with 3-year-old granddaughter Charley near their bridal registry and gift shop in Sandy Springs. The Bourmans opened Fragile Gifts 38 years ago.
cultural and arts hub.
The Bourmans opened their gift and registry shop Fragile in 1987 at a small strip mall across Mount Vernon Highway from City Springs.
“We started in one, little 1,500-squarefoot location,” Bob said.
After expanding the shop to encompass the entire building, the couple moved to the Centre Court Shopping Center at Hammond Drive and Sandy Springs Circle.
After nearly a decade there, the Bourmans saw foot traffic and neighboring businesses decline amid fallout from the Great Recession and eventually made a move to its current location across from the city’s Performing Arts Center at the Sandy Springs Plaza shopping center.
“This will be our last location; we’re not moving again,” Bob said, cracking a smile and gesturing to glass home décor. “Moving this stuff is no fun.”
Before he drove off to make his grandchild’s soccer game at Chastain Park, Bob said he’s been really encouraged by the improvements to the city’s infrastructure since incorporation in 2005.
Just a hundred yards away from the massive project at Mount Vernon Highway and Johnson Ferry Road, he said it’s been a little inconvenient. As far as pre-tariff business, Bob said it was solid.
Appen Media announces winners of Best of Perimeter 2025
ATLANTA — There are more than 2,100 businesses in the Perimeter area that the public thinks are the best at what they do.
That’s how many services, companies and people were nominated in Appen Media’s 2025 Best of Perimeter contest. After a month of voting, the winners have emerged.
Nominations for the fifth annual contest took place in December. Top contenders in each category went on to the final ballot.
Appen Media held the voting period from March 15 to April 15, inviting the public to pick their favorites in each category.
The contest is free for anyone to participate, with a focus on readers in the Dunwoody, Brookhaven and Sandy Springs area.
Residents voted more than 28,000 times in the final round.
Now that the voting window has closed and the ballots have been counted, Appen
has published the list of 240 winners. Readers can see the list on bestofperimeter. com, the Crier newspapers and a special Winner’s Guide magazine set to publish in the coming weeks.
“The Perimeter area offers some of the finest restaurants, shopping, medical offices, and services in all of metro Atlanta,” Appen Media Vice President of Advertising Mike Dorman said. “Many businesses have had the honor of winning their title for the past 5 years since
inception of the Best of Perimeter contest, which shows the dedication and hard work each business puts in every day. Congrats to this year’s recipients!”
Best of Perimeter is presented by Appen Media Group, which also produces the Best of North Atlanta contests. More information can be found by going to bestofperimeter.com or emailing bestof@appenmedia.com.
— Carl Appen
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A voice and personality who shaped lives
William “Cadillac Jack” Choate, II passed away last week.
I have a theory that everyone will remember well who they were with during COVID. For me that’s Cadillac and Donna Jack.
We launched the “Cadillac Jack: My Second Act” podcast Jan. 7, 2020. In the beginning, my brother Hans and I split production duties, meaning that each week we both spent a day in the studio with Donna and Caddy. Once it got off the ground I took over and eventually, in July 2021, we hired a dedicated producer.
For a year and a half, Donna, Caddy and I would tread down to that basement studio and record a show, twice a week, every week.
Back then I lived alone, my nowwife was getting her master’s degree in another state, and much of Alpharetta – including our office – was locked down. For a long time, Caddy and Donna were some of the only folks I would see in person.
That period of time was pretty terrible for just about everyone in the world. Most folks were isolated, sad, sick, stressed or a combination of the above. I’ll be forever grateful I got to go
HANS APPEN/APPEN MEDIA
From left, Carl Appen and William “Cadillac Jack” Choate hold a framed poster marking the one year anniversary of the My Second Act podcast in Alpharetta June 2021.
through it with Donna and Cadillac. Caddy taught me a lot of lessons in that studio. There were professional ones about media, production, salesmanship and talent. How to make an audience member feel like they’re family, or why you should say a guest’s full name every time you address them. Ask an Appen news reporter about my “three-strike” story policy – it came from a tip Caddy passed to me from an old program director.
Caddy also gave me more than a few personal lessons, though he’d be bashful hearing about it. He showed me the impact you can have on folks by showing them you remember something they said in the past – especially when
Appen Media hosted the Cadillac Jack: My Second Act podcast from 2020-2024. The show ran for over 400 episodes and was Cadillac Jack’s first professional gig after his tenure at Kicks 101.5. The focus of the show was music, culture, and personal stories that helped Caddy and his wife and co-host Donna relate to listeners.
they didn’t think anyone was listening in the first place. Caddy taught me about taking direction, learning from others and always wanting to improve. I saw him try to lift people up and not knock them down.
Of course, he also taught me and many others how to laugh harder than they ever had before.
Our time together was limited to those studio hours. We both lived our own lives outside that room, and we only got to know each other within those walls.
I know Caddy faced his fair share of challenges. He would be upset with me if I didn’t take this time to encourage readers to seek resources if they’re in need and, when able, share support with loved ones.
He would periodically get a new phone, then joke about who made the cut for his updated number. I’m very
proud to say I made it to round four or five. My last text to Caddy was about a month ago. I told him I was thinking about him and signed it, “your favorite EP and Bun.” Caddy always thought it was funny that my dog’s and wife’s nicknames are Bun and Cheeks. He would also want me to leave it to readers to decide who is who.
Caddy’s last radio station, Bear 92.9, shared a set of photos this week in his honor. In one, Caddy is up on stage, wearing his hat, speaking to the crowd through a microphone. There’s a blinding light shining down from the rafters. Considering the setlist taped to the ground and guitar picks on the mic stand, my guess is that it was probably taken before a concert. You can see smiles and laughter on the faces in front of him. I looked at that photo for a while and thought to myself, “he’s right in his element.”
Vacation pre-reading for Cornwall journey
When I’m looking forward to a vacation trip, I search for books set in the place I’ll be visiting. This year, it’s Cornwall in June, a trip the hubby won’t be taking with me, as he doesn’t want to fold his 6’2” frame into a van to travel a different locale each day. C’est la vie. So far, I’ve read two books set in two different spots in Cornwall, both mysteries, my preferred genre.
“The Cornish Coast Murder” by John
Bude
Written in 1935, this mystery was reissued in 2014 as part of the British Library Crime Classics collection. Set in Boscawen, a fictional town as far as I can tell, the mystery introduces us to
the Reverend Dodd and his friend, the local doctor. They’re enjoying their weekly Monday evening get together, during which the bachelors enjoy dinner, cigars and a discussion of mystery books. Each week, a box of their selections is delivered from the lending library.
When they’re confronted with a “real” murder mystery in a home near the vicarage, mystery lover that he is, the vicar can’t help trying to puzzle out whodunit, though there is a competent local detective on the scene.
What follows is a mix of red herrings and clues that will keep you guessing until the end. If you’re partial to wellplotted British mysteries from bygone eras, this one is worth a read.
“The Shell House Detectives” by Emylia Hall
This contemporary mystery, written in 2023, is set in a fictional Cornwall town. Porthpella is on the coast, and its
beach setting is so vividly described, I could imagine myself walking my dog and finding sea glass as the widowed amateur sleuth does. In her beach cottage, Ally Bright mourns her husband who was a local constable, and wonders what to do with her life.
Should she stay or should she go? Should she move to Australia as her daughter wants her to do or continue her somewhat solitary life in a place she loves.
That difficult decision takes a back seat when the body of young man is found on the beach. If that’s not enough, on the same day, her neighbor goes missing.
Joined by a traumatized former constable who has recently moved to the area, she is soon seeking answers to questions she thinks the local constabulary should be asking. To Ally and her sleuthing partner, Jayden, the authorities seem more interested in
speedily closing both cases rather than finding the truth.
This tale is exactly what cozy mystery fans want from a cozy series — engaging characters you want to get to know, a setting you can see in your mind’s eye, and a murder mystery that will keep you in suspense. The good news is that there are several more books, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the relationships develop as the series move forward. All in all, these two mysteries, set years apart, kept me entertained for several evenings. Stay tuned for a few more Cornish novels. I have a long list.
Happy reading.
Award-winning author Kathy Manos Penn is a Sandy Springs resident. Find her Dickens & Christie cozy mysteries on Amazon or locally at The Enchanted Forest. Contact her at inkpenn119@gmail. com and visit her website www.facebook. com/KathyManosPennAuthor/.
CARL APPEN/APPEN MEDIA
CARL APPEN Director of Content and Development carl@appenmedia.com
THE INK PENN
KATHY MANOS PENN Columnist
SERVICE DIRECTORY
Vice President of Client Programs
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NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the fulltime Vice President of Client Programs position. The Vice President of Client Programs (VPCP) is a senior leader responsible for creating and implementing the Client Services department strategy for NFCC. This includes creating programs and services, monitoring their effectiveness and ensuring funds are distributed appropriately. The VPCP also leads a team of 13 client services staff who handle client intake, case management, impact and outcomes data, education (GED/English classes) and workforce development programs.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your resume to jobs@nfcchelp.org
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