CITIZEN
Vol. 31 No. 6
Favorite restaurants page 4
.COM
So u t h
gwinnett Est. 1988 Covering Snellville, Lawrenceville, Grayson, Loganville
FREE
APRIL 2019
www.gwinnettcitizen.com
Emily Creed Trailblazes By Julie Thompson GwinnettCitizen.com
The Potter’s Touch page 8
When asked why she entered as a contestant for the Miss Central Gwinnett program, Emily Creed, 15, said, “I’d never done it.” An avid volunteer, vocational chef, and frequent traveler, Emily has done a lot of things — but winning Miss Freshman at the annual Miss Central Gwinnett Scholarship Pageant was something she had never done until now. And as it turns out, Emily was a first for the school, too. Serving as both a learning experience and as a fundraiser opportunity, the Pageant is a tradition of 61 years at Central Gwinnett —and Emily was the very first special needs student to enter the competition. In many ways, Emily is your typical teenager. She enjoys school. She loves the beach. Cooking and ani-
See EMILY on Page 28
Fond Memories page 25
NICU fun!
page 26
INSIDE Spiritual 3 Citizen Connection 4 Picture Perfect 6 Gwinnett Pulse 8 Road Runner 16 Health & Wellness 18
PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ABC DIRECT ECR-WSS POSTAL CUSTOMER
Photo by Magic Moment Photography
Emily Creed was the first contestant to stand on stage at the 2019 Miss Central Gwinnett Pageant.
Celebrating Ninety Years of Beauty
Former Mayor Emmett Clower receives ACS Gwinnett’s John and Martha Miller Adams Award
Special Photo
A celebration gathering for The Lawrenceville Garden Club 90th anniversary celebration at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse
By Julie Thompson GwinnettCitizen.com Their first meeting was held in 1929 after Mrs. J.H. “Susie” McGee placed a notice in the Gwinnett Journal. The notice served as an invitation to the very first Garden Club meeting held on March 15 at 3:30 p.m at the McGee residence. And soon enough, women from all over the county began flocking to these meetings, usually held at one of their homes. “Mrs. McGee lived on Clayton Street in a big white house with a big yard and pasture. She was an
avid gardener, and I’d see her even in her 80’s raking in the yard,” longtime Club member Rachel Bronnum said of McGee, who was known to buy flower bulbs in bulk and plant them in Female Seminaries and along local highways. “Over the years, things changed a lot. Garden Clubs did a lot of flower shows in the 50s. Now we focus on community service, growing and doing plant swaps and sales and classes for those who want to learn how things grow. We do a pruning class, and one on how to attract butterflies are examples
See GARDEN on Page 30
Special photo
(L-R) Grace Clower, Jonnie Kay Collier, Emmett Clower, Billy Greene, and Jewett Clower
By Phylecia Wilson GwinnettCitizen.com For decades, lifetime Snellville resident and mayor for 26 years, Emmett Clower, has donated his photography services to the ACS – whether it was the annual gala the ACS held for more than three decades, a Relay For Life event, the ACS Ladies’ Auxiliary Fashion Show, golf tournaments or awards ceremonies – if it was an ACS activity, he was likely
to be there, camera in hand, ready to shoot memories to be preserved for history. Since the early 90s he has taken photos of winners at the annual ACS Volunteers Awards Luncheon, beginning with the first award that was given to the late John and Martha Miller Adams, volunteers extraordinaire for the ACS for decades and the couple for whom the award is named.
See ACS on Page 22