John Henry Tilson, 94, of Mt. Airy, passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024.
Mr. Tilson was born in Banks County, Georgia, on February 24, 1930. He was of the Baptist Faith, where he served as a deacon for many years. Professionally, Mr. Tilson worked as a supervisor for over three decades at Coats and Clark in Toccoa, Georgia. Mr. Tilson proudly served his country as a veteran of the United States Army. In his leisure, he found joy in the simple pleasures of life: tending to his garden, casting a line while fishing, and cherishing precious moments with his family.
Survivors include his loving wife of 73 years, Thenia Hulsey Tilson, of Mt. Airy; daughter and son-in-law, Janice and Glenn Edmonds of Mt. Airy; son, Michael Tilson and son-in-law Ken Gailey, of Acworth; grandchildren, Kim and Joey Reynolds, of Woodstock; Tracy and Matt Newton, of Demorest; Kevin and Charity Edmonds, of Woodstock; and Nathaniel and Jessica Edmonds, of Macon; great-grandchildren, Madison and McKenzie Reynolds, of Woodstock; John, James, and Josiah Newton, of Demorest; Noah, Esther, Lydia, and Elijah Edmonds, of Woodstock; and Everlee, Gates, and Jack Edmonds, of Macon.
A Private Graveside Service will be held at the Glade Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Gideons International, c/o Habersham North Camp, P.O. Box 1855, Clarkesville, GA. 30523.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.
Michael Crow, age 52, of Maysville, Georgia, passed away on Wednesday, December 25, 2024.
Mr. Crow was born in Commerce, Georgia, on January 21, 1972, to the late Edgar Newton Crow and Doris Campbell Crow. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his grandparents.
Michael had an enduring passion for life’s simple pleasures, whether that meant enjoying a day on the water fishing, cheering on his favorite dirt track racers, or the thrill of watching wrestling. He was employed at Outback Steakhouse in Commerce, where Michael was a hard-working individual with a heart of gold. He was always the first to lend a helping hand to those in need, offering his time, support, and love without hesitation. Michael will be remembered most for his devotion to family. He cherished every moment spent with his loved ones and was a constant presence as a brother, uncle, and friend. His kindness, compassion, and unwavering loyalty will forever be cherished by those fortunate enough to know him.
Survivors include his loving sister, Pam Shirley, of Maysville; nephew Zach Shirley; nieces Leia Webb and Chantay Shirley; great-nieces and nephews Baylus Shirley, AJ Shirley, Katelyn Shirley, Cambrie Webb, and Mayson Webb; and fiancé Bridget.
A Visitation to celebrate Michael’s life will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Sunday, January 5, 2024, at the Whitfield Funeral Home, South Chapel.
A Private Graveside Service will be held for the family at Jackson Memorial Park.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, South Chapel, at 1370 Industrial Boulevard, Baldwin, Georgia 30511. Telephone: 706-778-7123.
An In Memorium button for former President Jimmy Carter is seen inside the Plains Trading Post, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Plains, Ga. Former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday at the age of 100. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Johnny Jones found out about Jimmy Carter’s deathwithin a matter of minutes. That’s how it works in a small town, even for a former U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize winner known throughout the world.
“Somebody texted my wife and told her about it — that’s when I found out,” Jones said Monday, a day after the 39th president died at the age of 100, surrounded by family in the one-story house he and his late wife, Rosalynn, built before he launched his first political campaign more than 60 years ago.
“His presence here in Plains has really boosted the morale of everyone who lives here,” said Jones, 85, as he recalled warm exchanges with “Mr. Jimmy” and “Ms. Rosalynn,” who died in November 2023.
A flag flies at half-staff on main street in the aftermath of former President Jimmy Carter’s death, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Plains, Ga. Carter died Sunday at the age of 100. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Indeed, the Carters put this town of fewer than 700 people — not much bigger than when Carter was born Oct. 1, 1924 — on the world stage. His remarkable rise to the White House, landslide defeat in 1980 and rehabilitation thereafter as a freelance diplomat and global humanitarian were reflected Monday in tributes from Plains’ residents and around the world.
Not far from where Jones sat on his front porch, black ribbons hung alongside U.S. flags flying in front of the souvenir shops and cafes that make up the nucleus of Plains’ main street, which spans just a few blocks from Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign headquarters — the old train depot — to where the family once operated its peanut warehouses. TV cameras and news trucks lined the street that runs in front of the old gas station where the former president’s late brother, Billy Carter, once would hold court with national journalists who covered his older brother.
Across the railroad tracks, Philip Kurland stood in his political memorabilia shop, which he opened years after the Carters returned from Washington, and recalled the former president not as a famous figure but an approachable neighbor who once prayed with him when he was sick.
A man enters the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Plains, Ga. Former President Carter died Sunday at the age of 100. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
“We’re in a state of denial,” he said. “I was telling people: Let’s start planning for his 101st birthday.”
At Maranatha Baptist Church, where the Carters long taught Sunday school, a handful of residents trickled in for a silent vigil Monday evening. A piano played softly as people lit candles at the altar, with lighted Christmas trees standing on either side.
In Washington, plans continued for the state rites that will affirm Carter’s global status. President Joe Biden confirmed that Jan. 9, 2025, will be a day of national mourning, with federal offices closed for Carter’s state funeral at the National Cathedral. Biden, a longtime Carter friend and political ally, will deliver a eulogy for his fellow Democrat. Congressional leaders have confirmed to the Carter family that the former president will lie in state from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9, when his remains will be transported to the cathedral for the state funeral.
In New York, the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council stood in silent tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize winner. U.S. deputy ambassador Dorothy Shea read a statement from the U.N.’s most powerful body at the start of an emergency meeting on Yemen.
National Park employee Mary Anne Robbins speaks to guests of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Plains, Ga. Former President Carter died Sunday at the age of 100. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
“President Carter was a peacemaker who worked tirelessly and effectively in support of conflict mediation, the furtherance of human rights and the strengthening of democracy, both while he was in office and during his many years of service thereafter,” the Security Council statement said.
China’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Geng Shuang, remembered Carter as “a driving force” in establishing relations between Beijing and Washington. “We highly commend his achievements,” Geng said, stating that Carter “made great contribution over the years to … cooperation between the two countries.”
Prominent Egyptian rights defender Hossam Bahgat, a fierce critic of the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s government, said Carter was among the first to warn of “Israeli apartheid” against Palestinians — a position that put Carter at odds with much of the U.S. foreign policy establishment.
“Such a profile of courage,” Bahgat wrote on Facebook. “He warned of Israeli apartheid as early as 2007. He stood by his principles and moral standards because he understood his mission and stayed true to his beliefs without seeking to placate donors or please hedge-funder packed boards.”
Back in Georgia, neighbors of the Carter Center in Atlanta congregated near the grounds where Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter would redefine what a post-presidency can be. The Carters established the Carter Center in 1982 and for four decades oversaw diplomatic missions, election monitoring and public health programs with operations that spanned five continents.
FILE – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter speaks at a news conference in Katmandu, Nepal, on April 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)
“I really appreciate him as an ex-president, what he’s done since” leaving office, said Richard Hopkins, an Atlanta resident.
Hopkins said Carter’s public service went beyond elected office. A Korean War veteran, Hopkins noted that Carter, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a submarine officer after World War II. He also highlighted the Carters’ work with Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for low-income people. The Carters’ Habitat involvement came in addition to their Carter Center work; they headlined their own annual builds into their early 90s.
Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford said the Carters were integral to Habitat’s growth.
“Most people think President Carter started and ran Habitat, which is not actually true,” he said Monday. “But what is true is Habitat was founded in 1976, and it was a tiny organization in 1984 when President and Mrs. Carter famously wrote a bus up from south Georgia to spend a week sleeping in a church basement and rehabbing a tenement building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. That’s when the world found out about Habitat.”
Gail Hassler and her mother Sara Hassler view a classroom inside the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Plains, Ga. Former President Carter died Sunday at the age of 100. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)A black ribbon denoting the death of former President Jimmy Carter wraps the badge of National Park employee Mary Anne Robbins at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Plains, Ga. Carter died Sunday at the age of 100. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Jason Carter, the former president’s grandson who now chairs the Carter Center’s governing board, said in a recent interview that the former president formed that lifelong commitment to service because of Plains.
“My grandfather could go to a village anywhere in the world,” the younger Carter said, and help people without patronizing them. “Because he was from a village like that himself.”
Some residents like Jones are worried about their small town now that the Carters are gone.
“Interest in Plains will dwindle,” he predicted.
Jill Stuckey, a longtime Carter friend who oversees the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park for the National Park Service, is more optimistic. She expressed personal sadness but commended the Carters for ensuring a lasting impact in Plains, just as they have globally through the Carter Center.
A man moves by the portrait of former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Plains, Ga. Jimmy Carter died Sunday at the age of 100. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
“Since the moment Rosalynn passed, he wanted to be with her. So, knowing that he’s finally reunited with Rosalynn is a wonderful thing. But those of us who selfishly wanted to keep him here forever, I’m in that camp,” Stuckey said.
But the Carters, she emphasized, planned long ago to be buried in the same town where they were born, married and spent most of their lives. Rosalynn Carter already is buried in a plot visible from the front porch of the family home. The house and gravesite eventually will be added to the National Park.
Said Stuckey: “I think they’ve kind of set us up for success.”
Stanley A. Schmidt, age 53, of Cleveland, was called away to his heavenly home to be with Jesus on Friday, December 27, 2024.
Born May 24, 1971, in Rochester, New York, Stan was the son of the late Adolf Edwin Schmidt and Beverly Ann Mason Smith and bonus father, Hoke C. Smith and grandson of the late paternal grandparents Adolf and Hertha Schmidt and the late maternal grandparents Stanley Lewis and Annabelle Marie Mason.
Stan graduated from Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia in 1989. He attended college at Georgia State University. He was an absolute whiz on a computer. If anyone had an issue with technology, they called Stan, and he would fix it. It was only natural that he went on to become an IT Manager for the Gwinnett County Government. He volunteered for many years as a poll officer for Gwinnett County Elections.
He was a devoted gardener of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. He loved being able to eat the produce he grew with his own hands. He was working toward becoming totally self-sufficient so he could live totally off the grid. Stan enjoyed building things out of nothing. He had recently built a dump truck completely from scratch. He converted a utility trailer into a unique camper, which he used to go camping at Jones Creek, his favorite camping spot, as well as on numerous family camping trips. Other things he enjoyed were fishing, spending time with family and friends, reading, playing video games, feeding the fish in his fish pond, and hanging out with his dogs. Stan was an avid dog lover and will be fondly remembered for his kindness and generosity. Stan loved and protected his family and friends fiercely and would give you the shirt off of his back. He loved God and was saved at the age of 5 when he asked Jesus to come into his heart during a Bible study group. He rededicated his life to Jesus when he was older and read His Bible daily.
In addition to his father, Stan is preceded in death by brother Michael Edwin Schmidt and niece Christaine Leigh Taylor.
Survivors include his parents Beverly and Hoke Smith of Clarkesville, sister and brother-in-law Debbie and James Taylor of Demorest, bonus son Alex St. Germain of Claremore, Oklahoma, bonus sister Holly Black (Mike), bonus brother Andy Smith (Lea), sister in law Patricia Schmidt, nieces and nephews Brittany Taylor, Kelly Cone (Phillip), Emily Schmidt (Carlos Ruiz), Carson Tullis, Noah Tullis, Logan Tullis, Ellie Smith, Josiah Smith, Madelyn Smith, Lexie Smith, Hailey Smith, and Lauren Smith, great nieces and great nephews Colton James Stewart, Taylor Elizabeth Stewart, Charles Dalton Cone, Charles Dylan Cone, and Ian Nathaniel Ruiz.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday, January 3, 2025, at Providence Baptist Church with Dr. Don Drawdy, officiating. Interment will follow the service in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church, prior to the service on Friday from 12-2 PM.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to Habersham Gideons – North Camp, PO Box 1855, Clarkesville, GA 30523.
FILE PHOTO - Georgia Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Carr says he wants to work with the Trump administration to address the rising wage rate for migrant workers before Georgia farming becomes "unaffordable." (Riley Bunch/GPB News)
(Georgia Recorder) — Attorney General and announced gubernatorial candidate Chris Carr is hoping a new administration in Washington will mean relief for Georgia farmers who are set to pay more to migrant agricultural workers, but advocates say the laborers often don’t receive what they are owed despite working in difficult and unsafe conditions.
“Our office’s request is to work with you and the Trump Administration to address the rising (wage rate) before Georgia farming simply becomes unaffordable,” Carr wrote in a letter to President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees to lead the U.S. departments of agriculture and labor for his second term, Brooke Rollins and Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “We believe the health of our farms is directly tied to the food security, national security, and economic security interests of the United States.”
The federal H-2A program offers temporary work to people from foreign countries when there are not enough U.S. workers available for the job. The federal government sets their pay rate by region, and the rate is typically higher than the going rate for U.S. workers. That’s in part to prevent farmers from importing cheap foreign laborers and leaving American farmhands jobless.
On average, the rate for H-2A workers is set to rise 4.5%, according to the U.S. Farm Bureau, but the actual changes will vary by region. In Georgia, the rate is set to rise from $14.68 to $16.08, or 9.5%. Nationwide, wages for civilian workers increased 3.9% between September 2023 and 2024, according to the Bureau for Labor Statistics.
Overall, the lowest rate for H-2A workers is set to be $14.83 in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas and the highest is $20.08 in Hawaii.
Last December, Carr’s office reached out to Biden administration officials Julie Su, the acting labor secretary, and agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack to express concern about the effect rising wages could have on Georgia farmers.
Carr’s office says farmers are actually paying more because of visa fees and travel and lodging expenses and they argue that the government is not transparent in the methods it uses to calculate rates.
Agriculture and related industries contributed $83.6 billion and 323,000 jobs to Georgia’s economy in 2022, according to the University of Georgia’s Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development. Carr argues that raising costs for farmers could put that industry at risk.
But H-2A workers are already at risk from bad working conditions and often do not even see the money they are owed, said Solimar Mercado-Spencer, director of the Farmworker Rights Division at Georgia Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm.
In a 2021 sting known as Operation Blooming Onion, law enforcement officers charged two dozen people with fraudulently using the H-2A program to traffic workers into south Georgia to work under conditions prosecutors called modern-day slavery.
Three years later, H-2A workers are dealing with exploitation and dangerous conditions.
Georgia currently hosts more H-2A workers than any state except Florida. Most of the workers are men and about 90% of them come from Mexico, Mercado-Spencer said. They rarely speak any English and are usually unfamiliar with the U.S. and its legal system.
Many use the money to support not only their wives and children, but also extended family, so they’re typically eager to work, but sometimes they are taken advantage of by recruiters who charge them illegal junk fees to come work in addition to bona fide fees and expenses.
“Since they pay all these expenses up front, they took a loan back in their country to afford that,” Mercado-Spencer said. “So since they started their work, they already have this debt that they have to pay, they’re thinking about that, and then they come here with overcrowded housing in really bad shape, extreme temperatures, no AC, or heating when it’s cold, you see workers sleeping on mattresses on the floor, in living rooms, because they put so many workers in one spot.”
Most of the workers in Georgia work in the southern part of the state and often work harvesting labor-intensive crops like onions, blueberries and green peppers, Mercado-Spencer said.
“They can work long hours, there’s no right to breaks, they don’t have to provide breaks, it’s very hard work, and then sometimes they get shorted on their hours, so they’re not getting paid all their hours, or there’s amounts deducted from their paychecks that sometimes are bogus, not legitimate deductions, so they’re not getting paid what they’re supposed to get paid,” Mercado-Spencer said.
“Then since they have this debt and they’re only authorized to work for the employer that hired them with this visa, they have no choice really but to stay and just withstand those conditions, so they can at least make some money and try to pay that loan back,” she added.
Mercado-Spencer said a wage increase would make law-abiding farmers pay more or improve conditions to attract American farm laborers, but without enforcement, she’s skeptical the workers that complain to her would benefit from a raise at all.
“All of us, including farmers, including consumers, we all are benefiting from this labor, from these farm workers,” she said. “So we should be treating them fairly. It shouldn’t be all about benefiting farmers and consumers. We’ve got to think about the workers too when we are looking at these issues and be respectful and grateful for their service.”
LEXINGTON, Va. – Piedmont men’s basketball claimed the title at the W&L Holiday Classic with a thrilling 83-78 overtime win over the host Generals on Monday afternoon.
In a back-and-forth battle, the Lions made enough hustle plays and two late three-pointers to hold off the Generals in overtime.
Javi Marlowe led the five Lions who reached double figures, scoring a season-best 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and was named Tournament MVP. Fisher Darden added 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Dylan Patrick was named to the All-Tournament Team with another solid performance, scoring 12 points to go with eight rebounds and three assists.
The Generals blitzed the Lions out of the gate, racing out to a quick 15-3 lead with 14:33 to go in the first half. However, Piedmont erased its deficit in just under 10 minutes of game action, with a Darden three-pointer giving them a 24-23 edge late in the first half. In the final seconds of the opening half, Piedmont’s Israel Hall got a steal and layup to knot the score at 37 apiece going to the locker room.
In the first 2:30 out of halftime, the Lions ran out to a 48-40 lead. While W&L was able to claw back into the contest and tie the game, it was unable to grab the lead.
Piedmont led by a point with under two minutes to go when Marlowe made a diving steal and outlet pass to Darden for a layup to make it 68-65 Piedmont. Then, after the Generals took their first lead of the second half, Marlowe’s hustle led to points again, as he tipped home an errant shot and drew a foul, converting the and-one to make it 72-70 Lions with 20 seconds left in regulation.
Unfortunately, W&L’s AJ Thomas converted a layup in the final seconds to send the game to OT.
Piedmont left no doubt in the extra period, never trailing after a couple of trips to the free throw line and three-pointer daggers from Darden and Bailey Wiseman. Then, with the Generals in desperation mode, the Lions were finally able to secure a defensive rebound as Wiseman threw a perfectly timed outlet pass to Darden, who dunked it home to seal the victory.
Up next, the Lions will return home and begin conference play in the new year, hosting new CCS foe Asbury at Cave Arena on Saturday, January 4 at 4 p.m.
TURNING POINT:
Piedmont grabbed control of the game with an 11-3 run out of halftime, forcing the Generals to play catch up the rest of the way.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
Patrick was named to the All-Tournament Team with a 12-point, eight rebound, three assist performance.
Marlowe was named Tournament MVP after he added a season-best 19 points to go with nine rebounds, including a pair of critical plays down the stretch in regulation.
Darden tallied 18 points, including a clutch three-pointer to put Piedmont up 78-72 late in the overtime period.
Israel Hall tallied 14 points off the bench and made 4-of-5 free throws.
NEWS AND NOTES:
This marks Piedmont’s second tournament win of the season, as they were also champions of the 84 Lumber Classic at Covenant earlier this season.
This marked the first matchup between the Lions and the Generals in almost 20 years. They last met on Jan. 2, 2005 in a W&L victory.
Airplane makes emergency 'belly landing' in Athens after experiencing complications (Athens-Clarke County Fire Department/Facebook)
An airplane experiencing technical difficulty was forced to perform an emergency landing in Athens the day before Christmas.
A Cessna 337 Skymaster reported complications with its landing gear at 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 24, as the aircraft’s pilot eyed the runway, according to authorities.
Emergency services were dispatched to 1000 Ben Epps Drive in response to the aircraft in distress. Athens-Clarke County’s Engine 26 and Tanker 1 were first to arrive on scene. The responding units positioned on the runway as the aircraft prepared to land.
(Athens-Clarke County Fire Department/Facebook)
The pilot of the Cessna 337 successfully executed a belly landing, which resulted in some damage to the aircraft.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
Units involved in the response included Engines 26 and 21, Tanker 1, Ladder 1, Car 31/34, Rescue 4, Hazmat 1 and a Ben Epps Airport ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting) unit.
FILE - Former President and Nobel Peace laureate Jimmy Carter speaks to the Associated Press in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 13, 2002. (AP Photo/John McConnico, File)
Carter, who died Sunday at 100 in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, lived the longest of any U.S. president in history.
Following a service in Georgia and a public viewing as he lies in repose from Jan. 4 to Jan. 7, Carter’s body will travel to Washington, D.C., according to a schedule the task force provided Monday.
Ceremonies shift to the Washington area on Jan. 7. After landing at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, in the afternoon, his body will travel to the U.S. Navy Memorial. Carter was a Navy veteran and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
A funeral procession to the U.S. Capitol will take place in the afternoon.
Members of Congress are slated to pay their respects at a service scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
While Carter lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, the public can offer their respects beginning Jan. 7 from 7 p.m. to midnight. People can also pay their respects starting 7 a.m. on Jan. 8 until 7 a.m. on Jan. 9.
Carter’s body will then be taken to Washington National Cathedral Jan. 9 for a 10 a.m. funeral service. President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy, the New York Times reported Monday.
Carter and his family will then travel back to Georgia from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, where there will be a private funeral service and interment in his hometown of Plains.
This article has been updated with additional information
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter comforts 6-year-old Ruhama Issah at Savelugu Hospital on Feb. 8, 2007, as Adams Bawa, a Carter Center technical assistant, dresses her Guinea worm wound (The Carter Center)
Much of former president Jimmy Carter’s legacy was forged after his time in the White House.
“The idea was to be able to focus on the things that matter to him—human rights, conflict resolution, alleviating suffering. That’s how the Carter Center was built,” says Paige Alexander, the center’s CEO.
For more than 40 years, the Atlanta-based Carter Center has championed human rights, resolved conflicts, and tackled global health crises—work that continues to honor the Carters’ legacy of quiet diplomacy and service.
Alexander sat down with GPB’s Pamela Kirkland to discuss how the center is continuing its mission in the wake of President Carter’s passing.
TRANSCRIPT
Pamela Kirkland: I want to start with the original mission of the Carter Center. Some 40 years ago, Jimmy Carter wanted to continue having an impact globally, and this center was born out of that. What was the vision for the center some 40 years ago, and what has the Carter Center achieved since then?
Paige Alexander In 1982, as President and Mrs. Carter like to say, when they were involuntarily retired from the White House, they had an opportunity to continue to do the work that they had wanted to do and finish up in the White House. And so, by establishing the Carter Center here in Atlanta, he wanted to create kind of a mini-Camp David. And the idea was to be able to focus on the things that mattered to him: human rights, conflict resolution, alleviating suffering. And so that’s how the Carter Center was built. So we’re here on over 30 acres in Freedom Park, and we have for 40 years hosted world leaders and tried to solve problems and — and create space for people to have conversations.
Pamela Kirkland: President Carter’s commitment to human rights and diplomacy are a cornerstone of his legacy. How has the center continued to champion that work?
Paige Alexander: President Carter always spoke the truth and he wanted to be of service to people. And so when the Carter Center was created, and we spent time traveling overseas and filling our roles with experts and people who care deeply about those small villages at the end of the road in Mali, in Sudan, in Ethiopia, it gave him an opportunity. It gave them an opportunity and us to figure out what we could do at the end of the road. And we always see these people as the same as President and Mrs. Carter: The possibilities and the potential is there; the attention is not. And so by highlighting these places, it gives us an opportunity to help people help themselves.
Pamela Kirkland: I feel like so many people think of the global impact that the Carter Center has, and there are a lot of things domestically that are being done here. At the same time, you have a city like Atlanta that is really becoming much more global in the sense of the people who are coming here. And so how does all of that come together? Atlanta is such a hub of, you know, innovation and new ideas. The Carter Center is just so well-placed in a place like that.
Paige Alexander: Well, we’re fortunate enough to have a good partnership with Emory University — a number of universities throughout Atlanta and Georgia. And we also have the CDC here in Atlanta. And so looking at global health issues at a time when the world now understands what global health and what a global pandemic means, being able to look at that from the center, from being in Atlanta is really important. And again, the Carter Center has always worked internationally on these issues, but to now be able to look at mental health crisis, mental illness, all of these issues now are relevant. And so Atlanta kind of is a center of the universe in many of them. And so it’s really a pleasure to have our center here.
Pamela Kirkland: The Camp David Accords, widely regarded as one of President Carter’s greatest diplomatic achievements. How does the enduring legacy of the Camp David Accords continue to influence some of the international relations policies that we see today?
Paige Alexander: Yeah, the Camp David Accords were absolutely one of his major accomplishments. And I think he has been a champion for peace. And we have continued to look at those opportunities, whether it’s what is happening in Sudan, whether it’s what’s happening in Ethiopia, or throughout Asia. This is the work that we do because we have 3,100 staff people and they’re all overseas, and we’ve got 300 here in Atlanta. But the bulk of the work that we do is overseas, and all politics is local and all development is local. So for our opportunity to take the cues from the staff in the field to figure out what the next step is and where conflicts need to be resolved and where there are human rights abuses and what are the diseases that are prevalent that are holding communities back? All of that is what we look at in the field, and then we try to help address it.
Pamela Kirkland: I wanted to touch on both the mental health and access to health care, that you all address as well. How do those efforts reflect the organization’s commitment to addressing some of these societal issues, and how did they contribute to the legacies of both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter?
Paige Alexander: Well, Mrs. Carter spent 50 years trying to make sure that mental illness was de-stigmatized. And if COVID did one thing for all of us, it was to bring that closer to home. The fact that it would be hard to be in a room with someone and say, “Does anyone know anyone who’s had a mental health crisis in the past four years?” Everyone would raise their hand. And so now people understand it’s a health issue and it’s a human right, and it is something that needs to be addressed. You know, mental health at this point is when someone has a mental health crisis and the first call is to the police because they’re on the corner of the street doing something they shouldn’t. That’s not who the first call should be to. So as we work in Atlanta on expanding our — our work on policing alternatives and looking at trying to have people with lived experience address the mental health issues to keep people out of jail. That’s one element. The work that Mrs. Carter did on the mental health side and the work that President Carter did on resolving conflicts. You know, we’re — history’s repeating itself right now, and we are constantly finding ourselves in a situation where President Carter had so many contacts throughout Israel and Palestine, for example, or throughout Sudan and South Sudan, that we are still able to talk to. And they trust us as an honest broker. And it’s because we are now chock-full of experts who learned at the feet of President and Mrs. Carter as to how to bring these issues to the forefront in a quiet diplomacy type of way through shuttle diplomacy without press and keeping our name out of it, but still bringing people to the table. So that’s the legacy that the Carter Center is living with.
Pamela Kirkland: Thinking back to again post-presidency Jimmy Carter thinking he wanted to tackle things like global health and potential pandemics, the eradication of Guinea worm, mental health when it comes to the first lady and some of her initiatives and where we are today. You mentioned COVID and how that brought up so many of these issues. How unique is that, that they had that much foresight to see that these were issues that needed to be addressed?
Paige Alexander: They’re both incredibly unique individuals. I think history has shown their contribution to the world and to the political process, and to everything that they did when they were in the White House and the governor’s mansion here in Georgia. It’s indicative of the legacy that they’ve left behind in the organization that bears their name here at the Carter Center. So for us building out on that legacy and making sure that we adjust to changing times. As President Carter used to say, there are always — there’s always going to be work to do in this field, and we’ll continue to do it.
Pamela Kirkland: Paige Alexander, thank you so much.
Paige Alexander: Thank you. It’s a pleasure talking about the Carter Center and President and Mrs. Carter’s legacy.
Donald L. Wilson, age 83, of Lula (Gillsville Community), passed away on Friday, December 27, 2024.
Born on April 6, 1941, in Lula, he was a son of the late Hallie and Fannie Merritt Wilson. Donald was a self-employed trucker for many years and attended Gillsville Baptist Church. In his spare time, he enjoyed working with his livestock, being on his tractor and woodworking. Donald was generous with his time and resources and enjoyed helping others.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Linda Lou Standridge Wilson; infant son Mickey D. Wilson; infant daughter Melissa A. Wilson; sisters Maudie Bennett, Claudie Craven, and Ruby Wiley; and brothers Joe Wilson, William Wilson, and Gene Wilson.
Survivors include son, Tony Wilson; sister, Barbara Payne; brother-in-law, Jerry Standridge (Carolyn); numerous nephews, nieces, other relatives, and friends.
Funeral services are at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, in the Chapel of McGahee-Griffin & Stewart, with Pastor Jerry Baker officiating. Interment will follow in Gillsville Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from noon until the service hour on Tuesday at the funeral home.
The Northeast Georgia History Center has named a new leader.
The history center in Gainesville recently appointed Peter Gordon as interim executive director. Bringing a wealth of experience in education, leadership and community engagement, Gordon has been selected to guide the center through a transitional period in 2025.
In 1981, Gordon’s began his career as a social studies instructor at Brenau Academy, where he remained for seven years
Peter Gordon (Northeast Georgia History Center)
After gaining international experience in a cultural exchange program in Japan, Gordon returned to Gainesville as an instructor and program manager for Lanier Technical College’s Adult Literacy Program – later joining the Elachee Nature Center in 1992.
Gordon spent 25 years as education director at Elachee, where he transformed the center into one of the more well-known nature organizations in the southeast. His contributions to environmental education would earn him the Eugene Odum Professional Achievement Award from the Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia in 2018.
Since retiring from Elachee in December 2020, Gordon will now head the Northeast Georgia History Center to continue its mission of preserving and sharing history of Northeast Georgia.
“I am very happy and excited to have become a part of the Northeast Georgia History Center family,” Gordon said. “I look forward to working with our talented staff and committed board to promote, interpret, and share our rich and unique regional history with our community.”
Board Chair Barclay Rushton expressed confidence in Gordon’s leadership and described his skill sets as invaluable.
“We are fortunate to have Peter’s expertise and leadership during an important chapter of the museum’s long history in the community,” he said. “Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with a transitional phase in leadership, the history center has remained a resilient and vital part of our community thanks to our dedicated members, staff, volunteers, visitors and school groups.”
The Northeast Georgia History Center, located in Gainesville, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It features the historic White Path Cabin, the American Freedom Garden, the N.C. White Photography Collection, and thousands of artifacts. The center also hosts events, educational programs, and field trips throughout the year.
For over six decades, Bob Dylan has established a reputation for being one of music’s most unique and innovative artists. He’s many things to many people.
Lauded as a pioneer for his socially conscious lyrics, his work brought him a fan base of like-minded individuals who could identify with the turbulent atmosphere of the early to mid-1960s. Dylan was their warrior poet. Others were put off by Dylan’s maverick attitude in an industry more interested in making money than in artistic integrity. Both sides are at the forefront of A Complete Unknown, the new biopic about Dylan’s life and career from 1961 to 1965.
Timothée Chalamet stars as Dylan, who begins his musical journey while visiting his idol, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), in a New York hospital. He writes “Song to Woody” and sings it to him personally while in the presence of Pete Seeger (Edward Norton).
Seeger is immediately impressed by Dylan’s musical style, and he gets the opportunity to perform at a club where some record executives will be. It’s here that he meets Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). The two of them bond over music, which then spills over into a relationship.
Elle Fanning costars as Sylvie Russo, who begins a relationship with Dylan as well, but this one is shadowed by Dylan’s detached demeanor and his refusal to talk about his background.
Dylan is constantly frustrated with the producers he works with on his music. He wants to generate his own material while they insist on him covering previously recorded songs. He has an encounter with Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) who urges him to stay true to himself.
Like most standard biopics, A Complete Unknown is a catalog of how Dylan’s music came to be. We get several scenes of Dylan experimenting with his songs in the studio and in front of audiences who quickly become enamored. Everything from “Mr. Tambourine Man” to “Blowin’ In the Wind” and of course, “Like a Rolling Stone” with Chalamet at its center.
Like he did with Walk the Line, writer/director James Mangold is very much interested in giving us a formulaic point of view in terms of the personal and professional aspects of its subject. While this is handled with skill, there are moments where I wished the film would’ve done a little more to focus on Dylan as a human being instead of a musical persona. Instead, we get the bare minimum.
However, where that falters, the performances give an electric energy. Chalamet is a young actor who consistently delivers strong work, and I think he might have reached career-best heights with this one. He does echo Dylan’s singing style, and the look is spot-on, which is really most of the work that’s really required in a biopic.
His performance is matter-of-fact, and Chalamet brings a presence that is thoroughly engaging in every frame he’s in. He’s also tremendously talented, as he did his own singing and learned to play the guitar and harmonica. The results are one of the most captivating I’ve seen of an actor throwing themselves into a role. I’d say he can go ahead and start writing his acceptance speech for the Oscars.
A movie like A Complete Unknown can survive only based on the talents involved. Thankfully, it’s in capable, competent hands.
John Henry Tilson, 94, of Mt. Airy, passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024.
