You can try to keep up with Wayne Mason, but you’ll fall behind. Even at 82, Mason is a human calculator, solving problems in his head with a nimble precision that’s almost uncanny.
His mind shines. You can see it in his eyes. They are alive and bright as he speaks in a swift...
It’s 2018.
Dr. Calvin Watts and J. Alvin Wilbanks sit together in a crowded conference room filled with fellow leaders from 26 other school districts around the country. It’s a reunion of sorts.
Watts hasn’t seen Wilbanks for some time now – having left his post as assistant superintendent at Gwinnett...
Gwinnett Magazine’s historic kickoff of the Leaders & Legends series begins. Sit back and strap in for some great reads! All year long, you’ll enjoy fascinating stories of success from those who faced unfavorable odds – and came out on top. You’ll read page-turning perspectives from those who met tough circumstances head on… and triumphed.
There’s an old, sepia-toned photo hanging behind the desk of Melvin Everson. In it, a couple stand outdoors, shoulder to shoulder. The man sports a suit, tie and slightly tipped fedora. He wears a pragmatic, no-nonsense expression. The woman is clothed in a floral-patterned dress, resplendent grin lighting her face.
The photo of Melvin...
It’s winter 1986. Snow – that rarest of southern delights and freeway frustration – falls in central Gwinnett County. The young, founding president of Gwinnett Technical College navigates the rapidly freezing roads. Wipers flick away the snow, squeaking against the windshield as the man squints toward the white piles building fast on the highway. It’s a whole...
It’s the mid-50s in middle Georgia. The sun beats down on Beauty Poole as she drags a cotton sack from one end of a sharecropping field to the other. Beauty wipes the sweat from her forehead and looks around. She isn’t alone; her brother and sisters work side by side with Beauty, harvesting....
