£he Stines
gainesvilletimes.com
Midweek Edition-April 3-4, 2024
Jim Massara Features Editor I 770-718-34211 life@gainesvilletimes.com
Out like a light
Photos by Scott Rogers The Times
Viewers watch in awe Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, at Sam Pitts Park in Clarkesville seconds before totality during
the Total Eclipse of the Park viewing party.
Here’s what to expect during the solar eclipse
University of North Georgia student Rosie Reeves looks at the sun Aug.
20, 2017, in Dahlonega during the university’s eclipse public education
event. More photos on 2B.
BY BEN ANDERSON
banderson@gainesvilletimes.com
Editor’s note: This published in a
previous E-Paper edition and is being
provided here for print-only readers.
In North Georgia, you may not get
to experience a total solar eclipse when
the moon passes between the sun and
the Earth on April 8, but that doesn't
mean you can't share in the wonder of
the universe.
Georgia is well outside the path of
totality, where the moon's shadow
completely covers the sun, but Gaines
ville, for instance, will still see a peak
coverage of about 82% at 3:06 p.m.,
according to NASA.
That's “decent coverage'' for a par
tial eclipse, said Lesley Simanton-
Coogan, the director of the University
of North Georgia's planetarium in
Dahlonega. But, she said, partial
eclipses are never as cool as the full
thing.
“If people aren't looking for it,
they might not notice it's happening
because it'll probably just look kind of
like a cloudy day," she said.
But word to the wise, that doesn't
mean you don't need to wear protec
tive glasses if you plan on taking a
peak. Staring at an eclipse even for just
a few seconds can permanently dam
age your retinas and leave you with a
blurry pen-sized spot in your vision.
If you want a free pair of glasses
and want to learn more about solar
eclipses, you're in luck. UNG's plan
etarium has been holding two shows
every Friday evening up until the
eclipse. Each show has a runtime of
40-50 minutes, and seating capacity is
limited to 46 people. You will need to
book your spot on UNG's website.
“Eclipse: All about the Sun and
Moon" is held at 6:30 p.m., and “Ein
stein and Eclipses'' is held at 8 p.m.
At the earlier show, Simanton-
Coogan said, “we're gonna watch a
video about eclipses that tells us how
they happen, and then I fly people out
through space with the system to visit
the moon and the sun. It's a little bit
better for a younger audience, but I
think adults still enjoy it too." The later
show is geared more toward adults and
focuses on the solar eclipse in 1919
“that actually launched Einstein into
fame," she said. “So I talk all about
some of Einstein's work and why this
eclipse mattered and how it all applies
to astronomy.'’
A total solar eclipse occurs when
the moon lines up perfectly between
the Earth and the sun, blotting out the
sunlight. The 115-mile-wide path of
totality will slice a diagonal line from
the southwest to the northeast across
North America, briefly plunging com
munities along the track into darkness.
How briefly? The peak spectacle
will last up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds in
the path of totality — twice as long as
the total solar eclipse that dimmed the
nation's skies in 2017.
An estimated 32 million Ameri
cans live inside the path of totality,
which will enter over Mexico's Pacific
coast, snake up through Texas and
Oklahoma, and crisscross the Mid
west, mid-Atlantic and New England,
before exiting over eastern Canada
into the Atlantic.
The U.S. won't see another total
solar eclipse that spans from coast to
coast until 2045.
Scientists got a taste of what's
to come during the 2017 total solar
eclipse that stretched from Oregon to
South Carolina. This time, the moon is
closer to Earth, resulting in more min
utes of darkness and a wider path.
Another scientific bonus this time:
The sun will be just a year away from
its maximum solar activity, as opposed
to 2017 when it was near its minimum.
That means lots more action at the sun,
possibly even a coronal mass ejection,
with massive amounts of plasma and
magnetic field blasted into space.
The Associated Press contributed to
this report.
Remember to
read the obituaries
It is an inherited family trait. The same as stub
bornness, oddness, and humor.
We cannot miss reading the obituaries.
Firstly, we want to ascertain that someone
didn't die who we knew and needed to pay our
respects.
Secondly, a good look at an accomplished per
son's life will always make
you take an assessment of
your own.
Perhaps I had known John
Tinker for a year when a
package arrived. It was a
simple paperback book fdled
with obituaries written by
the legendary Robert McG
Thomas of The New York
Times. The book is called 52
Megs. Tink had yet to marry
me and move to the South
but he already knew that I
appreciated tremendous writing and the stories of
lives that had perished.
Winnie O'Kelley, a 4-H farm kid like me and
schoolmate, went to New York City and built an
impressive career. She was once a prestigious
editor at the New York Times. I visited her one
day to see the great building, and we talked about
Mr. Thomas.
“The way he could uncover facts about simple
lives and weave them into a great tribute was
remarkable.'’
Eventually, his obituary was written and
may have made the front page. Someone else
took over. For years, I savored the three or four
detailed obituaries in the weekend edition of
The Wall Street Journal. Immigrants, from war-
torn Europe in the 1930s and '40s, who came to
America and became well known for toys, cash
registers, or bubble gum. American soldiers
returning from an Allied Victory also became
inventors, entrepreneurs, delivery men, and taxi
drivers.
One obit was a woman who was co-founder
of a company recording books on records in the
1960s.
Until I read his obit, I did not know that the
shrewd Pete Correll, head of Georgia Pacific,
had, by accident, discovered the great need
to save Grady Hospital in Atlanta — the only
trauma hospital in a 125-mile radius. Though
I met the cordial Mr. Correll, it never occurred
to me how tough his climb to the top had been:
His father, a general store owner, died when Pete
was a boy. He went to work in the store with
his mother but to their heartbroken dismay, the
boxes of inventory that they expected to be full,
were empty. His father had sold off merchandise
to keep the store going and yet look prosper
ous. There, the young Pete learned to take on
the toughest challenges. It paid off, too. When
he retired, Georgia Pacific was one of the best-
operated, best-respected companies in America.
Grady, through Pete's fundraising efforts, had not
only survived, it had prospered.
I shall always remain touched by the brilliant
CFO who had died quickly of a brain tumor. She
was 52. One colleague told, regarding her kind
ness, how once he was riding with her as she
drove down the interstate and a zooming car cut
them off. She took a breath and said, “Perhaps
he is trying to get the hospital to see a loved one
who is dying."
In local obituaries, lately, was Alvin Hatcher,
77, who passed away peacefully, surrounded by
loved ones.
I did not know him but I wish I had. He was a
common man, an American hero.
He died in the town in which he was born in
1946. He never left the county for work or adven
ture elsewhere. He stayed rooted. He worked for
the city for decades before retiring, then starting
his own construction company. With his longtime
wife, they had raised a family. A line read, “Left
to cherish sweet memories are his wife, Barbara,
daughter, Pam, and grandson, Matthew."
There is an all-telling black and white photo
of Mr. Hatcher in a coat and tie, backed against a
wall and smiling.
Thank God for those who work a job for
decades, wanting to be a blessing to family and
to strangers like me.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of several books,
including “What Southern Women Know About Faith.” Sign
up for her newsletter at www.rondarich.com. Her column
publishes weekly.
RONDA RICH
southswomen@
bellsouth.net
EVENTS
No School Nature Day. 10 a.m. to
3 p.m. April 3-5. Elachee Nature
Science Center, 2125 Elachee Dr.,
Gainesville. 770-535-1976. $0-$10.
AuthorTalk-William Rawlings. 1 to
3 p.m. April 3. Gainesville Branch
Library, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville.
770-532-3311 ext. 4011, jcline@
hallcountylibrary.org. Free.
Caffeine and Octane Lanier Race
way. 8a.m. to 5 p.m. April 5. Caffeine
and Octane’s Lanier Raceway, 5301
Winder Highway, Braselton.
Lake Lanier Sailfest. 6 to 10 p.m.
April 5-7. Margaritaville at Lanier
Islands, 7650 Lanier Islands Pkwy,
Buford, info@lakelaniersailfest.org.
$25-$150.
Spring Garden Expo. 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. April 5-6. Chicopee Woods
Agricultural Center, 1855 Calvary
Church Road, Gainesville. 770-535-
8293, expochair@hallmastergarden-
ers.com. $2.
Gainesville Member Day. 11 a.m.
to2 p.m. April 6. Atlanta Botanical
Garden Gainesville, 1911 Sweetbay
Drive, Gainesville.
Garden Pest Identification and
Control. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. April 6.
Atlanta Botanical Garden Gainesville,
1911 Sweetbay Drive, Gainesville.
$29 - $34.
NEA BIG READ Writer’s Workshop. 1
to4 p.m. April 6. Hall County Library
System, Gainesville Branch, 127
Main St NW, Gainesville. 770-532-
3311 ext. 4011, jcline@hallcountyli-
brary.org. Free.
North Georgia Home Show. 9 a.m. to
6 p.m. April 6-7. Ramsey Conference
Center, 2573 LanierTech Dr, Gaines
ville. 770-535-6371, gracereed@
gainesvilletimes.com. Free.
Spring Peeping Guided Hike. 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. April 6. Elachee Nature
Science Center, 2125 Elachee Dr,
Gainesville. 770-535-1976. Free.
Wildlife Cruise on Lake Lanier. 1 to 3
p.m. April 6. River Forks Park, 3500
Keith Bridge Rd, Gainesville, mpend-
leton@chattahoochee.org. $15 - $25.
YAC. 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. April 8. North
Hall Tech Center, 4175 Nopone Rd.
Suite B, Gainesville. 770-532-3311.
Special Needs Social Hour. 11 a.m.
to 12 p.m. April 10. Hall County Li
brary System, Gainesville Branch,
127 Main St NW, Gainesville. 770-
532-3311 ext.4011, jcline@hall-
countylibrary.org. Free.
The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee. 7:30 to 10 p.m. April
12-14,16-20. UNG-Gainesville’s Ed
Cabell Theatre, 2900 Landrum Edu
cation Dr, Oakwood. 678-717-3624,
boxoffice@gainesvilletheatrealliance.
org. $18-$30.
Georgia Cross Stitchers. 10 a.m.
to4:30 p.m. April 13. Hall County
Library System, Gainesville Branch,
127 Main St NW, Gainesville. 770-
532-3311 ext. 4011, gkoecher@
hallcountylibrary.org. Free.
Outdoor Sound Bath. 11 a.m. to 12
p.m. April 13. Elachee Nature Science
Center, 2125 Elachee Dr, Gainesville.
770-535-1976. $27-$30.
Stars Over Elachee. 8 to 10 p. m. April
13. Chicopee Aquatic Center, 2100
Calvary Church Rd., Gainesville. 770-
535-1976. $31.50-$35.
AduItJigsaw Puzzle Week. 10a.m.to
8 p.m. April 15-April 20. Hall County
Library system, Gainesville Branch,
127 Main St NW, Gainesville. 770-
532-3311 ext. 4011, gkoecher@
hallcountylibrary.org. Free.
ONGOING
Card workshop. 10a.m. to 1 p.m.first
Saturdays of the month. Hall County
Library System, Gainesville branch,
127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-
532-3311 ext. 4011, gkoecher@
hallcountylibrary.org.
Discovery Saturday. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturdays. Elachee Nature Science
Center, 2125 Elachee Dr., Gainesville.
770-535-1976. $0-$10.
Gentle Yoga. 11:30a.m. to 12:30
p.m.second, third and fourth Wednes
days. Blackshear Place Branch
Library, 2927 Atlanta Highway,
Gainesville. 770-337-1572, dl9345@
bellsouth.net. Free.
Georgia Cross Stitchers. 10 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. second Saturdays of the
month. Hall County Library System,
Gainesville Branch, 127 Main St.
NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext.
4011; gkoecher@hallcountylibrary.
org. Free.
Hip Hop Class Wednesdays. 4-5 p.m.
(3rd to 5th Graders) through May
15. Gainesville Ballet Company, 971
Riverside Drive, Gainesville. 770-866-
5353, info@gbcdance.com. $88.
Inspired by Nature: The Works of
James R. Darnell Art Exhibit. 10 a.m.
to4 p.m. weekdays through April 19.
The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Cen
ter, 331 Spring St. SW, Gainesville.
770-534-2787, julie@theartscouncil.
net. Free.
LEGO Club. 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays.
North Hall Tech Center, 4175 Nopone
Rd. Suite B, Gainesville. 770-532-
3311.
Music Bingo. 7 to 9 p.m. every Thurs
day. NoFo Brew Co. Gainesville, 434
High St. SW, Gainesville, topher@
nofobrew.co. Free.
Northeast Georgia Writers. 1-3
p.m. first Wednesdays ofthe month.
Gainesville Downtown Library, 127
Main St. NW, Gainesville, talltales-
writer@gmail.com. Free.
Trivia Night. 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays. NoFo
Brew Co Gainesville, 434 High St.
SW, Gainesville, topher@nofobrew.
co. Free.
