Colin Powell Had Fond memories of Northeast Georgia

A lot of changes are taking place in Washington as George W. Bush begins his second term as President, but probably none is more dramatic than the retirement of Colin Powell, a black man, as Secretary of State, and his replacement by Condeleeza Rice, a black woman who grew up in nearby Alabama. The position of Secretary of State is generally considered the third most powerful office in any administration, and I think it is fair to say Colin Powell has been a great one during difficult times. It also seems evident that Condeleeza Rice will be just as effective.

After his retirement from the Army and before George W. Bush appointed him as Secretary of State, Colin Powell wrote a book about his life called "My American Journey", and one of the key points in that book was how far America has come in race relations during his lifetime. There was a photo in the book, made in 1958, of 30 young soldiers attending Ranger School, and the cutline reads: "Smiles of relief from young second lieutenants who have just finished the final field exercise at the Ranger school mountain training camp in Dahlonega, Georgia." In the book Powell tells about attending church in Gainesville. You see, in the late 1950's Southern churches were segregated, and Gainesville offered the nearest church he could attend. The Army furnished him with a vehicle, and Powell said he enjoyed attending church in Gainesville. One quote from his book says: "There I sang and swayed with the rest of the Baptist congregation." Beyond that, however, he did not identify which Baptist Church he attended.

Colin Powell is a remarkable man who has held some of the most powerful military and political offices in America, and I am especially pleased that his memories of Northeast Georgia were pleasant.

This is Gordon Sawyer from a window on historic Green Street.