Author: Steve Swope

A New Day

~ Steve Swope ~ 7 Comments

For a lot of people, the year 2020 was awful. We were hardly into it when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. For me personally, it started off really bad. On January 13th, my father passed away, which for me like so many other people was a time of sadness, hurt and pain. Shortly thereafter, I had an minor outpatient procedure but ended up in hospital with an internal bleed. Then came the pandemic – shelter in place, wear a mask, don’t touch anyone, shortages of things like toilet paper, rubbing alcohol and even beans!

To be honest, I struggled through the year. I didn’t see my daughter and her husband for more than 30 minutes during the year and my grandchildren for only 10 days. Playing the banjo lost its appeal – and there are no sad banjo songs! We saw social events cancelled, charitable fundraisers moved to virtual, and then volunteering during the early voting and day-of voting in the Georgia general election and Senate run-offs was an exercise in restraint as people from both political sides tried to goad us into a wrongful comment or reaction.

Continue reading “A New Day” →

Tour of Coweta Bicycle Ride

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The 1st annual Tour of Coweta is on April 17, 2021 at 8:00am. This event benefits the Newnan Rotary Club which does wonderful work within our community including: delivering Meals on Wheels, recognizing our veterans, providing Newnan with the 4th of July fireworks, and many other service projects.

The century takes place on the beautiful country roads of Coweta County, Georgia. The event will start at 8am for all participants at the Historic Newnan Train Depot in downtown Newnan. From there, multiple routes will be available in 25, 45, 62, and 100 mile rides. The Tour of Coweta Century is fully supported. SAG stops and mechanical support will be provided and participants will be entertained to a post ride meal downtown and the Rock & Road Cycling Festival. Participants will be provided with SWAG bag, T-Shirt, and $10 Lunch Coupon for after the event celebrations. Day of Registration available for $55.

For more information, to sponsor or to register, visit: http://tourofcoweta.com

Newnan is better than the NY Times thinks we are!

~ Steve Swope ~ 2 Comments

merlin_163915533_f3dfa637-8954-457b-bce3-733a79b52c8d-superJumbo This article by Audra D.S. Burch, is on the front page of the NY Times today. It is not a completely fair representation of our community. While there were some nativist goofballs who raged against it, the portraits were widely accepted in our community. The article neglects to mention that the night before the bozo Neo-Nazi’s came to town our citizens (black, white, hispanic, asian, and more) all flooded downtown merchants and restaurants with shopping/dining to support them because they would be closed the next day. To be downtown that night was to see a celebration of the diversity, community spirit, and integrity that is a hallmark of my hometown of Newnan. That is just one example of the diverse citizens of Newnan coming together. I posted about this celebration of our community back then: #NotWelcomeHere and the resulting embarrassment of the Neo-Nazi fools #YouCantFixStupid. 

A bit more focus in today’s article on the positive race relations in Newnan would have made this article a shining example of what a community can be when it actually honors and respects the dignity of ALL of its citizens. By the way, the people depicted in these portraits are what makes Newnan so wonderful that the population has more than tripled in the 35 years I have lived here. The acceptance of this diversity is what makes our community thrive.

Goodbye to a Father

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Paul Swope in 2016

On January 13, 2020 my dear father Paul Swope passed away at the age of 94. Dad was born on a central Kentucky tobacco farm in 1925. He lived through the great depression and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and later the U.S. Air Force during World War II and the Korean conflict. He married my mother, Helen in 1952 and was not only devoted to her but adored her every day of their marriage Continue reading “Goodbye to a Father” →

Friendship

~ Steve Swope ~ 3 Comments

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Me, Andy and Carissa Storey

Last weekend I traveled to Ashtead, England to celebrate Andy Storey’s 60th birthday.  One might fairly ask why someone living in Newnan, Georgia would venture to England for a birthday party.  The answer is quite simple: Friendship.

I first encountered Andy on a conference call in the mid 1980’s when he was working for British Caledonian Airlines and I was a revenue management consultant.  We later began working together closely in the early 1990s when Andy migrated to Australia to work for Qantas and I was still consulting.  During that time I also met Carissa Rae who was a new Analyst for Qantas.  In fact I was her instructor when she came to work in the revenue management department. Continue reading “Friendship” →

Morality – A Complex Matter

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Moral

I have been asked to conduct a two part session on Christian, specifically Catholic Christian morality.  Many people feel that the Catholic Church has an extensive set of rules – the do this and don’t do that list – that governs morality.  That is not the case.  I will post an audio of the two sessions once they are finished.  Below is an overview of what will be covered in the class: Continue reading “Morality – A Complex Matter” →