What Would Paul Duke Think of Peachtree Corners Now

Note to Patch Readers: This article first appeared June 10, 2011. As Peachtree Corners now is officially Gwinnett County's newest city, we thought it an ideal time to publish it again.

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Editor's note: Below is a letter from Ruth Strickland, who is a long-time resident of Peachtree Corners. Her letter is in response to a comment from another resident of the community, Robert Nebel. A story titled " written by Robin Montri and published June 6, 2011 prompted Nebel to comment "WWPD-What Would Paul Do?" regarding all of the growth of the community and its bid to become a city. Ms. Strickland responded by offering an inside glimpse of the man and his visions for Peachtree Corners.

My name is Ruth Strickland. I worked with Paul Duke as his assistant for 20 years starting in the fall of 1967.  I became President of CEO Business Centers in 1987; and President of Peachtree Corners, Inc., the parent company in 1990.  Paul Duke was still active in the company as Chairman during this time, becoming less active sometime late 1999-2000 time period.  And, may I say, it was wonderful to see him remembered in Robin Montri’s article, “Paul Duke's Peachtree Corners.”

 I am responding to Robert Nebel’s question, “WWPD-What Would Paul Do? Would Paul want cityhoood, light rail, trolleys, natural gas refueling stations, charter schools, more hotels, more businesses, a privatized Briscoe Field…” in his comment on Robin’s article.

 Robert, I don't have to do much guessing as to what Paul Duke would do. As you may know, he was quite a visionary, having traveled this country for the better part of a year with architects and land planners, seeking out the best and worst of planned communities.  He had the entire planned community of Peachtree Corners master-zoned at one time to keep the proper balance between each development segment (single family residential, multi-family (apartments), retail, office, business parks, etc.).

He most definitely would want the cityhood for this very reason: to be able to control the quality of life issues.  As a matter of fact he would have incorporated in the early '70s had the rules been different. At that time, I don't believe a community could be incorporated if it was within a three mile radius of another city (in this case, Norcross).

 Quality of life issues were always in the forefront of his mind. He always wanted "balance" (work, live, and play was his motto even before it was adopted by some other communities).  He understood that businesses were needed to provide the jobs for the people who are living, working and playing in our community and the main reason for Technology Park Atlanta and the Corners Office Park as forerunners.

As we all know, businesses cost the county or municipality .88 per $1.00 collected in taxes and residential costs 1.17 for every dollar collected. I've heard other numbers, depending on whose talking, but this is close. He would have been in favor of a privatized Briscoe Field, I believe, having talked many times with Tom Briscoe who was on the Authority.

 As a matter of fact, he had his own private bus system (two Mercedes buses) to bring those riding Marta out to the jobs being created in this area. He believed in public education, having donated land for Peachtree Elementary school and even then believed we had the best school system in the region. But I also believe he would have supported charter schools should its citizens so choose.  He was the first president, as I recall, of the Teachers as Leaders program in the county.

 And, by the way, his dream was to put a four or five-star hotel on the acreage on Jimmy Carter Boulevard going west on the right where the old Ryan's Steakhouse and lower end hotel and motels are now located. But the people mass just was not there at the time to support all of the ideas he had surrounding the hotel and ancillary higher-end development on those six acres.

Peachtree Corners is such a wonderful community.  It is good to be able to share some of the Duke legacy with my neighbors and friends.

Do you have a comment or memory to share on the eve of your community making history by becoming the newest city in the county?