History has an amazing way of connecting the past, present and future.
The Eagle is a prominent symbol in Sugar Hill. Before the Longhorn became the symbol of the Lanier cluster schools, the mascot for Sugar Hill Elementary School was the Eagle.
For many years prior to the creation of the E-Center, a wooden Eagle sculpture was donated by the school and displayed inside the old community center that is now the Sugar Hill Distillery.
The city’s mascot is Eddy the Eagle. Eddy frequently visits our schools and interacts with children in the community.
A very powerful-looking bronze Eagle adorns the Sugar Hill Veteran’s Memorial. It often serves as the backdrop when Northeast Georgia Council Scouts are awarded their Eagle Scout rank in the Bowl at Sugar Hill.
The crown jewel of Sugar Hill’s downtown area, designed in the Art-Deco style of architecture common around the city’s founding in 1939, is called the Eagle Theatre.
All the above, from our past, present and future as a community are connected by one amazing and humble teacher by the name of Tony Harrison.
Tony was an elementary school teacher and counselor for 36 years. He first came to Sugar Hill, after he received a degree in English from the University of Georgia. Tony began teaching fifth grade, but not long after, he was drafted for Vietnam and sent to basic training. Because he had a college degree and could type, he was not sent to Vietnam. Tony worked as a typist for the Army. When he returned from service, he returned to Sugar Hill Elementary School to teach fifth grade again. Tony would later take a sabbatical and study elementary school counseling but he, once again, returned to Sugar Hill Elementary School after his additional education was completed.
While a counselor, Tony was awarded Gwinnett County Counselor of the Year, Counselor of the Year for Georgia and National Counselor of the Year. Tony was well loved by his students, coworkers, community and family.
His daughter, Mary Harrison Everett, lovingly describes her father as different, in a very good way.
“His classroom was open and welcoming. My father loved smiley faces, and there was not an inch of wall left by the time he retired that did not have a smiley face on it. He had a way with kids that made them feel safe and secure, some for the first time in their life. My father could get on their level, have a good laugh, but he also knew when it was time to get serious. He had a knack for knowing when kids were struggling, at school or at home. If a child needed shoes or a winter jacket, they got it, discreetly. The nurturing environment my father created may very well be unmatched.”
In May 1995, the community celebrated Sugar Hill Elementary School’s 80th birthday and opened the current location on Level Creek Road. Tony, as part of this celebration of old and new, worked to raise funds from students, teachers and parents for a wooden Eagle sculpture by Rick Duel. Donations came in as pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and dollar bills. Eventually, The Sugar Hill Elementary School Eagle sculpture was paid for and displayed at the school. In 2010, when the Lanier Cluster was created and the Longhorn became the mascot, the Eagle sculpture was given to the City of Sugar Hill.
In our life, we are inspired by both symbols and people. The Eagle has significant meaning in our past, present and future. It symbolizes strength, freedom, courage and even immortality. In the Bible, the Eagle symbolizes hope.
Tony gave hope to many students who crossed his path over 30 years. His legacy lives on through his many students, the teachers and school staff he interacted with, his family and through the wooden sculpture of an Eagle that will some day soon be redisplayed in a new and special place in Sugar Hill.
Brandon Hembree is mayor of Sugar Hill. He is a longtime resident of the city, and he uses his passion in history to detail Sugar Hill’s rich past, present and future.
FEATURED PHOTO: Tony Harrison, a longtime teacher and counselor for Sugar Hill Elementary School, stands for a photo with a wooden eagle sculpture created by artist Rick Duel. The sculpture, which was given to the city of Sugar Hill after the Longhorn became the mascot for Lanier cluster schools, will be displayed in a new place in the city. Photo courtesy of Brandon Hembree.
