FLOWERY BRANCH- In Flowery Branch around 200 retired educators from all over Georgia were invited to ring 'Harry's Bell' at the ribbon cutting for the new Georgia Education Museum and state headquarters of the Georgia Retired Educators Association.
Marilyn Werner said it was her late husband's vision that led to GREA'a permanent home and museum 13 years ago; as a past president he wanted the bell at the museum.
"It was our bell, we had it in our yard for 42 years," she said. "What he wanted to do was donate that bell to be put here"
Mrs. Werner said for Harry Werner the bell symbolized the school bell that once beckoned children to class. She added that completion of the building and the ribbon cutting was very meaningful to her and and big step forward to serve the needs of the 25,000 organization members from all over Georgia. The educators took the time to find bricks with their names inscribed in front of the building. At $100 a brick the GREA helped fund construction of the building.
The museum is on a 2.4 acre site purchased from the Hall County Board of Education across from the Atlanta Falcons complex.
The ribbon-cutting showcased the museum in progress; Phase (1) houses the state headquarters of the
