On Friday, September 13th, Jeffery Michael Cwiek left this earthly realm at the young age of 45. His passing, though not the first member of the South Gwinnett High School Class of 1992 to leave us, is perhaps the biggest loss from our childhood many of us have experienced. It didn't matter if you were his neighbor, his first love, his teammate, or just a casual friend... Jeff had an impact on many us, particularly those of us who grew up with him beginning at WC Britt Elementary.
We all have our Jeff Cwiek stories. Gifted with the ability to succeed at whatever he put his mind to... athletics (he played soccer, basketball, baseball, football, etc.), academics, music, and, yes, even politics, Jeff was the kind of person that seem to have success no matter what he tried. Some people could be insufferable with that kind of a gift. Not Jeff. Jeff seemed to enjoy being around other successful individuals in various areas. He made it as cool to be a brainiac as much as it was to be a jock. He seemed to bring people together in our journeys through Elementary, Middle, and High School. He may not have always been the leader, but we all took our cues from Jeff.
I first met Jeff in 2nd Grade in the classroom and on the Soccer Fields of Briscoe Park. While Jeff was clearly the better soccer player as he played forward while I played fullback, Jeff would challenge me in academics. My strongest subject was Mathematics, and I felt I was the best student in the entire grade at Math at the time and one of the best overall students. Jeff would push me in the classroom, especially in Math. It was as if he wanted me to prove how good I was academically. Somedays I got frustrated because I was overshadowed at times by Jeff's larger than life image. But I began to eventually realize that Jeff's purpose was to make me earn the respect of my peers and to have confidence in my own abilities.
Jeff and I continued to be regular classmates, and in 5th Grade, we were classmates again in Ms. Lucky's Class. By that time, it was clear that I was one of the smartest kids at Britt Elementary, though I still got into occasional trouble in the classroom. I had also developed my musical talents, thanks to singing and playing the Piano. 5th Grade was when we tried the Recorder for the first time in the Fall. Jeff could play the Recorder easily and he and I were among the best recorder players around. But it was in the Spring that Jeff's musical talents really shone through. Jeff and I were selected to sing a duet on the song "Camptown Races". Jeff was the lead-off, and I sang second. I thought I had my lines down pat in practice, but when it came time to sing for real, Jeff was ready, and I... well, I got egg on my face during the run-through with the 3-5 Grades in the audience. I blew the second half of my lines. It didn't matter that I got it right at the PTA Meeting or when we sang at Gwinnett Place Mall; I felt terrible blowing it in front of my peers. What I didn't realize is that Jeff had stumbled through his lines as well. It's just that Jeff knew how to continue singing as if nothing was wrong. I had tried so hard to be perfect, that I had failed to realize the audience didn't care for perfection. As long as you were confident, you could make the audience believe everything was OK. Jeff knew this. I learned it the hard way. Redemption would come a few weeks later at Field Day. I had never been a part of a winning team on Field Day. Jeff made us believe we could be the best 5th Grade Class. In the Egg Race, I would be the anchor of the team. With Jeff encouraging me, I was determined to not let the egg drop, and I succeeded, helping our team to a critical victory in the Egg Race. Meanwhile, Jeff would lead our Tug of War Team to victory in the main event. At the end of the Field day, Lucky's Loose Lips had score the upset win, and Jeff was the kid who helped win it.
As the years progressed and we moved on to Snellville Middle and South Gwinnett High School, Jeff continued to flourish in the Classroom and on the Athletic Field. He also got into politics as the Class President in 8th, 9th, and 11th Grades. He and I would continue to meet in the classroom, and Jeff pushed me to continue being the best. He pushed everyone, as a matter of fact. He didn't care if he faced Brent Bailey, Jennifer Iredale, John Brown, Beth Fitzpatrick, myself, or anyone else. Jeff was determined to make us prove how good we were. He made Honor Rolls, and was regularly the best player on the field. In High School, Jeff was an MVP, and a National Honors Society member. He did it all: one day he would play in a baseball game, the next day he was racing cars and stopping them on a dime for Science Team. And as for making sleds for Physics... well, maybe I shouldn't get into detail about that. When it was time to name Mr. Senior and Mr. Cometa in the Class of 1992, we all knew who deserved it. Jeff won both.
One of the great High School Memories of Jeff occurred in the Spring of our Senior Year. For three years, I had been the de facto leader of South's Math Team, winning individual county Trophies in each of my first three years. The Final County Tournament of my Career would occur on home turf and I was excited about it. For the first time, a group of my classmates joined Beth Fitzpartick and I in competing against the County's best and Jeff was there as well. There was a great picture of Jeff and I reviewing a team Math Problem. It was a perfect example of Jeff showing he could match wits with the best. I had a bad day and South did not finish in the Top 3 as I had hoped, but it didn't matter. I had the most fun at that Tournament, and it was because of classmates like Jeff lending a hand.
Of course, who could forget our High School Graduation? Because of the threat of rain Graduation night, the event was moved to First Baptist Church. The seating was tailor-made for Jeff to be the center of attention that night, even though he had no active role in the event other than walking for his diploma. He sat in the front role and high-fived multiple classmates as they received their HS diplomas. I probably gave him the hardest hand-slap of my life as I walked towards Mr. Krug. He also joined with the Senior Choir as they sang the Alma Mater song at the end of the ceremony. Finally, he lifted me up on his shoulders and carried me out of the church like I was a victorious head coach.
With all the school success, Jeff never let it get to his head. In fact, Jeff showed a great deal of respect to all, particularly the parents. Jeff always referred to my parents as Mr. and Mrs. Walker and they appreciated his gesture. Clearly, Jeff learned the respect of elders from his parents.
I want to close with two personal thoughts. First, I choose to remember who Jeff was in School, not as an adult. He could do so many things in the school days. Girls loved him; guys respected him. I don't recall him having any enemies at Britt or Snellville or South. In a way, he wasn't just the soul of our class; he was our unifying force as well. You don't believe me, look at who has come to pay their respects to him in Lawrenceville, and many more of us wish we could be there with you.
Second, particularly among those of us from the Britt Family, Jeff influenced us. We all took at least a piece of Jeff with us and many of us still carry a little of Jeff's personality even today. I catch myself once in a while acting a little like him. It's those memories and quirks of Jeff we will carry with us in the years ahead.
Jeff was among the brightest of stars, if not the brightest. Sometimes, the brightest burn so brightly that they are never meant to complete a normal life cycle and disappear quicker than other stars. But they have an impact. We mourn with his sons; his brother, John and sister, Cindy; and with his mom. We raise our glasses in honor and in memory of him.
Goodbye, my friend, and thank you. We will see you again one day in the great beyond.
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