Logo by Ray Pierotti
Web design by Mark Long and Charlotte Sprawls
Site Updated January 10, 2010
Because Atlanta is known for her
dogwoods and the city flower of Toulouse
is the violet, we have chosen to use
these two flowers in our logo and on our
nametags.
           

2009-2010 Officers

Chairman and Travel: Betty F. Davis
      bettydavis@mindspring.com

Ex-Officio:  Dr. Ray Young

Chairman Emerita:  Franklyn Skidmore
Ex-Officio:  Carolyn Lee Wills
Vice Chairman For Hospitality
                  Mary Jane McCraney
Vice Chairman For Programs
                 Julie Allison
Recording Secretary:  Mary Kitchens
Webmaster and Membership List:
                Charlotte Sprawls
Treasurer: Carol Evans
Telephone Chairman: Randy Barto
At Large Board Members:
           Jennifer Davis, Mark Long
           Frances Penn, John Lyons,
           Lenny Oddo, Toni Pentecouteau,
           Eric Wallens, Sherry Quayle

Hospitality

This committee is responsible for ATSCC's food and beverage needs at all programs, meetings and special events.  Arrangements with caterers and other providers are handled as well.

Contact: Mary Jane McCraney
              jmccrane@att.net

Membership

ATSCC welcomes all! We encourage active participation by all members:  attendance at meetings, participation in events, serving on a subcommittee, or even becoming an officer.  A small membership fee of $25 ($35 per couple) is charged annually to cover mailings and other expenses.  To join, please print out  the application page and send it along with your check to the address given. Our year runs April through March. And knowledge of the French language is not a requirement for membership! 

Contact:  Carol Evans, cevansatl@comcast.net

On February 3, 2010, at 6:00 pm, The Consulate General of France and Georgia Institute of Technology will present to potential sponsors a new joint project, for the benefit of the industry, scheduled for the end of 2010: 

“France-Atlanta: Together Towards Innovation”

a high quality series of events promoting cooperation between France and Georgia in the domains of R&D, business, the arts and humanities.  Read more details here.

September was a month synonymous of change for the Consulate General of France in Atlanta. On September 1, Pascal Le Deunff  started as the new French Consul General, in replacement of Philippe Ardanaz. The Consulate is also pleased to welcome Carole Scipion as Cultural Attaché and Peggy Lemoyne as Assistant to the Consul General. Carole Scipion and Peggy Lemoyne will respectively replace Diane Josse and Nathalie Ferré.

“I am looking forward to serving the French community in this important region of the United States. Following in my predecessor’s path, I am also eager to promote the cooperation between France, which is continuing to modernize quickly, and this very dynamic part of the US. In so doing, I will try to develop further the economic, cultural and scientific links between our two people” declares Pascal Le Deunff a few days prior his arrival.

The Pont Neuf, which spans the
   Garonne River,
 is a Toulouse landmark.

Our Mission

To promote friendship and build personal and business relationships between the citizens of Toulouse, France, and Atlanta.
  

  Our Story   

ATSCC operates under the umbrella of Sister Cities International.  Atlanta began its official sister city relationship with Toulouse on December 17, 1974, when then Mayor Maynard Jackson signed a proclamation declaring Toulouse one of Atlanta's official sister cities.  He had lived in Toulouse as a child, while his mother was pursuing her doctorate in French.  He felt the two cities would make excellent sister city partners.  And they have!

 

                         Mayors Maynard Jackson and Pierre Baudis
signing the Sister City Proclamation in 1974.


 

  Toulouse

Toulouse is the fourth most populous city in France, with a metropolitan area of about 750,000 diverse inhabitants.  Over 400,000 live inside the city.  Nicknamed la ville rose (the pink city), because of the predominant use of a rose-colored brick in its architecture, she is the capital of the Midi-Pyrenees, and the space and technology center of Europe.  Aerospatiale employs 9,000 workers, and Alcatel, the world's largest builder of satellites, operates here.  Toulouse is also home to Airbus Industrie, one of the world's two largest manufacturers of commercial airliners.  The city is situated on the Garonne River, 450 miles south of Paris, and 90 miles north of the Franco-Spanish border and the Pyrenees.

         
    The Toulouse Capitole and its vast plaza

  Travel 

Travel to Toulouse is an almost annual event, with  homestays and excursions to surrounding areas as highlights of the trips.  Many exciting trips have taken place since the initial one in 1985.  There are still some beautiful pictures posted below right from one of our trips to the Pyrenees after the Phoenix presentation ceremony.
Pictures from the September tour to Provence are posted in a separate link
at the bottom of this page. We are now
creating an archive of pictures of our group activities and trips.

In 2010, May 16-28, our ATSCC group is planning a trip to Normandy. We will fly to Paris and be transported to Caen and Honfleur where we will board the M/S Bizet for our 11 day cruise down La Seine. We will be traveling  on the M/S Bizet, which has been chosen the Best Small Ship by Conde Nast Travel.   There are 60 rooms, and our price($4190) includes 30 meals.  We will spend some time exploring the art of Monet and see many of the places he painted in his career.  The trip can be purchased including air as above, or the land portion only if you want to use your frequent flyer points.  There are interesting trips before or after if you would like to extend your stay.  Three people are going to London before, four are going to Toulouse after, and three are coming back to Atlanta as soon as the cruise is finished.
If you are interested in this trip, call Betty Davis at 404.252.2260 or bettydavis@mindspring.com.

Honfleur

The Phoenix and Toulouse

l'Envol du Phoenix

Five years ago the Atlanta Toulouse Sister City Committee set out on a mission to present our sister city a lasting heritage of sentiment, a gift symbolizing our complex feelings of compassion, empathy, renewal, friendship and rejuvenation in the wake of the AZF explosion on September 21, 2001.
The Phoenix, our own city's emblem, inspired and  embodied all those emotions.

Our legacy sculpture took flight as "l'Envol du Phoenix" on May 20, 2005, as the Mayor of Toulouse Monsieur Jean Luc Moudenc inaugurated David Landis' masterpiece.  Over 300 people were there to witness the unveiling of the sculpture, erected in the manicured Cafarelli Gardens, near the heart of Toulouse.

Many entertaining events happened along the way to finance the Phoenix, as "The Wonderful World of Wine" galas made it fun to generate the necessary funds to completely retire the expenses.

Many thanks to the generosity of our members, their families and friends.  Through their efforts our vision has become a reality.

Programs
The members have enjoyed a wonderful variety of programs during the past year of 2008-09 under the leadership of Julia and Michael Sherfield. Beginning with the usual installation of officers in April at the residence of French Consul Philippe Ardanaz and continuing through May with a delicious brunch at Atmosphere restaurant, June with a picnic and performance of As You Like It at Oglethorpe’s Shakespeare festival, and July with the annual Bastille Day celebration, the group was kept busy.

In August the venue was the Cashins’ Chukkar Farm Polo match, while September brought a backstage tour of the High Museum and viewing of some of their new impressionist paintings. October featured a bus trip to the Persimmon Creek winery in North Georgia with a wine-tasting and gourmet lunch. In November we attended a cooking class and learned how to cook Provençal food. December featured a dinner with the Cercle des Gourmands as well as the usual Christmas Eve Party at Frank Buda’s home.

The new year of 2009 was ushered in with the Fête des Rois Epiphany party, as well as visits to both the King Tut exhibit and the Terracotta Army. February included another Cercle des Gourmands dinner at the Petite Auberge, and March was a wine-tasting month. You can see the programs that are being planned for the upcoming months if you click on the link below.

New Contact:  Julie Allison
                        404 378.2289

Web Sites for More Information on Toulouse and Southwestern France

http://www.mairie-toulouse.fr/ANGLAIS/Accueil_En.htm  Welcome to Toulouse!   The city's website is very complete with all kinds of information on history and cultural attractions as well as maps. 
www.globalatlanta.com  Has a link to the city of Toulouse with information that may not be included in the site above.
www.francemonthly.com
 

Links to Local Sites

http://www.afatl.com   Website for the Alliance Française with its calendar of all local items of interest to Francophiles.

http://www.consulfrance-atlanta.org    Website of the French Consulate office in Atlanta. 

www.théâtredurêve.com    Atlanta theatre group that performs French plays in French!!