The Rev. J. T. Swanson, Sr., or Preacher Swanson, as he was known, was an acclaimed rural school teacher, preacher in Gwinnett County from his arrival in 1917 and continuing as an educator into the 1950's.

From his autobiographical college entrance paper, we are given a very clear picture of how sincere Mr. Swanson was about education and how he hungered to learn from the time he entered grade school in an isolated mountainous area in western North Carolina.

The country schools at that time did not have the facilities or resources to encourage eager students to succeed. He attributed his early education mainly, "to being self-taught - reading every book that he could get his hands on". He further stated, "the school terms were only three months and very poorly taught with little curriculum" Times were tough back then. The school districts were often hard pressed to pay teachers, let alone purchase books or supplies. In fact, he stated the only textbook he had for the first four or five years of school was the Webster's Speller.

Adverse conditions did not discourage Mr. Swanson from continuing the education that he so earnestly desired. He enrolled in a boarding school in Hiawassee, Georgia when he was sixteen years old to begin high school studies that lasted for ten years.

Mr. Swanson was born December 23, 1882, in Clay County, North Carolina and began his teaching career in his home county while he was going to high school, alternating between teaching and attending school - thus the reason for the delay in graduating from high school. His first salary was $100.00 for his first year of teaching - $25.00 per month for the four month session.

Mr. Swanson was unable to fulfill his goal of attending college at that time because of family responsibilities, however, he continued to preach and teach in Towns, Rabun, White, Habersham, Hall, Walker and Gwinnett Counties. He began working on his unfulfilled dream of a college degree at the age of forty-three, attending the University of Georgia’s Extension School, Gainesville, Georgia. He later graduated from Oglethorpe University.