Saying goodbye to Manny Caulk: Fayette students organize vigil for ‘role model.’

Students in Lexington, “devastated” by the death of Fayette Superintendent Manny Caulk, on Friday at dusk came together at a candlelight vigil “to say goodbye,” said Lafayette High School senior Micheline Karenga.

“We wanted to do something to help the public get some sort of closure. He was a role model,” Karenga said.

Fayette students coordinated the vigil, with music by district band directors, outside the old central office building on East Main Street. At least 100 students had gathered in the first few minutes.

Caulk died Dec. 4 after a brief illness, according to district officials. In 2015, shortly after he was hired, Caulk had surgery to remove a tumor from his sinus cavity. He said at the time he had recovered.

Haley Hurd, a senior at Frederick Douglass High School, said Caulk worked to keep schools safe.

“He was ...greatly appreciated by many,” Hurd said.

“We just wanted to do something special to show our support for Manny and how much we loved him and valued him,” said Caitlin Deffendall, a senior at Bryan Station High School.

At the vigil, students held flameless candles, brought flowers and wrote messages on cards. Social distancing between households and masks was required.

Some, like former student,Abigail Wheatley, who received a special scholarship from Caulk, shared stories about how Caulk supported student voices.

“He always encouraged me to speak the truth,” she said.

School board member Raymond Daniels said Caulk was a visionary who brought equity to the district and asked people to move Caulk’s work forward.

Among other activities to honor Caulk, a drive-through visitation was scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at First Baptist Church Bracktown, 3016 Bracktown Road, followed by a Celebration of Life at First Baptist Church Bracktown at 1 p.m. Saturday. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the service was limited to family members only, with a livestream for the public at the following links: Vimeo, YouTube, or Facebook.

This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 6:20 PM.