‘Manny gave his all.’ Fayette County superintendent memorialized as man of passion and faith

Lexington’s “servant superintendent,” Manny Caulk was remembered by friends, family, colleagues and community leaders at a memorial service Saturday for his passion and service to others.

“On a daily basis, he shared the dreams of 44,000 babies and their families,” 16th District PTA President Penny Christian said at the service at First Baptist Church Bracktown, where Caulk worshiped. “Marginalized children who are typically forgotten now had a champion.”

Caulk, 49, died Dec. 4 after a short illness. He had been superintendent of the Fayette County Public Schools since 2015. He had previously worked in school districts in Portland, Maine; Baton Rouge and Philadelphia.

“Like a good mechanic or carpenter, he came to us with a tool belt loaded with proven strategies,” Fayette County school board member Daryl Love said.

He said that as soon as Caulk finished one project or accomplished a goal, he’d roll up his sleeves to begin work on another.

“Our students and their families are depending on us,” Love said Caulk told him.

In a more than three-hour service livestreamed online, Caulk was memorialized as a man of faith who loved and cared for his family and who was gifted with the unique ability to make change in every place he worked.

“Each district or school Manny entered, a type of transformation took place,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in videotaped comments. “We were one of those success stories.”

Caulk was remembered for his work to close the achievement gap, to make schools safer, to prevent students from dropping out of school and to help all children reach their full potential.

Urban League of Lexington President P.G. Peeples said that in the years before Caulk came, “the rallying cry from the Black community became, ‘No confidence, no trust.’”

Caulk’s predecessors Stu Silberman and Tom Shelton “came in talking about kids issues,” he said, but “in 2015 a real breath of fresh air appeared.”

“Manny’s belief that he brought with him was the belief that all children can achieve at high levels,” Peeples said.

And he said that belief wasn’t predicated upon something Caulk had read. It was based on his own life experience.

“He did not disappoint. Manny gave his all,” Peeples said. “He pushed our heavily loaded wagon up the hill, and he always did it with a smile. ... We promise you that we will not let this wagon roll back down the hill. Manny Caulk, rest in peace.”

Speaking on behalf of the local faith community, Rev. Joseph Owens, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, said Caulk lived up to the name Emmanuel, which is Hebrew for “God is with us.”

“When we in Lexington needed to know that God had not forgotten about us, Manny came,” he said.

Speakers at the service, both in-person and via recorded remarks, included a host of government leaders, including former Mayor Jim Gray, Mayor Linda Gorton, Sen. Reginald Thomas and Rep. George Brown; business and community leaders including Alan Stein and Commerce Lexington President Bob Quick; educational leaders including University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto and Bluegrass Community and Technical College President Koffi Akakpo; representatives of the school district and many more.

While attendance at the service was limited to family, a drive-through visitation was held at the church beforehand for all who wanted to pay their respects.

Students had held a vigil the night before to honor Caulk, and students also played a part in his service.

Standing behind a closed coffin mounded with red roses and surrounded by flowers and portraits of Caulk, a student ensemble from Frederick Douglass High School performed an a cappella version of “Sing Your Way Home.”

Personal friends and members of Caulk’s family also made remarks.

His father, Emmanuel Caulk Sr., said in a video that he knew from the time his son was a small boy that “he had a destiny and a purpose in life.”

He remembered how as a young man, his son wanted to help him pray for the people on their church prayer list, and how he once told him that he wanted to go to college on an academic scholarship rather than a basketball scholarship because “he wanted other kids to know that they could make it as well,” he said.

“I didn’t have to discipline him a lot,” the senior Caulk said. “Just had to guide him in the right direction, and he just knew what to do. He was very responsible and mature.”

They also remembered Caulk’s joyful, fun-loving side.

His father laughingly recounted a time when they were eating breakfast together. Knowing his father was a vegetarian, Caulk held up a piece of meat and proclaimed, “SAUSAGE!”

Caulk’s son Sidney Stewart remembered how “he always gave everything his 100 percent.”

“He said to be a Black man you must be educated, have a strong connection with God and be in tune with your emotions,” Stewart said. “He not only told me, but he showed me.”

His niece Mya Gardiner said Caulk was like a father to her. And she remembered a conversation they had about leaving a legacy.

“He said to me, ‘It doesn’t matter your ups and downs in your life,’” she said.

What Caulk said mattered, she recalled, was “how many people you touched.”

This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 5:33 PM.