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Homecoming theme will celebrate legacies – “Homecoming 102: Renaissance Family Affair”
When Dr. Kimberly Manning ’92, the Atlanta-based professor of medicine at Emory University’s School of Medicine, walks into the Tuskegee University Chapel on Sept. 13 for Fall Convocation, she is walking with five generations of love and commitment to Mother Tuskegee.
Dr. Manning’s grandparents, Theophilus Cottrell and Ernestine Cottrell, and parents, William “Tony” Draper ’62 and Cheryl Cottrell Draper, all met on campus. All three of her siblings Dr. Will Draper, Darlene Draper Martin and the late Deanna L. Draper, attended Tuskegee. One of her two sons is a junior on campus.
Her grandmother and all of her sisters attended Tuskegee. She met Dr. Manning’s grandfather there and they had four girls that they raised in Tuskegee. All four went to Tuskegee, including Dr. Manning’s mother. She’s the only one who didn’t graduate from Tuskegee because she moved out west and finished college in California.
Dr. Manning’s brother and his wife graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991, and her late sister Deanna graduated from the College of Engineering in 1991. Her youngest sister graduated with a degree in Finance from Tuskegee in 1993. Dr. Manning received her bachelor’s in biology from Tuskegee and then went on to Meharry Medical College.
"Though my love affair with Tuskegee University began long before I was born, the best part about it is that it has evolved to be one that is all my own," she said. "With every year that passes, a new facet of my love for my alma mater is revealed to me. Now, watching my son create his own Tuskegee story gives me insight into what it must have meant to my parents when my siblings and I were there. I couldn't be prouder—as a daughter of Tuskegee and now, as the parent of a diligent son of Tuskegee, too."
A nationally sought-after speaker, Dr. Manning is one of the university’s most dedicated supporters – and fundraisers. In fact, she is in the midst of a campaign to garner scholarship support for Tuskegee students. Her birthday is Sept. 7 and for the month of September, she is trying to raise $27,000 since her son, Isaiah Manning, is in the Tuskegee class of 2027.
She is a professor of medicine and vice chair of community and engagement at the Emory University Department of Medicine. Those who follow her on social media know her as the Grady Doc. She is also co-host of The Human Doctor Podcast. During COVID, Dr. Manning was instrumental in sharing accurate information about vaccines and the growing pandemic.
The fall Convocation is the formal opening of the semester for the university. But it is this kind of celebration that will be carried throughout the year. Tuskegee’s Homecoming theme is Homecoming 102: Renaissance Family Affair. Tuskegee will celebrate Homecoming Nov. 7.
“Tuskegee University is proud to welcome Dr. Kimberly Manning as our Convocation speaker,” said Dr. Mark A. Brown, President and CEO. “She and her family have long proven their commitment to Tuskegee and our mission. Now, she is using her personal reach to take on her own fundraising campaign to support our students. That is extraordinary dedication, and we are grateful.
“As we prepare to celebrate Homecoming 102: Renaissance Family Affair, Dr. Manning's story reminds us of the enduring power of family legacy at Tuskegee," said Dr. Brown. “We will celebrate legacy family connections like hers during Homecoming. It is the strength of these families that has sustained this university and supported our students across generations. For that, we are grateful.”
While a student at Tuskegee, Dr. Manning was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and served as Miss Tuskegee of 1990.
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