Cooking for College key to helping school's grads

Edward Manley, also known as “The Meat Doctor,” is donating his time and fall-off-the-bone ribs at Cooking for College. The event, hosted by the Horace Mann Transitional Class, raises money for $1,000 scholarships for college students.
Edward Manley, also known as “The Meat Doctor,” is donating his time and fall-off-the-bone ribs at Cooking for College. The event, hosted by the Horace Mann Transitional Class, raises money for $1,000 scholarships for college students.

Ask Texarkana native Edward Manley about his alma mater and he'll say, "I'm a freshman of '69, Booker T. Washington, a senior of '73, Arkansas High."

He attended the all-black Booker T. Washington High School during his junior high years but eventually the city's integration plan led to consolidation and all students were moved to Arkansas High School.

"They didn't want us there," he says. "We didn't have another choice. Texarkana only had one high school."

The three years at Arkansas High "weren't nice," he says, explaining that senior year, many of the black students and teachers boycotted the school, instead being taught at churches and community centers.

He holds no bitterness about that time, a firm believer in forgiveness. But when Manley rattles off his education, "freshman of '69" always comes first. The experience bound his class together and they still meet for their own special reunions and for community service projects.

Around the same time, black students in Little Rock were going through a similar experience.

Brenda Gilbert and her classmates should have graduated from Horace Mann High School in 1972. But they didn't.

"In '71, the Little Rock desegregation plan closed our school as a high school," Gilbert says. "We all got split up to Little Rock Central, Parkview, Hall, Metro. We thought it was over for us."

It was far from over. Forty-seven years later, the Horace Mann Transitional Class still comes together to support one another and young students through the Edwin L. Hawkins Scholarship, named for the principal of Horace Mann and, eventually, of Central High School.

It's what Gilbert calls a "book scholarship" -- $1,000 given to each student that they can use to fund travel, buy books, supplies, whatever they may need for college. Over the last 16 years, they've given around $40,000.

One of the main ways they raise the money is through their Cooking for College event, an epic buffet of more than 60 homemade food dishes all cooked and donated by volunteers. One of the most enthusiastic of those volunteers is Manley, aka "The Meat Doctor."

He makes ribs. Not just any ribs. To hear him talk about them, they're fall-off-the-bone tender, made with a lot of love and care.

"I enjoy cooking," he says. "I believe God don't give us anything we're supposed to hold onto for ourselves. It's about sharing. Don't nothing make you feel better than when you see someone enjoying your efforts."

He regularly cooks for church events at Greater Macedonia Baptist Church and is currently working on building a food truck so he can have a side business after he retires.

So when a fellow church member invited Manley to participate in Cooking for College, his love of cooking, belief in helping others and his own experience in high school moved him to get involved.

"That's what touched my heart about them, being the transition class," he says. "They got separated, yet they come together and they do this."

Manley's been cooking and serving his ribs at the event since, he thinks, about 2006, only a year or two after Cooking for College began. He wouldn't miss it. A railroad employee who regularly works Saturdays, he takes a vacation day the day before the dinner so he can do his prep work.

Cooking for College -- held, appropriately, at Horace Mann Middle School -- starts with a program and an inspirational speaker. This year, it's Sgt. Willie Davis of the Little Rock Police Department who runs the O.K. (Our Kids) Program. That message is followed by speeches by the scholarship recipients.

Then it's time for the food: a giant smorgasbord spread out over two long rows of tables where people walk through, pick what they want, then come back for more.

It's more than just the food, good as it is.

"It's about fellowshipping," Manley says.

Gilbert adds, "It's a big party. A family reunion, in a way."

They usually have a competition of some sort, too. Last year, culinary students from Pulaski Tech competed to see who made the best pasta dish. Guests paid an extra $2 for the chance to taste and vote. Cash awards went to the winners.

"That was a second way of us supporting students," Gilbert says.

Since all the food and items for a silent auction are donated, all the money raised goes to the scholarship fund.

"It's really more than just the money," Gilbert says. "It's this common idea and belief that you have to give back. It's our responsibility. If you have the ability, you have the responsibility to help somebody else."

It's an event and a cause that has extra layers of meaning and dedication for everyone involved. As Gilbert points out, the cooks buy and prepare their own food so, "They're actually paying to be a part of it."

For Manley, just the act of being there can make a world of difference to a young student.

"I imagine when they look out at that audience and see that array of people that purchased tickets, they see a community that cares about what they do. That inspires that kid to go out and be successful. When someone invests in you, you want to do all you can to make that person proud."

Manley spends a lot of time with young people. He's a deacon and Sunday School teacher at his church and attending the Cooking for College event is, he says, a powerful thing for the audience, too.

"You sit and listen to them talk about their dreams and what they want to do in life. That's inspiring to me. Because, as a black man born in 1954, I can see where our race comes from. Organizations like this inspire kids to do the right thing."

It inspires others, too. Gilbert says they have "alumni" participants who never went to Horace Mann. But they wanted to be a part of that camaraderie and sense of purpose.

When the transitional class meets, it's in a house across the street from Pettaway Park, surrounded by the past -- memories of a school and a life that seemed to disappear but that its youngest members work to keep very much alive.

Faye Russ, a Horace Mann alumna, bought the house on 21st Street and uses it as a repository for Horace Mann High School artifacts, data and photos. An unofficial museum.

"That's where the passion comes from," Gilbert explains. "We grew up in a time when things were tough. I think it sets the stage for why we do what we do. This place helps us stay connected. We have a legacy we have to continue to contribute to. We couldn't quit if we wanted to. We had to stay together."

Russ says, "This is the only Horace Mann class separated and it's the only one that has done something as monumental as this. I look at this class as an inspiration."

For people like Russ, Gilbert and Manley, reminders of the past and hope for the future fuel them. They lived through hard times. And now, they all work together to keep their own legacy alive while giving students the extra money and encouragement to go out and make a good life for themselves and, in turn, the world around them.

So, for people who attend Cooking for College, Manley says, "You're not buying a plate. You're investing in a young person's future."

Cooking for College is 2-5 p.m. June 9 at the Horace Mann Middle School Cafeteria, 1000 Roosevelt Road, Little Rock. Tickets are $20, $10 for children 10 and under. Call (901) 289-3104.

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Edward Manley is one of the volunteer cooks for Cooking for College, an event featuring an epic buffet of more than 60 homemade food dishes. A railroad employee who regularly works Saturdays, Manley takes a vacation day the day before the dinner so he can do his prep work.

High Profile on 05/26/2019

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