Summer/Fall 2002 (Vol. 116 No. 1) (PDF) - Spelman College: Home

Alumnae Notes12Sister to Sister:THE UNDAUNTED SPIRITDuring the summer of 2001, the word undauntedcaptured my attention in ways it had not donebefore. It seemed to surface wherever I turned myattention – in a speech I heard, in a novel I was reading,even in my morning Bible study. Then, one day, as I editeda document that included the Spelman Hymn, there it wasagain, with a renewed presence – undaunted. That’swhen I got it! This word was to be a part of the guidingtheme, a spirit of operation, for the Alumnae Affairs2001–2002 program year.In order to receive confirmation of this thematic revelation,I shared the premise of this developing theme with mySpelman colleagues. This undaunted theme, I told them,would commemorate the indomitable spirit and tenacity ofgenerations of Spelman alumnae who have forged newpaths and blazed new trails with sheer determination andstrength. It would also recognize the spirit of the institutionthat Spelman College has become in continuing to live outthe bold vision of the Founders to prepare women for leadershipand service. My colleagues agreed that this spirit isindeed deeply embedded in the Spelman Story. And so ourcelebration of The Undaunted Spirit began.We could not have imagined, at the time, how the situationsand circumstances to come would not only acknowledgethe timeliness of our theme, but actually bring it tolife. On September 11, we watched in disbelief as a horribleact of terrorism was carried out on American soil. We thensaw an undaunted American spirit overcome tragedy withhope and healing.A month later, on October 11, Dr. Audrey ForbesManley, C’55, Spelman’s first alumna president,announced her plan to retire after five years of stellar serviceto her alma mater. Her announcement gave us cause topause and reflect on the professional and personal pathstaken by this woman of achievement. In doing so, it quicklybecame evident that the undaunted spirit is defined in theexample of Dr. Audrey Manley, a woman who went from thecotton fields of Mississippi to the classrooms of Spelman College,Meharry Medical College and Johns Hopkins University.It is documented in her determination as a student who, inthe early 1950s, petitioned the Spelman administration toallow her to take higher level science and math courses atMorehouse in order to assure her preparedness for medicalschool. It is chronicled in the heart of a physician who, as thefirst black, female chief resident at Chicago’s Cook CountyChildren’s Hospital, used her healing gift to offer new hopefor life in a ward filled with black babies gathered there todie. It was the foundation for her drive as a member of theresearch team that developed the iron-fortified infant formulathat ultimately became Similac.An undaunted spirit moved Dr. Manley as a healthprofessional to wage war against genetic diseases,including the sickle cell anemia that disproportionatelyaffects African American communities. And it was a sourceof stamina for a woman who went on to achieve a numberof firsts in her career with the United State Public HealthService (UHPHS).Upon retirement from the Public Health Service, Dr.Manley’s undaunted spirit led her to bring her diagnosticand prescriptive skills to her beloved Spelman College. Tocome home to the place she had served conscientiouslythrough the years as alumna, trustee, first lady and leadershipdonor.I was in awe daily watching Dr. Manley as presidentcouple her administrative savvy with her uncompromisedbelief in the mission of Spelman. In a powerfully unassumingmanner, she wielded unprecedented change andgrowth in the infrastructure of the College in just five years.Under her watch, our reality has come into alignment withour reputation for excellence.Of even greater significance, perhaps, is the fact that Dr.Manley’s appointment as the first alumna president ofSpelman College was the fulfillment of a prophetic thoughtby Lucy Upton, then Dean of the College, who said, “thework that is now being done by well-meaning whitewomen will one day be done by well-trained black women,perhaps one of our own.” This vision was realized in thepresidency of Dr. Audrey Forbes Manley, C’55.And so, Spelman women, in the example set before usby our First Alumna President, may Spelman always be thebest because her daughters always give their best!For the love of Spelman,Eloise Abernathy Alexis, C’86Director of Alumnae AffairsS P E L M A N M E S S E N G E RPhoto: Wilford Harewood