| Graduation Year | Class of 1971 |
| Date of Passing | Sep 23, 1970 |
| About | A TRIBUTE TO MR GERALD F. MANUEL TEACHER AND FRIEND MR. MANUEL WAS BORN IN DETROIT AND SPENT HIS EARLY YOUTH IN THE SHADOW OF THE OLD TIGER STADIUM. MR. MANUEL MOVED TO MARINE CITY, MICHIGAN, WHERE HE ATTENDED JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL. HE PLAYED HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL, ATTENDED TRADE CLASSES, AND WORKED ON THE SCHOOL NEWSPAPER. UPON GRADUATION, MR. MANUEL WENT TO PORT HURON, MICHIGAN JUNIOR COLLEGE, WHERE HE WORKED ON THE NEWSPAPER AND THE YEARBOOK STAFF. AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF AT PORT HURON JUNIOR COLLEGE, HE TRANSFERRED TO WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY IN DETROIT. IN 1958, MR. MANUEL TRANSFERRED TO WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY WHERE HE ATTENDED ON AND OFF. HE BEGAN HIS TEACHING CAREER AT DELTON IN 1962. MR. MANUEL GRADUATED FROM WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY IN 1963 WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE. DURING 1964 AND 1965 HE TAUGHT AT RICHLAND. AND THEN TAUGHT AT GULL LAKE FROM 1965 THRU 1967. HE EARNED HIS MASTER’S DEGREE FROM WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY IN 1965. DURING THIS TIME HE MET HIS WIFE JUDY. AND THEY HAD TWO CHILDREN. CURTIS AND ALICE. IN THE FALL OF 1967, MR. MANUEL CAME TO LOY NORRIX. HE BECAME HEAD OF OUR JOURNALISM DEPARTMENT WHICH PRODUCED THE KNIGHT LIFE NEWSPAPER AND THE ACCOLADE YEARBOOK. DURING OUR FIRST YEAR AT NORRIX, MR. MANUEL TAUGHT ENGLISH, JOURNALISM, AND HEADED UP ALL PUBLICATIONS. HE WAS THE HUMAN RELATIONS CLUB ADVISOR AND THE QUILL AND SCROLL ADVISOR. HE WAS GREATLY LOVED AND ADMIRED BY THOSE WHO KNEW HIM. MR. MANUEL WAS KNOWN BY MANY NAMES AT NORRIX SUCH AS MR. MAN AND BIG JER. HE WAS RECOGNIZED AS THE VOICE OF LOY NORRIX HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE HE WAS SEEN AND HEARD ANNOUNCING MANY ATHLETIC CONTESTS. |
