LEXINGTON, Ky. — Friends and families gathered at First Baptist Church Bracktown in Lexington to celebrate the life of the late Fayette County Superintendent Emmanuel "Manny" Caulk through a drive-thru visitation. 

Superintendent Caulk had an impact on many families in the Fayette County community.

One PTA member, Penny Christian, said the drive-thru event wasn’t meant for people to say their goodbyes, but instead remember and celebrate all that Manny Caulk had achieved in the community. 

“Well, you know, you say goodbye in different ways. Right. And we're considering this celebration and an acknowledgment as well of just how much he impacted all 44,000 plus kids in our district,” Christian said.

Being superintendent of Fayette County means being in charge of many people and having power in the community. Christian said he made sure to use that power to change the lives of children in the area for the better. 

“When you're in this kind of position of leadership of course everyone's not always going to agree with what you do, but Manny actually, he didn't care. He absolutely said if it wasn't about the kids then it was a waste of time,” Christian said. 

Christian said as a PTA member, Caulk worked with parents to make sure the children were top priority. Including parents in decisions and making them feel they were in this together.

“If he impacted those children then he impacted those families. As far as PTA goes and family and parent advocacy he was indeed what he would call a partner. He was a friend and he was someone who always included us in decision making,” Christian said.

After the drive-thru visitation on Saturday, family members held a small service in the church to say their goodbyes and celebrate the life of Manny Caulk.