Dr. Tyra Manning’s story is both unique and universal, as it demonstrates the pervasive devastation of loss while demonstrating how courage and love can triumph. Tyra’s husband was shot down over the Laotian jungle while flying a top-secret mission during the Vietnam War. She learned of his death while she was hospitalized at the Menninger Clinic, where she was being treated for depression. Tyra’s worst fear had come true.
Determined to fulfill the rest of the dreams and promises she and her husband had made to one another, that she get well and become a teacher, Tyra persevered through the darkest of times. Ultimately, Tyra earned a doctorate in education from the University of Kansas, becoming one of the nation’s top school superintendents.
She has devoted her forty-year career to helping children achieve their highest potential. Since retiring in 2004, Dr. Manning’s mission has been to share her personal journey of hope with people who are experiencing depression, addiction, and loss.
Though she travels around the country delivering the messages and lessons in her new book, Where the Water Meets the Sand, Dr. Manning is a born and bred Texan. She currently resides in the Texas Hill Country.
My Favorite Aviator
August 19th marks National Aviation Day, a national holiday commemorating the birth of Orville Wright. The day celebrates the genius and tenacity of Orville and his brother Wilbur – two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio – who against all odds launched the modern era of aviation and transformed the world. My first real introduction to […]
Musical Memories: The Byrds’ “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
When I was a teenager in the 1960s, I became pregnant. In those days, one lived away from home until the baby was born to avoid scandal. Once my daughter was born, I quickly gave her up for adoption. Although I knew it was the best life decision for both her and me, at the […]
The Gift of Freedom from Addictions
Even despite 36 years of sobriety, it’s impossible for me to take my freedom from addiction for granted. As someone who struggled for years with alcohol addiction, my heart truly aches for the millions of people who continue to face addictions in all their forms. The sad truth is that each generation faces its own […]
