Marion Mann (March 29, 1920 – August 20, 2022) was an American physician and

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

. He was a Dean of the College of Medicine at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

from 1970 to 1979.

Early life

Marion was born in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, and was raised, along with five brothers, by his mother, C.C. Mann, who was a church organist (Ebenezer Baptist Church and Liberty Baptist Church in Atlanta; Southern Baptist Church in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

; and Mt. Bethel Baptist Church in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

). She also was a piano teacher until her death in 1981 at the age of 92. The best known, though not necessarily most talented, of the musical Mann brothers were probably Levi and Howard. Levi played

jazz bass Jazz bass is the use of the double bass or electric bass guitar to improvise accompaniment ("comping") basslines and solos in a jazz or jazz fusion style. Players began using the double bass in jazz in the 1890s to supply the low-pitched wal ...

(upright) with the

Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing music, swing and rhythm and blues, rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang ...

Orchestra in the 1930s and 1940s and later held down the house musician gig, playing the

Hammond B3 Hammond may refer to: People * Hammond Innes (1913–1998), English novelist * Hammond (surname) * Justice Hammond (disambiguation) Places Antarctica * Hammond Glacier, Antarctica Australia *Hammond, South Australia, a small settlement in Sout ...

organ at the famous 20 Grand Club in Detroit, Michigan during the early Motown years. Howard wrote and composed the gospel classic "Teach Us To Pray" and was organist and choir director at Convent Avenue Baptist Church in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

. The other brothers in this accomplished

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

family included Lawrence, William, and John Wesley who were all classically trained musicians and educators. Although a music lover, Mann was the only son of C.C. (Mama) Mann who did not pursue a career as a musician. C.C. had moved the family from Atlanta to Harlem, New York in the 1930s, but Mann went South again to attend college at

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was f ...

. At Tuskegee, in 1937, he met fellow student Ruth Maureen Reagin from

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...

, and Mann and Ruth were married after his graduation (1940) and before he entered the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

. Mann and Ruth had two children. M. Nicholas Mann was born on the Tuskegee Army Airfield in 1944 while Mann was stationed there as an administrative officer and Nick went on to a career in organization development consulting with a brief foray as writer and

music producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

(

The Reddings The Reddings were an American funk, Soul music, soul and disco band, founded by Otis Redding's sons Dexter (bass and vocals) and Otis Redding III (December 17, 1963 – April 18, 2023 age 59; guitar) together with Mark Lockett (drums, keyboards, ...

). Judith Reagin Walk was born in

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

in 1949 during Mann's post

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

overseas tour of duty. As a university administrator (Eastman School of Music and Howard University), Judy is also a musician (pianist, teacher, and choir director).

Medical career

Mann left the regular Army and entered Howard University Medical School in 1950 and was graduated (M.D.) in 1954. After graduation, his career as a pathologist included serving as a Deputy Coroner in Washington, D.C. Along the way, he earned the Ph.D. degree (1961) from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. He accepted a full-time assistant professorship of pathology at his alma mater (Howard) in 1961 and by 1970 was promoted to the rank of professor and named Medical School Dean. Even though Mann had left the regular Army, he remained in the military as an

Army Medical Corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are examples of med ...

reservist and by 1975 was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. From 1988 until 1991, after a period of retirement, Mann served as Associate Vice President at Howard University. In that role, he established the university's Office of Research and Administration. But, the accomplishments that he is probably best remembered for came as Dean of the College of Medicine.

Deanship at Howard

During Mann's Deanship, a more rigorous entrance process was instituted and the entering Freshman class size at the Medical School was increased to 128. Dr. Mann established elaborate student support services that increased student success and reduced attrition. It was during his administration as Dean that the faculty voted to approve requirements that Part-I of the National Board examination be passed for promotion to junior, and that graduating students had passed Part-II. Under Mann's leadership, the Medical School initiated new programs leading to the Ph.D. in anatomy, genetics, and microbiology. Perhaps the most lasting accomplishment of Mann's deanship was the Medical School expansion (spearheaded by Dr. Mann) with the addition of the

Seeley G. Mudd Seeley Greenleaf Mudd, M.D. (April 18, 1895 – March 10, 1968) was an American physician, professor, and major philanthropist to academic institutions. Early life Mudd was born in Denver, Colorado in 1895, and was the son of noted mining engine ...

building as a pre-clinical science facility next to the existing Numa P. Adams building.

Personal life and death

Mann died in

, on August 20, 2022, at the age of 102.

Honors

Mann's honors include being awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degrees from

and the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the Public university, public university system of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell ...

; serving as a diplomate of the

National Board of Medical Examiners The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), founded in 1915, is a United States non-profit which develops and manages assessments of student physicians. Known for its role in developing the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) i ...

and the

American Board of Pathology American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

; and being bestowed the title of Knight Grand Commander of the Human Order of African Redemption from the

Republic of Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It has a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Marion 1920 births 2022 deaths 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics African-American centenarians American pathologists Howard University College of Medicine alumni Howard University faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine American men centenarians Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) Physicians from Atlanta Tuskegee University alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers