Raleigh Mann, born in Baltimore in 1934, grew up during World War II, moved to Miami in his early 20s to seek relief from chronic arthritis in a warmer climate. There he enrolled as a charter student at Miami Dade College, served as the first editor of its campus newspaper, met and married the love of his life, Betsy Ann Little. He also served as editor of the campus newspaper at the University of South Florida. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science there, then joined the staff of the Fort Lauderdale News, then The Miami Herald, where he covered beats ranging from police, courts, business, government, religion, to features and real estate. Raleigh then served as editor of Flair, the newspaper’s features section in its Broward County editions. There he covered live theater, music and dance as reporter, critic and columnist. In 1977, the Manns and their three daughters moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where Raleigh joined the faculty of UNC’s School of Journalism, where he taught news writing, editing, feature writing and reporting the arts for 22 years until his retirement in 2000. He is author of two self-published books, “Loving Journey” and “Jumping with Mixed Feelings: a Family Memoir,” which is available on Amazon.com. He is working on his first novel.

Raleigh’s life experience also includes work as a soda jerk, theater usher, clerk in a railroad freight car repair shop, bank teller, radio announcer and disc jockey, and various tasks in a funeral home. An actor and singer since he was 11, he has performed in and directed numerous amateur and professional theater productions and has sung in a barbershop quartet and an internationally competitive chorus. He now sings in two church choirs and is a vocalist with a large dance band.