Manning Johnston Correia
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Manning Johnston Correia passed away on November 5, 2020 in The Woodlands, Texas at the age of 83.
He was born in Greenville, S.C. to Lee Johnston Correia and Manning Furnan Correia on October 31, 1937.
He graduated from Emory University and then received his Master's Degree and Ph.D. from the University of Alabama in Experimental Psychology. Following his doctoral studies, he married the love of his life and wife of 58 years, Franka. He served a post-doctoral fellowship at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, FL where he participated in studies related to the Mercury space program that involved testing the original seven astronauts.
Dr. Correia worked as a Research Scientist at the Defense and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine in Toronto, Ontario, Canada studying vestibular neurophysiology and pilot disorientation.
In 1972, Manning accepted a position at the University of Texas Medical Branch as an Associate Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Otolaryngology. For the next 37 years, Dr. Correia progressed through the academic ranks retiring as Jehu M. Robison Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology. During his academic career, Professor Correia was the principal investigator on numerous grants including the prestigious Claude Pepper Investigator award from the N.I.H. (1991-1998).
In collaboration with Russia and France, Dr. Correia was a NASA lead investigator on two animal space flights in the 1989 and 1992. For these studies, Professor Correia was elected as an Honorary Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Medicine. In addition to his continuous funding for 37 years, Professor Correia taught many medical school courses and trained numerous pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows who are currently in academic positions in the U.S. and Europe.
For his body of professional work, Dr. Correia was awarded the "Significant Sig" designation by the Sigma Chi International Greek Fraternity.
In retirement, Dr. Correia pursued his hobbies of gardening with roses, photography, fly-tying and travel. He was active in the Houston Rose Society as a competition judge and Consulting Rosarian. He served as President from 2016 to 2018.
The accolade that Dr. Correia cherished most was delivered by one of his post-doctoral fellows at his retirement who said, "Professor Correia is an excellent scientist, but he is an extraordinary family man who always tries to put his family first."
Dr. Correia is pre-deceased by his parents and his son, Joel Johnston Correia (Shauna). He is survived by his wife, Franka Dawson Correia, his daughter, Franka Correia Riggs (Calvin) of The Woodlands, his grandchildren, Dawson Carlyle Riggs, Meredith Franka Riggs, Charlotte "Lottie" Merle Correia, and Eloise "Ellie" Johnston Correia.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Manning's memory be made to:
The Grand 1894 Opera House, 2020 Postoffice Street, Galveston, Texas 77550
Or The Houston Rose Society, PO Box 22614, Houston, Texas 77227
Or a charity that is meaningful to you.
A private family burial service will be held at Forest Park The Woodlands Cemetery.