Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-15
Homes Here Needed
For Deserted Babies
Howard Professor Gets
Brooklyn College Post

III. OOAAA @AOPO As@AAN@AAA' FAS
Ifessor of history at Howard Uni
lversity. has ben invited to take
the post Of chairman Of the his
tory department Of Brooklyn
College, New York.
II the remaining technicalities
of his appointment are cleared
away, DR.. Franklin next Sep
TENDER win be the first Negro to
be chairman of an academic de-
partment in New York State.
Regarded as one of the most
distinguished young historians
in the United States, DR.. Frank
lin, Al, indicated today that he
win accept the new position.
The noted holar-author was
proposed as department head by
the Brooklyn Committee on APP
pointments. Its recommendation
must be approved by the college
COMMITTEE on Personnel and
Budget and by the Board Of
Higher Education. Normally the
faculty committee recommended
tions are accepted.
Had Misgivings
The tall, soft-spoken professor
admitted in his university Office
today that at first he had some
miSgivings about becoming an
administrator.
II like to think of myself first
as a researcher and a teacher, "
he said. Frankly, this business
of administering runs a poor
third in my mind"
He said, however, that the ad-
ministration load at Brooklyn is
well distributed, leaving the fac
lulty members ample opportunity
for pursuing their specialties.
When he started his advanced
Education at Fisk University,
Nashville, he said, he had m
tended to follow in the foot
steps Of his father, who at the
age of 70 is still a practicing
lawyer in Tulsa, Okla.
Dedicated TO History
"As a freshman I was stopped
dead in my tracks by an ex-
ltremely inspiring history profess
sor. From that time on / have
thought only of studying his
tory"
DR.. Franklin's wife Aurelia is
librarian Of Spingarn High
School here. She was graduated
from the Catholic University Lii
brary School.
Speaking Of his numerous his
torical writings. DR.. Franklin OBJ
served, MY wife is my most
critical editor"
The history professor said his
greatest research ambition is to
compile an exhaustive social and
intellectual history of the Amer
lean South. One of its aims will
be an attempted explanation of
the South's inclination to bel
ligerency and emotionalism, he
said.
The new administrative post
carries an annual salary Of SILL
900.
Outstanding Background
DR.. Franklin's academic back
ground is long and outstanding.
Having earned degrees from
Fisk (A.B.. 1885, and Harvard
(M.A., 1896; Ph.D., 1870, he
Immediately went into the field
of teaching history. These as
signments have included his
alma mater, st. Augustine's Col
Ilege, Raleigh, N. c.. and pro-
fessorShip Of history at North
Carolina College. Durham, prior
to his appointment to the How
ard staff.
He mas also taught at the
Universities of Wisconsin, Cor
nell and Harvard. Abroad he
has delivered lectures in history
under a Fulbright award at Cam
bridge University, England; the
Salzburg Seminar in American
Studies and the International
Congress on Historical Sciences
in Rome.
His scholastic fellowships at
Harvard include those awarded
by the Edward Austin, the
Rosenwald and the Guggenheim
foundations. DR.. Franklin has,
moreover, won the Bancroft
Prize awarded by the journal of
Negro History and the Stern
Prize of the Illinois State His
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