John Hope Franklin: 90 years of making history

Candles, balloons and gifts. This weekend, Duke can expect much birthday cheer as the campus celebrates distinguished John Hope Franklin’s 90th birthday. The celebration of the James B. Duke professor emeritus of history will feature two photography exhibits chronicling his life, a panel discussion with two of Franklin’s former students, and culminate in performances by the Fisk University Jubilee singers. After publishing his first work at 23, Franklin has since chronicled American history in his 20 books and 100 articles. His current research deals with runaway slaves from early southern plantations. After 70 years of study, Franklin has covered a large variety of subjects but still believes there is more to be discovered. “I’d like to see more exploration of obscure subjects. There is history all around—right here, a history of Durham,” he said Full Story: http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/01/21/41f0c91433832