John Hope Franklin honored for lifetime achievement - noteworthy news - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, June 6, 2002

NEW YORK

Historian John Hope Franklin was awarded the Gold Medal in History by the American Academy of Arts and Letters last month for his long and distinguished career as a scholar, intellectual leader and civil rights advocate.

Franklin, Duke University professor emeritus, was presented with the award by historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. in New York City. The Gold Medal is the academy's highest honor and two medals are awarded every six years to recognize lifetime achievement.

"It's really a very great honor," Franklin says. "It's the highest literary award that one can receive in the field of history. It's very special, therefore."

In recommending Franklin for the Gold Medal, the selection committee members said, "his scholarship is resourceful and scrupulous; and his wisdom, passion and judgment have made him a moral leader of the historical profession."

Franklin's best-known book, From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans, is considered one of the definitive works on the Black experience. The 1947 book is in its eighth edition. The 87-year-old Franklin is currently writing his autobiography, The Vintage Years.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters was founded in 1898 to foster interest in literature, music and the fine arts. Each year, the academy honors more than 50 artists, architects, writers and composers.