Richard C. Franklin, poet, newspaperman, World War II bomber pilot, university professor and pioneer
in the Applied Behavioral Sciences, devoted Orioles fan,
humorist, Civil War buff, and retired Director of the Johns Hopkins Evening
College Division of Arts and Sciences, died October 28, 1998, at the
Gilchrist Center after a brief illness. He had
just finished a book of short stories, adding to his many creative and professional
publications, including Comeback City, A Baltimore Experience, a 1982
collection of poems which had earned him the nickname, the "Bard of Baltimore."
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A Ruthian
Remembrance
By Richard Franklin
From Comeback City, A Baltimore Experience
Mere months
before he died
the visored, shuffling Babe
(my Hercules of boyhood)
paused to tweek the cheek
of my firstborn in her blue carriage.
I prize that passing moment
long decades ago;
for now I am his age
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and that small baby blooms
in her springtime of womanhood.
In Babe's hometown I live;
and though this will not change
one line of history,
I smile at Time's slow curve
that slides by memory's home plate.* |
Dick, who was 80, will be missed by the many family and
friends who benefited
from his love, his teaching, and his dedication to family, social justice,
art, and community: his wife of 48 years, Paula Anne Franklin; his three
children, Edward (Laura) Franklin, Tim (Nancy) Franklin, and Jan (Michael
David) BenDor; five grandchildren, Toby and Todd BenDor, and Trevor, Torrey,
and Madelyn Franklin; his sister, Dorothy Stasikewich; many nieces and
nephews; dear friends of the Hopkins Theatre Club, former students, and
waitresses everywhere.
To celebrate Dick's life, the family welcomed all of his
friends to a wake on
Friday, October 30, at the family home in Baltimore; guests were invited to
contribute written recollections and memorabilia about Dick and his interests. A
formal celebration of his life took place on Saturday, October 31, at the First Unitarian
Church at Charles and Franklin Streets, followed by a reception. In place of
flowers, please send contributions in his memory to Action for the Homeless, c/o the
Center for Poverty Solutions, 2521 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218.
*Click here for photo credit and The Babe Ruth Connection.
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