Dr. Franklin, a native of Oklahoma, was a widely acclaimed author and scholar, one of the nation’s preeminent scholars on African American history and the history of the American South. He was a graduate of Fisk University and received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. His seminal 1947 book, “From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans,” is widely considered one of the most authoritative and definitive accounts of African American history. President Bill Clinton awarded Dr. Franklin the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995, calling him “a pioneering historian who focused on the social and economic conditions of African Americans.” Dr. Franklin wrote more than 15 books and received honorary degrees from almost 100 institutions. He served as a Trustee of The Duke Endowment from 1993 to 2004. Dr. Franklin was also a passionate orchid breeder and cultivator. His Durham home featured a 17- by 25-foot greenhouse containing over one hundred orchid specimens and hybrids, including the “Phalaenopsis John Hope Franklin,” named in his honor.