"Old hat" seems to be a term that is ingrained in John Hope Franklin's vocabulary.
The prominent scholar has written several books chronicling African-American history, chaired history departments and accrued numerous professorships at several universities.
He will also serve as the 2006 Commencement speaker.
But in November, when Duke's 91-year-old James B. Duke professor emeritus of history published his autobiography-"Mirror to America: The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin," which detailed the life of the man who fathered the academic study of African-American history-Franklin was anything but "old hat."
"It was the end of an era for me," he said. "I thought I should look back on my life and see what I had done or what circumstances had done to me."
And after making his life public, the author and editor of 17 books launched a five-month promotional tour, touting his story.
A product of the Oklahoma Jim Crow era, Franklin spent his undergraduate time at Fisk University and went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Soon after, he published "From Slavery to Freedom" in 1947, which is still considered one of the definitive works on the black experience.
And his list of awards and honors does not stop there. From honorary degrees at universities across the country to the Presidential Medal of Honor-the highest honor bestowed upon civilians-to the Gold Medal in History by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Franklin is one of the most nationally recognized academics.
At the same time, he has an air of modesty and humility that befits a man charged by former President Bill Clinton to chair the President's Initiative on Race.
But what makes Franklin "uniquely qualified" to serve as the University's 2006 commencement speaker is his near-quarter-century of experience at Duke, President Richard Brodhead said.
"When choosing a commencement speaker, we look for someone who has led a life of distinction and accomplishment. Certainly that is true for Dr. Franklin, whose scholarly and personal achievements have inspired countless people in the fight for justice and equality," Brodhead said.
"With Dr. Franklin, we also get a person with a great sense of this place. I know he will deliver a message that resonates with our students because he understands where Duke students have been as well as where they are going."
While a member of the faculty at North Carolina Central University-then called North Carolina College for Negroes-in the 1940s, Franklin had a memorable conversation with a Duke professor that painted a picture of a Duke of which Brodhead would not be proud.
"He talked about segregated society, and he merely thought that I should do what I could to maintain it, since he thought I had a good job at North Carolina Central," Franklin said.
Franklin replied with a calm resilience that he still possesses today. "I told him then that I would look forward to the day when I would be competing for his job."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.