— GREG GARRISON, AL.COM
On Jan. 4, 1964, Harold Franklin walked onto Auburn’s campus as the first Black student in school history, pursuing a master’s degree that he never received after his thesis was repeatedly rejected, as late as 1969.
On Sunday, May 3, 2020 at Auburn’s spring commencement for the College for Liberal Arts, Franklin, then 87, was to have finally received the master’s he earned.
However, the ceremony was postponed due to the COVID pandemic. Instead, Franklin received his degree in the mail.
