SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – If history isn’t documented, it simply fades away.
That was almost the case for James Franklin’s story.
You’d be hard-pressed to find any details on his tenure as former chief of police for the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education — the first African American to hold that position.
But by all accounts, Franklin is a trailblazer who knows a lot about giving back.
“If the community is decent and good to you, give back to it by trying to help somebody.”
You could consider his life a master class in public service.
At 83 years young, he’s paved the way for others to follow, but his name is seemingly void of the recognition he deserves.
Born in Macon but raised in Savannah, Franklin says a traumatic experience during high school graduation changed the trajectory of his life.
“I graduated. Stopped at a little filling station in Cordele to pick up a monetary gift for being the fastest person in track in the state. And there were four little white fellas sitting around a potbelly stove. And I asked for the owner and they said he went to get a part. He’ll be right back,” Franklin recalled.