Harold Franklin, the first African American student at Auburn University in Alabama, was honored with a historical marker outside the library on the Auburn campus. Franklin registered for the graduate program in history and government on January 4, 1964 under a federal court order.
Franklin studied at Auburn for one year and then completed his master’s degree at the University of Denver. He went on to have a distinguished career in higher education. In 2001, Auburn University awarded Franklin an honorary doctorate.
Ella Lee Kelley, the late professor of chemistry, dean of the Honors College, and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the recipient of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. The award was presented posthumously late last month at the organization’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Kelley was a graduate of Northeast Louisiana University. She held a master’s degree from Southern University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Louisiana State University. Dr. Kelley died this past July at the age of 66.
Patrick Hawkins, an instructor in the College of Nursing at Michigan State University, received the Caregiver of the Year Award from the American Kidney Fund.
In addition to teaching, Hawkins treats patients with chronic kidney disease at Kidney and Hypertension Consultants in Flint Township, Michigan.
Keith Whitfield, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, director of the Center on Biobehavioral and Social Aspects of Health Disparities, and vice provost for academic affairs at Duke University, has been selected to receive the 2015 Outstanding Mentorship Award from the Minority Issues in Gerontology Committee of the Gerontological Society of America.
Dr. Whitfield has been on the Duke University faculty since 2006. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of Santa Fe and a Ph.D. in life-span developmental psychology from Texas Tech University.
