Harold Franklin, 80, was Auburn University's first African-American graduate student. According to Franklin, however, Auburn was not his first choice.
"Auburn was the last school in the world I ever looked at," Franklin said. "I had no interest in agriculture. When my daddy needed help in his garden, the first thing I did was hide."
Franklin had another career in mind.
"My ambition was to become a lawyer," Franklin said. "Thurgood Marshall was my idol."
Franklin graduated from Alabama State University in 1962 with a degree in government and psychology. He planned to apply to law school at the University of Alabama, but civil rights attorney Fred Gray warned him his LSAT scores might not meet Alabama's standards for admission. After prompting by Gray, Franklin filled out an application to attend Auburn University.
"My attorney told me I was an ideal candidate," Franklin said. "He said to me, 'We need people like you.'"
Franklin was denied admittance to Auburn in 1963 because Alabama State University lacked accreditation. Gray and Franklin took that decision to court. ASU lost its accreditation two years earlier because it did not receive the funding white-only universities did. This, according to Gray, was discrimination.
"He looked at me and said 'We just won our case,'" Franklin said.
On Jan. 4, 1964, Franklin became the first African American to register for classes at Auburn University. Franklin met federal agents at Auburn United Methodist Church to prepare for his first day.
"The FBI agents searched my bags," Franklin said. "One of them asked if I had a gun. I told them 'I'm not going hunting, I'm going to school!'"
While he registered, onlookers asked Franklin repeatedly for identification, and demanded to know what he was doing.
"They knew I couldn't show them my student ID. I had not even registered yet," Franklin said. "I told them, 'You all know exactly what I am doing. You all know exactly why I am here.'"
After his first day, Franklin returned to his room in Magnolia Hall, which has since been demolished.
"I had a whole wing of the dormitory to myself," Franklin said.
Franklin left the school in 1966, before finishing his degree. He went on to earn a master's degree in history at the University of Denver. He taught at many institutions, including Alabama State University, North Carolina A&T University, Tuskegee Institute and Talladega College until he retired from education in 1991.
Franklin received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Auburn University in 2001, 37 years after he left.
According to Franklin, the best advice he can give his students is to make sure their voice is heard.
"I always told my students two things," Franklin said. "First of all, register to vote. Second of all, cast your vote."
Franklin said he hopes younger generations will not take what they have for granted.
"I don't care what school they go to," Franklin said. "I just hope all young people will take advantage of their education."
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