Oral history interview with Julius Franks, August 10, 1989
Oral history interview with Julius Franks, conducted by Lewis Carlson on August 10, 1989. Franks discusses his introduction to football at Hamtramck High School, how he was recruiting into football, his experiences as a football player and his bout with tuberculosis. During his recovery, he returned to school graduating from U of M in 1947 and later from dental school in 1951 as the only African American of that class. Through his connections with Governor Romney and Mayor Paul Goebel, Franks was appointed on WMU’s first board in 1964. Franks discussed the politics and board member relationships with representatives in Lansing, former WMU President Jim Miller, and John Bernhard as well as cost concerns, racial tensions on campus in the 1960s, and faculty strikes addressed by the board through his three-year term. Passing away on November 26, 2008, Franks was the last surviving member of WMU’s first Board of Trustees.