In Memoriam:
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Clyde W. Franklin, II Richard Majors, Ph.D. We would like to honor our friend and colleague, Dr. Clyde W. Franklin, II, by dedicating two special issues (volume 2, issue 4 and volume 3, issue 1) of the Journal of African American Men to his memory. Clyde, who was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at Ohio State University for twenty-six years, died at his home on October 25, 1995, shortly before his fifty-fifth birthday. A pioneer and a leader, Professor Franklin's contributions to sociology, and in particular to men's studies, were significant and innumerable. First and foremost, Clyde was the first editor of the Journal of African American Men (formerly the Journal of Black Male Studies). Given Clyde's leadership skills, expertise, and visibility in the field of men's studies, he was the most qualified person for the editorship. In retrospect, the editorial board could not have selected a better editor. Clyde, in a very short period, was able to take the journal from relative obscurity to respectability and national visibility. Members of the editorial board will always be indebted to Clyde for his hard work and many fine contributions to the journal. Moreover, his writings in the area of men's studies helped reconstr uct t he way in which g e n d e r is studied and contextualized. Originally, Clyde's interests were in theoretical social psychology. This earlier work addressed the intersection and overlap of sociological social psychology and psychological social psychology. This work, culminating in a textbook, Theoretical Perspectives in Social Psychology (1982), made an important contribution to the field, enriching both social psychology and sociology. However, in recent years Clyde's work focused on race and gender. Both of Clyde's books, The Changing Definition of Masculinity (1984) and Men and Society (1988), have helped to lay the groundwork for much of our current thinking in masculinity research by addressing, delineating, and analyzing the intersection of gender and race. Clyde's contribution in
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Journal of African American Men
the area of race and gender does not end here. Along with Dr. Robert Staples, many academics have credited Dr. Franklin with advancing and popularizing black men's studies and research on black men. On a personal note, Clyde was instrumental in helping to initiate my career. As guest editor for a special issue of Changing Men, on black masculinity (in 1986), Clyde provided me--a young graduate student at the time--the opportunity to publish my first paper on an aspect of black masculinity that I have termed "Cool Pose." I will always be grateful to Clyde for providing me with this opportunity to publish. Furthermore, Clyde honored me and my career by agreeing to contribute two outstanding papers to my co-edited book, The American Black Male: His Present Status and Future (1994). Unfortunately, these chapters would be among the last Clyde would write. In addition to the contribution of his work, Clyde's teaching and mentoring of students will help preserve his legacy for many years to come. Although Clyde was honored with the Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award in Sociology several times during his career, Clyde's legacy will be measured just as much by his guidance, encouragement, and development of the next generation of men's studies' scholars. Men's studies has lost a great scholar and leader in the death of Clyde Franklin. Clyde was warm, generous, and sensitive and will be remembered as a loving friend. Clyde will be sorely missed by his family, his students, his colleagues and, of course, by all men's studies' scholars.
