Faculty Spotlight
MR. STERLING FRANKLIN
Mr. Sterling Franklin grew up in Westchester (L.A.) and attended Westchester High. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Stanford in ‘68, and then attended USC to get his California Teaching Credential in ‘69 and his Master’s degree in Secondary Education after the ‘70 summer session. At MHS, Sterling taught 10th grade Geography and 12th grade Civics from fall, ‘69, through spring, ‘72. In June of ‘72, he was named “Outstanding Teacher of the Year” and presented with a plaque by Principal Ed Herman and Student Body President David Bustamante (’72). After teaching at Morningside for 3 years, he attended Loyola Law School, earned his Juris Doctor degree in ‘75, and became a practicing lawyer. He then earned his Master’s degree in Public Administration from USC in ‘76. He worked for several non-profit organizations, practiced law with a big downtown L.A. law firm, and then on his own. Since ‘93, he has been a trustee of the Morris S. Smith Foundation, giving away money to charitable causes including the Morningside High Monarchs Alumni Association. He lives in Van Nuys and works on public interest projects. He would enjoy corresponding with former students and faculty colleagues. His email address is sterlingfranklin@earthlink.net Memories of Morningside by Sterling Franklin: “When I first came to campus in the spring of 1969 to interview with Principal Sam Zackheim for a teaching position, there was a fight involving some black and white students in the cafeteria. I was interested in learning about urban problems, so I thought that MHS would be the place for me, and I got the job. ‘Black is beautiful’ was a theme of the time, and, as one of my young black students remarked after another campus incident, “Mr. Franklin, we just have more soul than we can control!” Well, there were problems at Morningside, but we all worked through them, led by the many outstanding student leaders, black and white, and the fine faculty and staff members. I remember in spring 1972 coming to campus one morning and reading ‘CRIPS’ in 4-foot high letters spray-painted in black paint on several brick buildings. At that time, no one knew what that meant! Ah, the good old days.” “When I first came to campus in the spring of 1969 to interview with Principal Sam Zackheim for a teaching position, there was a fight involving some black and white students in the cafeteria. I was interested in learning about urban problems, so I thought that MHS would be the place for me, and I got the job. ‘Black is beautiful’ was a theme of the time, and, as one of my young black students remarked after another campus incident, “Mr. Franklin, we just have more soul than we can control!” Well, there were problems at Morningside, but we all worked through them, led by the many outstanding student leaders, black and white, and the fine faculty and staff members. I remember in spring 1972 coming to campus one morning and reading ‘CRIPS’ in 4-foot high letters spray-painted in black paint on several brick buildings. At that time, no one knew what that meant! Ah, the good old days.”
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