Thomas S Franklin III

Thomas Skinner Franklin, III, age 84, died at Plantation Estates, Matthews, NC, on April 21, 2018. He was the son of Thomas Skinner Franklin, Jr. and Estelle Dowdee Franklin. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Margaret Kirkman Franklin, and his granddaughter, Anna Estelle Burkhead. He is survived by his four children, daughter, Margaret Hope Franklin Vitale and husband, Alex Vitale, and sons, Thomas Skinner Franklin, IV and wife, Mary, Randall Kirkman Franklin and wife, Cherri, and Scott LeGette Franklin and wife, Miriam. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Mr. Franklin graduated from Charlotte Central High School in the class of 1951. He attended Wingate College and then joined Tom Franklin Studio which his father, Thomas Franklin, Jr. founded in the late 1930’s. They were exclusive photographers for the Charlotte News. After his parents’ deaths, he became owner and operator of Tom Franklin Studio until the Charlotte Observer bought the Charlotte News. After a period of continuing to operate the Studio, he decided that the newspaper business was where he wanted to be. He joined the Charlotte News in 1962 and when the Charlotte News went out of business, he joined the Charlotte Observer. Mr. Franklin won many photographic contests, both nationally and regionally, during his career with the Charlotte News and the Charlotte Observer. At one time, he was Director of Photography for the Charlotte News and also Co-Director of photography for the Charlotte Observer. However, his first love was on the streets of Charlotte – meeting the people and taking pictures. At one time in the 1960’s, he was President of the N.C. Press Photographers Association, the organization that his father founded in the late 1930’s and who was the Association’s first President. The organization still exists today.

Mr. Franklin is a native Charlottean. He was a life long member of Myers Park Baptist Church. His wife’s parents, the late, Homer and Sadie Kirkman, operated The Dogwood Room at the old Charlotte Airport. Mr. Franklin’s Grandfather, the late Thomas Skinner Franklin, Sr., was Mayor of Charlotte in 1909, and was instrumental in raising the money for Charlotte’s first library. In his latter years, Mr. Franklin was a resident of Plantation Estates where he made many friends.

The memorial service will be held at Plantation Estates Clubhouse Performing Arts Center, 606 Birch View Drive, Matthews, NC 28105 at 11:00 am on Thursday, April 26, 2018.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Cornwell Center of Myers Park Baptist Church, 2001 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28207 in memory of Tom Franklin. The interment will be private.