It was the summer of 1967. Karin Franklin was just a couple of months removed from her senior year of high school when she stepped off a Greyhound bus on Erie Boulevard with one mission. "My father told me to come a month early and figure out the subway system," she said with a laugh.
There was just one problem. There wasn't one. "My father thought Syracuse was this thriving metropolis. All we knew was Syracuse University and Jim Brown (All-American football and lacrosse player)."
She had traveled more than 250 miles from her Brooklyn home, where she grew up with three sisters, to attend Onondaga Community College.
She had applied to OCC, but her grades weren't good enough for admission. She dreamed of becoming an actress, and when her guidance counselor discovered a brochure for OCC's new Drama program, she was encouraged her to apply.
She was denied. "My guidance counselor said, 'Go there and talk to them.'" She did. After an interview, she was admitted on academic probation, setting in motion a journey that would shape the rest of her life.
OCC was in its infancy, located in Midtown Plaza in downtown Syracuse. Karin immersed herself in her major, felt at home with fellow students, and also discovered something she hadn't expected. "The people here cared," she said. "One thing that hasn't changed is the caring, compassion, expectations, and putting students first. There were people who advised you beyond the classroom - in life. The quality of professors here was better than at other places. They made you work harder."
Two of those relationships have lasted nearly six decades. When she recently returned to campus to receive the Mulroy Founders' Award from the OCC Board of Trustees, one of her guests was Shirley Singer, the College Registrar when Karen was a student and now a cherished friend in her 90s. Karin has maintained a lengthy relationship with her, along with former English professor Candace Oglesby. "I admired her (Professor Oglesby) so much I started wearing my hair like her. I part my hair and wear a long braid still to this day to emulate her."
Franklin graduated from OCC in 1969 with an associate degree in Drama, then earned a bachelor's degree in Theater from SUNY Oswego. While performing in a production at Oswego, a visiting director from Cornell University recognized her talent and encouraged her to pursue graduate study. She would complete a Master of Fine Arts in Theater from Cornell, going from barely being admitted to a community college to earning an Ivy League graduate degree, and opening doors to a remarkable career.
She performed with Syracuse Stage, worked in radio and television, taught at Syracuse University, and made history as the first Black woman to host a television talk show in Syracuse. "Oprah stole my thunder," she joked. Her program on WNYS TV Channel 9 (now WSYR TV), Open Line, was more than entertainment. It connected viewers directly with community leaders and experts through live call-in conversations. "It was a two-way vehicle," she said. "I remember one show when a kid called up and asked if it was okay if someone was doing something to him. We took him off the air and got him help."
Of course, live television also produced unforgettable moments. Once, a guest from Reptile Land arrived with snakes. "I am deathly afraid of snakes. He asked if I wanted to see them beforehand, and I said, 'No, the element of surprise will be good for me and the kids.'"
The last snake was a boa constrictor. "I was crying my eyes out. I got up and left the set. You could hear me in the background saying, 'Kids... ask him some questions!'"
Despite Broadway dreams that never materialized exactly as she'd imagined, she has never viewed her journey as anything but a success.
"I was Broadway theater bound, and it didn't happen - but it did," she said. "I got to do television and Syracuse Stage. I've worked in television, radio, and I was a professor at Syracuse University."
Along the way, she embraced another lesson she learned growing up. "My mother was a consummate volunteer." That commitment to giving back has remained a defining part of her life, just as OCC has remained one of its constants.
She once returned to campus to deliver a Commencement address, sharing wisdom passed down from her mother. "You're not on this earth to take up space," she told graduates. "You've been gifted. Use your gifts. Share them."
Nearly 60 years after arriving in Syracuse looking for a subway that didn't exist, she still finds herself drawn back to the college that gave her a chance when others wouldn't. "OCC is like a magnet. Once you come through these doors, work with these people, see what OCC is all about - the caring for the community and the students, no matter what age or what they've gone through - you'll come back."
