JOHN M. FRANKLIN, LT, USN
John Franklin '74
Lucky Bag
From the 1974 Lucky Bag:
John Mark Franklin
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Butch arrived at Canoe U. with all his worldly possessions wrapped in a Confederate flag. When not trying to convince everyone that the South won the war and that Bear Bryant was really the father of our country, Butch managed to skate through his math major with a near 4.0 average. If anyone needed help in academics, Butch was the gouge. He did enough of everyone else’s work to graduate twice. Fat Boy could always be found on the athletic field where the scoring was, as he was the company goalie. Contrary to popular belief, this Alabaman wasn’t a bigot: he was equally prejudiced toward everyone! Butch will leave many friends behind when he leaves the Academy to seek adventure in the air where he is destined to excel.
John Mark Franklin
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Butch arrived at Canoe U. with all his worldly possessions wrapped in a Confederate flag. When not trying to convince everyone that the South won the war and that Bear Bryant was really the father of our country, Butch managed to skate through his math major with a near 4.0 average. If anyone needed help in academics, Butch was the gouge. He did enough of everyone else’s work to graduate twice. Fat Boy could always be found on the athletic field where the scoring was, as he was the company goalie. Contrary to popular belief, this Alabaman wasn’t a bigot: he was equally prejudiced toward everyone! Butch will leave many friends behind when he leaves the Academy to seek adventure in the air where he is destined to excel.
Loss
Butch was lost on November 20, 1979 when his F-4 Phantom crashed while attempting to land aboard USS Independence (CV 62) in the Mediterranean Sea. He was the radar intercept officer; the pilot was also killed. He was a member of Fighter Squadron (VF) 33.
Obituary
From an announcement of Butch's funeral, provided by his sister on February 11, 2020:
Lt Franklin was lost at sea November 20, when his F-4 Phantom Jet crashed during night landing operations aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Independence on special assignment in the Mediterranean.
Lt Franklin, born June 5, 1952, is a native Tuscaloosan. He received his elementary education in Tuscaloosa city schools. His junior high and high school years were spent in Jacksonville, Alabama, where he graduated from Jacksonville High School. He was a 1974 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, and a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California.
Lt Franklin was ranked 36th in a class of 923 at the Naval Academy and was sent to the Naval Postgraduate School in California to complete his Masters degree. He served as 6th Company Commander at the Academy and was named to the Dean's and Superintendent's lists each semester. His excellent personal scholarship earned for him the coveted Henry M. Roberts Award, presented to the midshipman with the most promising future in Mathematical Studies. He was named one of ten selected for Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. Franklin served his country with distinction and honor, his pride and devotion were unsurpassed.
Since graduation, he has been attached to Fighter Squadron Thirty-Three, based at U. S. Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Lt. Judith Brown Franklin, formerly with the United States Navy Nurse Corps, Virginia Beach, VA; his mother, Mary Nell Franklin, Tuscaloosa; brother Lt Mike Franklin, USN, Leonardtown, MD; sister Rhonda S. Franklin Miller, Birmingham, and grandmother Theo Franklin, Tuscaloosa.
Lt Franklin resided with his wife Judy in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Butch has a memory marker in Alabama.
Remembrances
Butch's sister, Rhonda, via email on February 11, 2020
Butch was a fun-loving individual, loyal, and very smart. When he got out of the Academy/Monterey Naval post-graduate school and went to Pensacola for training, he built a tv from a kit! It was no small tv, and was his way of getting a new tv “cheaply” and having fun putting together a puzzle.....and if you could have seen all the minute parts! He met his wife Judy there, where she was also stationed as a nurse. When Butch came back from cruise, he had planned to go to law school and pursue a legal career, most likely in the Navy. Of course, that dream was never realized.
Rhonda also provided the documents and photos below.
Photographs
Aboard Independence
Holding his niece, Meredith, "whom he adored," at his wedding
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