William Franklin

Bill helped me at one of the worst times in my life. There are no words to show how wonderful bill and his wife Judy are. I would not have made it through if it wasn't for them they gave me a job and fed me when I needed it the most. His words of encouragement seen me through. He will be deeply missed.

I had him for Physics, and it was phun. I remember him walking on the stage at Talent Shows, carrying a big sign that said "Physics is Phun". I thought he was loony, but it was appealing. I wound up going to Rice at a time when "Why be normal?" was a bit of a catch-phrase. And I never will be, thanks in part to him. Miss Sussky was even awesomer! Blessed to have had them both teach me. (Wish I'd been a better student!)

It's been a year now, and Dan and I still miss Bill's twice-a-year visits on his way to Washington and back. We say, "I wonder what Bill would think about..." or "Bill would so enjoy meeting..." or "I bet Bill could fix this." He was so knowledgeable about a wide variety of things. When he was president of the teachers' organization, I was second vice-president and a new teacher with no experience at union-type jobs. I had to create a survey for teachers and had no idea what to put on it. I...

Bill was our dept. chair at Westchester. When the Chem AP position became available, he pushed me to take it. I was extremely reluctant and scared to death to do so. But, it was the best decision of my 37-year teaching career. I often thanked him for having such faith in me as he had in so many others. He was a true gentleman, and I mean that in the words.....gentle.....man. He was honest and kind and a model for all of us. He will be greatly missed.

I was so sorry to hear of Bill's passing. I met Bill through the teachers' association in Spring Branch where eventually he became president, his wife secretary, and I 2nd vice president. We had some fun times at state and national conventions. Many laughs were shared on his stays at our Montana home on the way from Washington to Waco and back. I do have a story to share. On one of Bill and Judy's trips to WA, we happened to be renting a forest service cabin on a river, so we invited them to...

I knew Bill first through the teacher´s association where he pushed for teachers to have the best working conditions possible. We then worked together for five years when I became the principal at Westchester. Bill was very interested in his students as he challenged them to the max. Bill´s lighter side was often hidden by his serious look but I enjoyed his sarcasm and humor. You should be very proud of your Dad´s career and his influence on students and staff. RIP

Hello Rick, I only knew your father through Bob and my husband, a former student from Westchester HS. But he and your mom were such sweet, friendly people that it felt like they were lifelong friends. I enjoyed your father's plans for their dream home, and hope I was able to provide a little armchair assistance. It amazed my husband to meet your parents as an adult, in a far away state, and all he could say to me was, "I just met a man next door that had the same last name as my HS physics...

Bill Franklin was an exceptional and well liked teacher at Westchester High School! He often attended our class reunions in later years, much to the delight of many of his former students. The Westchester Alumni Association expresses our deepest sympathy to the family of Bill Franklin.

I'm one of those students from Westchester in the 1970's that was fortunate enough to be in Mr. Franklin's physics class . Mr. Franklin was a great teacher, but looking back, I appreciate his sense of humor. One day he jumped up onto a lab table and said "today we are going to study (planetary) rotation." He then turned 360 degrees. Not only did we notice his jump to the table, but he was shoeless, and wore a pair of multi-colored toe socks that were popular at the time. He was willing to...