An ink drawing of a 1950 car wreckage that ended the lives of my father, grandfather, brother, cousin, and my father’s girl friend. They were driving to the Illinois State Fair. I’ve included the drawing in my memoir, “Victims Make The Best Birdhouses,” due to be released at the end of April 2022. The drawing was created by Wil Maring, singer, song writer, and artist. Through Wil’s creativity, she recreated the emotion of lost lives.
Larry L Franklin holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University. He performed in the U.S. Navy Band located in Washington, D.C. from 1967 to 1971. From 1972 to 1975, he taught music at Southern Illinois University. In 1976, he completed requirements for a certified financial planner designation and maintained a successful investment business until 2007 when he retired to devote his energies to writing. In 2003, he received an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. Franklin is the author of “Mnemosyne: A Love Affair with Memory,” published by Xlibris; “The Rita Nitz Story: A Life without Parole,” published by Southern Illinois University Press; “Cherry Blossoms & Barron Plains: A woman’s journey from mental illness to a prison cell,” published by Chipmunka Publishing Company; and “Supermax Prison: Controlling the most dangerous criminals,” published by History Publishing Company. He currently resides in southern Illinois with his wife, Paula. View more posts
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