Harold A. Franklin, Auburn University’s first African American student, is having his legacy honored after the school unveiled a desegregation marker expanse to commemorate his courageous efforts to desegregate the school.

WRBL reports the marker was the place where Franklin first registered for classes. The surrounding area has been expanded with a bronze plaque featured in the brick courtyard.

Franklin, who passed away in September at age 88, first integrated Auburn in 1964. During his life, he became a post-secondary educator, a field he worked in for 27 years. He enrolled as a graduate student at Auburn after completing his undergraduate at the University of Denver.

Franklin taught at Alabama State University, North Carolina A&T, Tuskegee Institute and Talladega College.

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According to WRBL, Harold Franklin Jr. shared a statement on his father in a news release.

“There’s nothing more we can say as a family except thank you for all you’ve done,” stated Franklin Jr. “So, I’d like to thank all of you not from the bottom of my heart, but from my entire heart.”

Auburn President Jay Gogue also shared a statement in regards to Franklin’s impact.

“It is an honor to recognize Dr. Franklin with this courtyard, as he was a pioneer who paved the way for other African American students to attend Auburn University,” he wrote. “Auburn is a better institution because of Dr. Franklin’s bravery 57 years ago, and his spirit of internal fortitude will continue to inspire us.”