Meyer “Mike” Franklin, 93, a Russian immigrant who began his printing career as a teenager and eventually owned his own printing firm, died Thursday, May 25, in his Near North Side home of myasthenia gravis. Mr. Franklin was the youngest of four brothers and a sister who immigrated to the United States from Russia in the early 1900s. When he was 13, he began his career in the printing trade as a typesetter. After graduating from Crane High School, he continued in the business and eventually become owner of M.L. Franklin Co., which was at 727 S. Dearborn St. in the heart of Printers Row. “The printing business was a lifetime love of his,” said his son, James. In 1960 Mr. Franklin’s firm was acquired by the Chicago division of Lincoln Printing Co. and he subsequently served as its Chicago president. After retiring, he formed a business, Franklin Graphics, which specialized in designing gold pressure-sensitive labels for such items as perfume bottles and jewelry boxes, his son said. Mr. Franklin served on the board of directors of the Printers Row Printing Museum and wrote articles about printers and Printers Row for trade journals. Mr. Franklin was a longtime resident of the 260 E. Chestnut St. building, where he held an honorary permanent appointment to the resident board. Mr. Franklin’s wife of 62 years, Naomi, died in 1996. Besides his son, he is survived by two grandchildren. A service was held in May.
