William R. Franklin Jr.

William Riley Franklin Jr., a writer and former Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor resident who in the 1970s actively opposed both a Route 27 bypass project and aircraft traffic at East Hampton Airport, died on Nov. 6 in Great Neck. He was 91. 

Concerned about increasing noise, as well as plans to expand the airport further, he wrote letters and made phone calls in opposition. As for the proposed bypass, it was ultimately killed by Gov. Hugh Carey in 1975.

Mr. Franklin was born in Colorado Springs on July 13, 1925, the son of William Riley Franklin Sr. and the former Lilian Jones. After graduating from Colorado Springs High School and the University of Colorado in Boulder, he went into journalism, working for papers including The Scottsbluff Star Herald in Nebraska and The Kansas City Star. He later taught journalism at the University of Colorado. 

Eventually he moved to New York City, where his professional life was spent in various forms of media. Working for a diverse group of companies, he was a writer, advertising manager, and a communications consultant, a field in which he eventually freelanced.

His marriage to the former Agnes Saulis ended in divorce after a few years, and on June 18, 1966, he married the former Jocelyn White in Bridgehampton, where he had begun spending summers. The summer they met, she was in Wainscott visiting a sister. With his first wife he had had a son, William Franklin, who lives in Turners Falls, Mass.

In 1969, the Franklins made the South Fork their year-round home. They moved to Sag Harbor in 1972, where they spent the next four years. Their son, Matthew Franklin, lives in Great Neck. 

Mr. Franklin was “very creative,” his wife said. He loved early jazz and American literature, and had an extensive collection of books, records, and tapes dedicated to both fields. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a favorite author, though he liked the work of Ernest Hemingway even more. Concerned about the environment, he joined the Sierra Club, and later in life became interested in Native Indians and their education, particularly  the Dakotas.

The couple left the East End in 1976 and moved to Amherst, Mass., in 1980. Earlier this year, they relocated to Great Neck to be closer to their son, Matthew.

In addition to his wife and sons, Mr. Franklin is survived by a brother, Charles Franklin of Palm Desert, Calif., and by two grandchildren. He was cremated, and his ashes will be dispersed in Colorado Springs, where a private memorial service is planned.

The family has suggested memorial donations to the American Indian College Fund, 8333 Greenwood Boulevard, Denver, Colo. 80217.