Historian John Hope Franklin was remembered Thursday on the home page of the Smithsonian's Museum of African American History and Culture.

The page showed a smiling Franklin standing among his beloved orchids in his Durham greenhouse, Barb Barrett reports.

Museum director Lonnie Bunch wrote that Franklin, who died Wednesday at 94, was chairman of the museum's Scholarly Advisory Committee and helped shaped its vision. The new museum is planned to be built at a site on the National Mall near the Washington monument.

"As the pre-eminent historian of the last half century, John Hope Franklin not only changed our understanding of American history but he also made America better," Bunch wrote. "His death inspires us to honor and fulfill his commitment to helping America understand its complex and difficult racial past."

Also Thursday, U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan and U.S. Rep. David Price, who represented Franklin in Washington, wrote resolutions in Congress honoring Franklin’s life.

They and others from the state's delegation spoke on the floors of the House and Senate to remember the Duke historian.