City of Syracuse to honor man who taught thousands how to drive

The man responsible for teaching thousands of Central New Yorkers how to drive is being honored today by the city of Syracuse.
An honorary street sign at the 200 block of North Franklin Street in recognition of Mr. Andrew Branch will be installed this morning at 11 a.m. for “his dedication and the many outstanding roles he played in the community.”
The event will take place on the corner of North Franklin Street and Herald Place, near Branch’s downtown driving school.
Branch, a Korean War veteran, Syracuse University graduate and Empire State Games medal winner, started Branch’s Driving School in 1963 with an old Ford and $800 borrowed from his mother.
It was one of the first and longest-running Black-owned businesses in Syracuse.
If you grew up in Central New York, there’s a good chance Branch and his family helped you learn how to drive.
Between 1963 and 2017, Branch’s Driving Schools taught roughly 800,000 new drivers, according to Branch’s son.
Branch died last month in South Carolina at the age of 91.