In early 2000, at the height of the dot.com mania, although he was no longer an active manager of any fund, Templeton sold short a bunch and made $80M for himself. I guessed he didn't care for the money, but just couldn't stand it. Only if I knew what he was doing then, in order to mimic on a smaller scale ...
Then, 1-2 years ago I read a interview with Templeton. When asked of his value investing style, looking to buy low/sell high, he jested "I want to help people; when they want to sell I am the buyer, and if they want to buy I will sell to them". I got a kick out of that, remembering him shorting dotcoms. He was willing to help people to the extent of selling what he didn't have.
I saw him a few times on Rukeyser, a diminutive and pleasant gentleman. Ah, what stock would Sir John buy today?