Fred Rogers to return to alma mater as sculpture
Fred Rogers is considered the pride of Western Pennsylvania. But Florida’s Rollins College also has a right to claim the star of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
“In central Florida, everyone knows Mister Rogers is from Rollins,” said Grant Cornwell, president of the college in Winter Park, Fla., that counts Fred and his wife, Joanne, as alumni. “Not just at Rollins, but in Winter Park, he is a cultural icon.”
That’s right: Mister Rogers is both a yinzer and a Florida man.
The children’s television icon was an active member of the Winter Park community before his death in 2003, and Mrs. Rogers, who died earlier this year, was on the college’s board of trustees. On
Thursday, two days before what would have been Fred Rogers’ 93rd birthday, Rollins will reveal a clay model of a bronze sculpture that will be installed on campus in October.
“I’m very keen on having the values of ‘Mister Rogers’ associated with the values of Rollins College,” Mr. Cornwell said. “This sculpture will give us a very compelling daily reminder of that association.”
British sculptor Paul Day’s finished work will stand over 7 feet tall and weigh more than 3,000 pounds. The front shows Mister Rogers entertaining a group of children with his Daniel Tiger puppet. The back of the sculpture features more residents of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and lyrics from the TV show’s theme song.
It’s a notably different portrayal from the statues that stand on Pittsburgh’s North Shore and in his hometown of Latrobe.
Joanne Rogers met with Mr. Day and was an active participant in the sculpture’s development, along with the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College.
“We know that the bronze sculpture of Fred Rogers will continue to remind visitors of Fred’s commitment to living a life of service and to helping children develop attitudes of kindness and respect for others,” the Fred Rogers Center said in a statement.
Pittsburgh- based Fred Rogers Productions said in a statement that it appreciates how the sculpture depicts Mr. Rogers “carrying out his life’s work: engaging and inspiring children.”
The full-sized clay model of the sculpture is currently at a foundry in Europe, ready to be cast in stainless steel and bronze. Mr. Day said it took him 10 months working about 80 hours a week to finish the clay model.
The British sculptor said he had never heard of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” before being approached to craft the sculpture. After extensively researching Mr. Rogers’ life and work, he said he was struck by the “wisdom, beauty and love of this man.” He concluded that in order to capture what made him special, Mister
Rogers had to be surrounded by children.
“It seemed like the essence of who he was and his values was not to be the center of attention or some sort of superhero or saintly figure,” Mr. Day said in a phone interview. “The focus is very much on the children and the incredible interactions he was able to have with children.”
On several U.S. visits, Mr. Day made trips to Winter Park and Latrobe to meet with Mrs. Rogers and others with the Fred Rogers Center.
Mr. Day was tapped by Rollins College thanks to Allan E. Keen, who has been on Rollins’ board of trustees for 31 years. Mr. Keen was vacationing in France and happened upon a book of Mr. Day’s work, which includes London fixtures The Meeting Place sculpture in St Pancras railway station and the Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial for British citizens who fought in multiple overseas conflicts.
He met with Mr. Day in France and then convinced Mr. Cornwell and others at Rollins that he was the perfect sculptor for this project.
“It’s a truly exciting project to see a really great artist and sculptor take the life of Fred Rogers and what he was known for, which is children, and put it all together into something that’s going to be magnificent and iconic,” Mr. Keen said.
Mr. Cornwell has been told to expect at least 10,000 visitors a year to come to see the sculpture, which will be stationed in the center of campus in a courtyard surrounded by the Knowles Memorial Chapel and Annie Russell Theatre. He said that was a deliberate choice because Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister and also a “theatrical figure.”
“In this time of a pandemic and national conflict, to be able to look forward to something that’s so genuinely positive and untarnished and just a beacon of light, it’s a nice remedy to our times,” he said.