Lovable Mister Rogers has a Florida connection, and you can see it on a college campus
Who knew Mister Rogers had Florida ties?
Of course, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was everywhere there was a television set in North America after Pennsylvania-born Fred Rogers created and hosted all 912 episodes of his children’s program over four decades starting in 1966.
But the building of that neighborhood had its origins on the campus of Rollins College in Winter Park, near Orlando.
On Thursday, in a private ceremony on campus, Rollins unveiled a new sculpture of one of its most famous and influential alums, Fred McFeely Rogers, a Class of 1951 music composition graduate. On Friday, the school hosted its public debut of the work, “A Beautiful Day for a Neighbor,” with a walking tour.
“A Beautiful Day for a Neighbor” was commissioned to honor Rogers’ legacy. The statue of the children’s television pioneer was designed by British artist Paul Day.
“This inspirational sculpture will be a permanent reminder of the ideals and values modeled by Mister Rogers as he set out to make the world a better place,” Rollins President Grant Cornwell said in a statement. “This tribute will reinforce the quest for empathy, acceptance and kindness so needed in our society today.”
What Mister Rogers looks like as a statue
Day’s creation is a 360-degree sculpture located in Rollins’ Chapel Garden courtyard.
The artist’s finished piece is cast in bronze and, at seven feet, stands a foot taller than Rogers did in real life. The statue is also considerably heavier at more than 3,000 pounds than the beloved figure who died in Pittsburgh at age 74 in 2003.
Of course, the sculpture depicts Rogers in his familiar wardrobe of sweater and sneakers, and surrounded by children, and hand puppets since Rogers was a puppeteer, too.
The statue also includes lyrics from the theme song to PBS’ “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” and that, too, is in keeping with Rogers’ Rollins past.
At Rollins, Rogers developed his songwriting skills and saw television, in its infancy at the dawn of the 1950s. Then he saw an opportunity to use the medium as an educational tool for children.
“Once I became familiar with Fred Rogers’ life and legacy, I understood how important it was that this sculpture honor his dedication to childhood development,” sculptor Paul Day said in a statement. “My hope is that this piece will bring joy and inspiration to many people, just as ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ did for generations.”
Rogers at Rollins
.jpg "Sculpture in Garden 2 (2).jpg")
Rogers, who was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 2019 film, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” arrived on the central Florida campus in 1948 as a transfer student from Dartmouth, according to Rollins. At the college, he was known as a student leader, majored in music composition, and graduated with honors.
Among his extracurricular activities: he was president of his fraternity, chairman of the Inter-Faith and Race Relations Committee, an intramural swimmer, president of the French Club and a member of the Chapel and Bach choirs.
Rogers also performed in several theater productions, which assuredly paved the way for a performing arts career.
At Rollins, Rogers met his future wife, Sara Joanne Byrd Rogers. His puppet character, Queen Sara, was named for his wife.
Rogers’ sculpture is the fifth stop on Rollins’ Mister Rogers Walking Tour.
