Locating Slavery's Legacies @ Virginia Military Institute

Memorial Artwork

Sculptural Memorial

Pro-Civil Rights

Rogers, Fred

Rogers, Fred McFeeley

A sculpture of Fred Rogers entitled "A Beautiful Day for a Neighbor"

The Fred Rogers Statue was commissioned in 2019 by Allan Keene, who was the chair of the board of trustees at the time. Paul Day was the sculptor of this statue. This statue’s research began in July of 2019, and the sculpture took 11 months to sculpt. This sculpture was then cast in bronze in the Czech Republic. On October 29th, 2021, the sculpture was unveiled to the public during a ceremony to honor Fred Roger's legacy and his time at the College as well. Fred Rogers was a very important figure in terms of Civil Rights, as he advocated through his television show "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" as well as during his time at Rollins. He was the chair of the Race Relations Committee at the College and, through it, volunteered in neighboring Black communities. On his show, "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood", Fred Rogers shared a pool with a black policeman named Officer Clemmons. This was in 1969, when segregation was still ongoing.

Bronze Statue of Mr. Rogers featuring children and his puppets from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from his show Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.

Paul Day
B. 1967
A Beautiful Day for a Neighbor
Bronze

Unveiled by President Grant Cornwell, October 26, 2021
Commission originated with trustee, Allan E. Keene ‘70 ‘71 MBA ‘10H

Day, Paul

Keene, Allan

October 26, 2021

2000-Present: Memorialization in the Era of Universities Studying Slavery and the Black Lives Matter Movement

Keene, Allan

Rollins College; Winter Park, Florida

Fred Rogers

Fred Rogers Official Site

Fred Rogers and Rollins College

Crafting an Icon