A crowd gathered in Binghamton’s Recreation Park Sunday to celebrate the unveiling of a statue of Rod Serling. Serling, the screenwriter and producer who created the iconic series The Twilight Zone, grew up on Binghamton’s West Side.
All year, the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation Board has been celebrating 100 years since his birth. Serling died in 1975.
“One of the sad ironies of Rod Serling's life may have been that he never really fully appreciated the magnitude of the monuments that he left behind,” said Nick Parisi, the board’s president. “Well, now we have this literal monument to say that we understand the magnitude of what Rod Serling left behind, that Binghamton embraces Rod Serling’s legacy.”
Serling’s daughter, Anne Serling, said her father would return to his hometown each year, when the family vacationed on Cayuga Lake.
“He would drive by his house on Bennett Avenue and make his way here to Recreation Park, sit on the bench and watch the merry-go-round,” Serling said. “It seems only fitting that the statue would be erected here.”
The Rod Serling Memorial Foundation Board organized the construction of the bronze statue and gifted it to the city of Binghamton. The project is estimated to cost $140,000 and was paid for in part with $50,000 in state grant funding and $42,000 in individual donations.
Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo secured the state funding. She said the statue will be surrounded by a decorative border and benches for park-goers.
“It's in a quieter part of the park, to create a more contemplative space,” Lupardo said. “We also figured there were going to be a lot of people who would want to come and sit and think about Rod Serling and his legacy and, of course, all of the things he inspired going forward.”
Serling drew on some aspects of his hometown for inspiration for episodes of The Twilight Zone. In “Walking Distance”, a man travels back 30 years to his childhood home. He wanders the town and finds himself at a carousel—the Recreation Park Carousel.
Serling’s other daughter, Jodi Serling, said the city was a source of memories and inspiration for her father.
“Binghamton was the center of his universe and the starting gate for his creativity,” Serling said. “So it's clearly appropriate that my dad's statue stand here, representing his love and dedication to the town in which he grew up in.”