Orange County

‘A Beautiful Day for a Neighbor’: Mister Rogers statue to be unveiled at Rollins College

WINTER PARK, Fla. — Rollins College is welcoming back to campus this month a new neighbor with a familiar face.

A 7-foot-tall, 3,000-pound statue of Mister Rogers, honoring beloved alumnus Fred McFeely Rogers, will be unveiled on campus on Oct. 29.

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“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,” said Rollins President Grant Cornwell. “This tribute will reinforce the quest for empathy, acceptance and kindness so needed in our society today.”

READ: Rollins College music hall-turned-mansion sells for $10M

On Friday, Oct. 29 at 10 a.m., visitors to the campus can view the sculpture and meet the artist Paul Day and John Rogers, Fred’s son.

The 360-degree sculpture is located in the Chapel Garden courtyard next to the Annie Russell Theatre.

READ: Joanne Rogers, widow of ‘Mister Rogers,’ dead at 92

The new sculpture is now the fifth stop on Rollins’ Mister Rogers Walking Tour, which will be available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning on Friday, Oct. 29 and running through Nov. 23.

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.