A weekend-long series of events will be held Friday through Sunday, Sept. 13-15, to recognize the 100th birthday of Rod Serling, the Twilight Zone creator who was a longtime guest professor at Ithaca College. Sponsored by the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation, Serlingfest 2024 in Binghamton will celebrate the life, words, and imagination of the award-winning television and film writer, whose work is indelibly woven into modern popular culture.
Born in Syracuse, Serling grew up in Binghamton, famously saying, “Everyone has to have a hometown, Binghamton is mine.” Serlingfest will include a video marathon, a series of panels and presentations, author signings, and trivia contests. On Sunday, a statue of Serling will be dedicated in Recreation Park. Literally within walking distance of his Binghamton home, the park inspired the setting for one of his most acclaimed Twilight Zone episodes, “Walking Distance.”
Serling taught at Ithaca from 1967 to 1975, screening his own work and mentoring students by providing feedback on their scripts and projects. He even occasionally appeared in their films and hosted students at his family home on Cayuga Lake. After his death in 1975 his wife, Carol, a longtime Ithaca College trustee, donated many of his works to the college. This resulted in the creation of the Rod Serling Archives, containing original scripts, copies of episodes of The Twilight Zone, original voice recordings, and his six Emmy Awards.
