Officer Clemmons

February 15, 2020
The extraordinary story of one of Mister Rogers' most groundbreaking and endearing "neighbors," Officer Clemmons. Recently, the late Fred Rogers deservedly won posthumous attention thanks to the award-winning documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor and the Tom Hanks vehicle A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. A dear friend of Rogers for three decades, Clemmons offers a firsthand account of his work on Rogers' show, a story intertwined with the author's remarkable career as an operatic singer, actor, playwright, and choir director. The autobiography opens with a touching letter from Clemmons to Rogers, thanking him for all of his compassionate lessons. An abbreviated opening recounts the author's troubled childhood followed by his hard-earned escape to Oberlin College. There, he blossomed both creatively and personally, embracing his homosexuality as well as a deep spirituality that transcended any singular faith. While singing at a church in Pittsburgh, Clemmons met Rogers, about to break nationally with his whimsical children's show. Recognizing a kindred spirit, Clemmons guest-starred on the show frequently, soon becoming a regular "neighbor" and the first African American to be featured on a children's program. Clemmons originated his character, the friendly policeman Officer Clemmons, partially as a way to reconcile his frequent conflicts with the police and other authority figures. The author chronicles the friction that resulted from Rogers' employing an openly gay man on his show, which forced Clemmons to repress his true nature. Nevertheless, their friendship continued to deepen. After Rogers ended a show on a characteristically hopeful note--"You make every day a special day just by being you, and I like you just the way you are"--a spellbound Clemmons asked if he was speaking to him. "Yes, I was," Rogers replied. "I have been talking to you for years. You finally heard me today." A heartwarming story that explores the power of friendship as well as race, sexuality, talent, and identity.

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April 15, 2020
Clemmons begins this account of his remarkable life with a letter to his late mentor, colleague, and friend, Fred Rogers, which is fitting since his role on the now legendary TV show, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, as Officer Clemmons is what he's best known for. Born 1945 in Blackwater, Mississippi, four-year-old Clemmons escapes a flood but loses his kindred spirit and singing companion, Granddaddy Saul. His family flees to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, then Youngstown, Ohio. Clemmons doesn't completely break free of his losses until he studies music at Oberlin College, where he discovers his full identity and claims his homosexuality. He then earns a master's in fine arts from Carnegie Mellon, and meets Rogers while singing in the Third Presbyterian Church choir. Not only does Clemmons become the first African American actor to have a major role on a children's program, he also establishes a career as an operatic virtuoso, touring the world and winning a Grammy. Clemmons' warm and candid memoir will engage fans of Mister Rogers and all readers interested in the arts and gay lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 13, 2020
Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, tells of his life as a gay African-American in the postwar era, in this uplifting memoir. The Mississippi-born Clemmons grew up in 1950s Youngstown, Ohio, the son of a disapproving mother and abusive stepfather. He sang, studied the Bible, and was intrigued by James Baldwin, among other authors. Clemmons wondered “how he could be such a great writer and be gay” and “Was he still a Christian?” In 1963, Clemmons enrolled at Oberlin College, where he explored his homosexuality and began a long-term clandestine relationship. While in graduate school at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie-Mellon University, Clemmons met Fred Rogers. Their quick affinity resulted in his role on the show and a lifelong friendship. However, in 1968, when Rogers learned that Clemmons was gay, he told Clemmons to keep it to himself or leave the cast, and Clemmons complied. “I returned to my place of secrets,” he writes; years later, however, Clemmons quietly came out. Clemmons left Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood in 1993, and he humbly tells of his later career with grace: he founded the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble in 1980 and later became artist-in-residence at Middlebury College, where he remained until retiring in 2013. Clemmons’s thoroughly delightful, inspiring story will speak particularly to artists in marginalized communities.