Ryan Ziomek of SUNY Oswego's computer science department will present a lecture and screening in honor of "Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling's 100th birthday, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, in Syracuse's Everson Museum.
The event, which features a screening of Serling's famed teleplay "Patterns," is a collaboration between the Everson Museum, SUNY Oswego and the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation.
Throughout Serling‘s career, he wrote hundreds of works for the screen including "The Twilight Zone," "Night Gallery" and "Planet Of The Apes" that fueled the public’s imagination. In the 1950s, before dabbling in the world of fantasy, Serling got his start prolifically writing teleplays that turned into live events broadcast around the country.
"Patterns," a workplace drama about the cycles of agism in business, was broadcast on July 12, 1955, and received such critical praise that Jack Gould of the New York Times described it as “The best thing that had ever been on television.” It earned Serling an Emmy Award for “Best Original Teleplay Writing.”
Serling's ties to Upstate New York are noteworthy, as he was born on Christmas Day in 1924 in Syracuse, and lived much of his early years near Binghamton. Serling passed away in 1974 in Rochester.
The event is free and open to the public as part of The Everson’s Pay What You Wish nights.