PD and former BJ pop culture critic Mark Dawidziak immersed himself in The Twilight Zone in Binghamton, New York.

He was at the July 5-8 Rod Serling Fest, surrounded by other authors who also wrote books about Serling.

In Mark’s case, he combined two loves – Serling and Mark Twain – for his talk at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Binghamton on “Moralists in Disguise: Rod Serling and Mark Twain.” As Serling said, he used his morbid but enlightening fiction “to say what Democrats and Republicans couldn’t say.”  

Other Serling authors included Steven Jay Rubin (“The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia”), Martin Grams (“Twilight Zone: Unlocking the door to a Television Classic”), Amy Boyle Johnston (“Unknow Serling”) and Nicholas Parisi (“Rod Serling: His Life, Work and Imagination”). Mark wrote “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in The Twilight Zone”).

Anne Serling (“As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling”) also spoke at the July 5-8 ceremonies. Rod married Carolyn Kramer in 1948. Their other daughter is Jodi. Rod’s parents were Samuel Lawrence Serling and Esther Cooper Serling.

Although Antioch College (in Ohio) graduate Serling was born in Syracuse, he spent his childhood in Binghamton and considered it his home. Serling was a paratrooper in the Pacific during World War II.

He is buried in Lake View Cemetery in Interlaken, New York. Rod died at the age of 50.

Binghamton is in Broome County, which declared Rod Serling Day for the event in Rod’s honor.

Although “The Twilight Zone” is what most remember about Serling, his six Emmys came from his other works, including “Patterns,” a TV series that brought Serling his first Emmy, and “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” starring Jack Palance. “Planet of the Apes” 1968 movie, which he co-wrote; and “Rod Serling’s Night Gallery,” another series to frighten and enlighten.