François Scarborough Clemmons (born April 23, 1945) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
singer, actor, writer and teacher. He is known for his appearances as "Officer Clemmons" on the
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
television series ''
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' debut ...
'' from 1968 to 1993.
Early life and education
Clemmons was born in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, and raised in
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...
.
When it was discovered that he had an excellent singing voice, he began performing locally at church functions.
He became choir director of his church at the age of 10.
His first songs were the
spirituals
Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the e ...
of pre-Civil War America, passed down to him by his mother. He soon branched out across genres, singing with various community groups. For a while, he was the lead singer of a rock 'n' roll group called the Jokers.
Clemmons received a Bachelor of Music degree from
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...
, and a Master of Fine Arts from
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
. He also received an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts from
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...
.
Metropolitan Opera
In 1968, Clemmons won the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
auditions in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. He went to
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, where he won a position in the Metropolitan Opera Studio. He sang there professionally for seven seasons, performing over 70 roles with companies including The
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived.
The opera company, du ...
,
Los Angeles Civic Light Opera
The Los Angeles Civic Light Opera (LACLO) was an American theatre/opera company in Los Angeles, California. Founded under the motto "Light Opera in the Grand Opera manner" in 1938 by impresario Edwin Lester, the organization presented fifty seaso ...
and Washington Civic Opera.
Clemmons sang with numerous orchestras, including the
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...
, the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.
History
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an America ...
and the
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...
.
In 1976, he won a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for a recording of ''
Porgy and Bess
''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', itse ...
''; he performed the role of "Sportin' Life" over 100 times.
''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''
![François Clemmons and Fred Rogers Having Foot Bath](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Fran%C3%A7ois_Clemmons_and_Fred_Rogers_Having_Foot_Bath.jpg)
For 25 years, Clemmons performed the role of Officer Clemmons, a friendly neighborhood policeman, in the "
Neighborhood of Make-Believe
The Neighborhood of Make-Believe is the fictional kingdom inhabited by hand puppet characters on the children's television series ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', which originally aired on PBS (and its predecessor NET) from 1968 to 2001, and its ...
" on the children's television show ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. In the neighborhood itself, Clemmons ran a singing and dance studio located in the building diagonally across the street from Mister Rogers' house. He was one of the first African Americans to have a recurring role on a children's TV series,
and his presentation – as both a beloved neighbor to Mister Rogers and as a respected authority figure – has been described as a ground-breaking message in race relations.
For example, in 1969, when racially integrated community swimming pools were still controversial, Mr. Rogers invited Officer Clemmons to cool his feet with him in a small, plastic wading pool. Mr. Rogers lent Officer Clemmons a towel to dry his feet and then used the same towel to dry his own feet, breaking a well-known
color barrier
Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Internati ...
. Clemmons told the story of how he became "Officer Clemmons" on ''
StoryCorps''.
The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble
In the late 1980s, Clemmons had an experience singing spirituals with a friend that left him profoundly moved. The experience led him away from operatic performance toward an earlier love: traditional spirituals:
I was enjoying the singing of these spirituals ... I was giving artistry in a way – I was giving my art in a way that I had not felt it was so important as when I was singing Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
– or when I was singing Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
– or Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the '' bel canto'' opera style dur ...
or Bellini ... I began to ask Fred Rogers
Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...
why there was no professional ensemble that sang spirituals comparable to a Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
Society or a St. Cecilia Society or a Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
Society or Bach.
When he was unable to find a society like the one he envisioned, Clemmons decided to create one:
The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble was dedicated to preserving the American Negro spiritual.
Middlebury College
From 1997 until his retirement in 2013, Clemmons was the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College in
Middlebury, Vermont
Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.
History
One of ...
. He "played the role of professor, choirmaster, resident vocal soloist, advisor, confidant, and community cheerleader".
He is also well-known in the Middlebury community for his acclaimed rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner", which he sings at the Middlebury College men's basketball games.
Writing and arranging
On May 15, 2020, Clemmons published his autobiography, ''Officer Clemmons: A Memoir''.
Clemmons writes across genres for a variety of age groups. Currently, he is writing a children's story entitled ''ButterCup and the Majic Cane'' and a volume of poetry entitled ''A Place Of My Own''.
His published works include a volume of spirituals named ''Songs for Today'' and a stage musical called ''My Name Is Hayes'' based on the life of
Roland Hayes
Roland Wiltse Hayes (June 3, 1887 – January 1, 1977) was an American lyric tenor and composer. Critics lauded his abilities and linguistic skills demonstrated with songs in French, German, and Italian. Hayes's predecessors as well-known Afr ...
. He also commissioned a choral work composed of spirituals entitled ''Changed My Name'', arranged by
Linda Twine.
Personal life
While attending Oberlin College, Clemmons realized that he was gay, but remained
closeted, fearing disapproval from his religious family and the community.
In 1968, Fred Rogers told Clemmons that, while his sexuality did not matter to him personally, Clemmons could not be "out" and continue appearing on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', because of the scandal that would arise.
In the late 1960s, Rogers and others suggested that Clemmons get married as a way to deal with his sexual orientation, which he did. His marriage to his wife Carol did not work out, and Clemmons divorced in 1974 so that he could live openly as a gay man.
Rogers remained personally supportive of Clemmons, but required him to avoid any indication of his homosexuality on the program, such as the earring he began to wear as a signifier.
Rogers later revised his counsel to Clemmons as countless gays came out more publicly following the
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...
in 1969. Rogers even urged Clemmons to enter into a long-term, stable gay relationship, and he always warmly welcomed Clemmons' gay friends whenever they visited the television set in Pittsburgh.
Clemmons lives and works in Middlebury, Vermont, where he is the Emeritus Artist in Residence of Middlebury College.
He is a member of
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...
, the national fraternity for men in music. In 2021, Clemmons preserved three spirituals as part of his scripted role in Brad Forenza's episodic audio drama, ''
Around The Sun
''Around the Sun'' is the 13th studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on October 5, 2004 on Warner Bros. Records.
Description
The album was released in three editions: Cassette (the band's final release on the medium), ...
''. "My character is a one-cell amoeba who is likened to a long-distance runner in New York City... The story is a reflection of things a person goes through during a lifetime... It was powerful," Clemmons offered.
Dr. Clemmons continues to advance his life's work through regular public appearances and concert performances.
References
External links
Archived version of official website*
Clip from final appearanceon ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clemmons, Francois
1945 births
Living people
American LGBT musicians
American male television actors
American gay actors
Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni
LGBT singers from the United States
LGBT people from Alabama
Middlebury College faculty
Oberlin College alumni
Musicians from Birmingham, Alabama
Male actors from Birmingham, Alabama
LGBT African Americans
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Singers from Alabama
Classical musicians from Alabama
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people
20th-century African-American male singers
20th-century American male opera singers
African-American male opera singers