Welcome to The Rod Serling Archive
The Rod Serling Archive is a work in progress which contains many rare and unique items as we obtain new additions for the archive. We will also have numerous articles of interest such as complete episode guides with dates, cast, and sometimes content of an episode, and even reviews.
Our Mission
The mission of The Rod Serling Archive is to make the works of Rod Serling accessible to the public as we collect and preserve rare artifacts and material relevant to his works.
All proceeds go to the Rod Serling Archive and Exhibit to obtain new items and create new Serling programs.
Our Goal
The Rod Serling Archive aims to educate, entertain, and inspire people through the creative genius of Rod Serling, and encourage examination of and discourse about his works and their impact on popular culture..
The Rod Serling Archive is housed and curated by
The Bundy Museum of History and Art as part of its mission to:
“educate and entertain the public about the history and art of
Broome County of the state of New York and establish and maintain a
historical research collection and archives”
We hope you enjoy your first look at The Rod Serling Archive at
The Bundy Museum of History and Art.
Clarification about the history of the Bundy Museum’s Rod Serling Archive
and its relationship to the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation (RSMF)
In response to some questions that many of us at Bundy Museum of History & Art have received, especially in regards to the upcoming Serlingfest 2022, we wanted to clarify the history of the museum’s Rod Serling Archive and its relationship to the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation (RSMF).
The Rod Serling Archive opened in 2015 and remains accessible as a cost-free resource to the public, and hosts free educational programs on a regular basis. During and after the formation of the Archive, the Rod Serling Memorial foundation and the Bundy Museum engaged in discussions and mutual cooperation, forwarding their parallel goals of preserving and sharing the legacy of one of Binghamton’s most influential sons. This is why we were surprised and saddened when the RSMF posted a statement expressing their non-affiliation with and disapproval of the Bundy Museum’s archive.
In 2007, responding to the need and desire to have more local information and programming available relating to Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone, The Bundy Museum contacted Michael Pipher, the Rod Serling Archive’s at-the-time volunteer archivist, historian, and curator with the request that he share some of his information and expertise on the history and works of Rod Serling. Michael had been a lifelong fan and diligent researcher of Rod and his legacy as well as the first president of the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation elected in 1987. After his term, he then served as the Foundation’s archivist and historian until 1994. Given his background, the Bundy Museum thought it would be appropriate to ask Michael to host a number of Twilight Zone symposia, during which members of the public could view selected episodes and clips, as well as engage in a discussion on the topics and themes presented by Rod Serling in those materials. These programs, which remain free to attend, proved to be very popular, making it clear that a permanent archive in Rod’s hometown would fill a significant gap in the local educational and cultural landscape.
With the help of Michael Pipher, the Bundy Museum then began to gather collections and information on Rod Serling’s life and various projects, including The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, and Planet of the Apes among others. Conversations between Michael Pipher, Bundy Museum staff, and the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation were also held in order to flesh out the possible forms the Rod Serling Archive might take. While there would be no official affiliation between the RSMF and the Rod Serling Archive, The Bundy Museum wanted to establish a strong relationship with the Foundation so that we might assist one another in our similar missions.
Since the opening of the Archive in 2015, the RSMF and the Bundy Museum have collaborated on a number of projects and events. The Bundy Museum began this collaboration by informing the president of the Foundation that some of the materials purchased by
the Rod Serling Archive was discovered to be misplaced and abandoned property from one of the RSMF’s collection storage locations. At that time, members of board of directors of the Foundation were invited to visit the Archive and have a painting of Rod Serling, photo negatives, and various pamphlets returned to the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation. During this meeting, it was communicated to the present Bundy Museum representatives that the Foundation appreciated the work done by the Archive in preserving Rod Serling’s legacy and that the RSMF was onboard with what the Bundy was doing. Since that meeting, the Rod Serling Archive continued collaborations with the RSMF for many years including, among other instances: involvement in planning discussions of the first Serlingfest; presentations and tabling at the first and subsequent Serlingfests by Michael Pipher; hosting kick-off events for Serlingfests, which were often attended by board members of the RSMF; providing layout design and printing services for Serlingfest flyers and booklets at the cost of the materials only, with labor costs covered by the Bundy Museum; airing public service announcements and interviews on the Bundy Museum’s community radio station, WBDY-LPFM, relating to Serlingfest and the RSMF; and loans of and access to materials from the Archive for research purposes as well as in order to aid in the writing of Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination by Nick Parisi, the RSMF’s current president.
Considering this past history of mutual aid and cooperation, those of us at the Bundy Museum of History & Art and its Rod Serling Archive were confused and disheartened by the notice from the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation stating: “the Foundation and the the Serling estate have long opposed the Bundy Museum’s use of Rod Serling’s name and likeness.” The same statement made it clear that no affiliation exists between the RSMF and the Rod Serling archive, which has never been claimed by the Bundy Museum or its representatives. We understand that the Foundation’s statement was in response to questions they received regarding the Archive’s new membership program and appreciate the RSMF’s need to clarify that our membership program and theirs are unrelated. However, the verbiage used by the Foundation suggests a hostility that is both shocking and upsetting.
The Rod Serling Archive at the Bundy Museum of History & Art will continue to provide free and easy access to the materials in our collections to all members of the public who express an interest in Rod Serling, his numerous works, and the impact he has made on our community and the world. In order to ensure we are able to continue this mission and expand our reach, we will continue to gratefully accept one time donations and memberships by those who choose to aid us in that effort. We also hope to continue our collaborations with the Foundation for the betterment of those who care about Rod Serling’s legacy and to educate those who aren’t yet aware of the profound and progressive ideas Rod presented to all of us.