François Clemmons in Oberlin College’s 1967 yearbook Hi-O-Hi, The Stofan Studio, Public Domain

I did not realize until last week, through comments on my article on “Distinguished Black Citizens,” that François Clemmons grew up in Youngstown. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but the family migrated north and settled in Youngstown when he was young. It wasn’t an easy childhood. His parents were abusive. From kindergarten on, however, people recognized that he had a beautiful voice. In his own words, he came to realize that “Singing was the key out of the ghetto.” He sang in many churches, community groups and even a rock group called the Jokers.

He had to exercise determination to resist the ways Blacks were “tracked” in those days. A guidance counselor pressed him to sign papers to go to vocational school. He refused. A social worker, Mary Lou Davis, agreed to pay for voice lessons as long as he stayed out of trouble. His music teacher was Ron Gould who conspired to get him an audition at the Oberlin Conservatory. He was accepted and awarded a scholarship by the Oberlin alumni association, facilitated by the efforts of his principal at The Rayen School, an Oberlin alumnus. This was a huge boon because he could not afford the tuition. After gdraduating from Oberlin, he went on to pursue a Masters degree at Carnegie-Mellon University.

The year 1968 was significant for Clemmons. He won auditions to the Metropolitan Opera. This led to performances with a number of orchestras including those in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. This eventually led to a Grammy winning recording of Porgy and Bess in 1976. But 1968 was also the year he met Fred Rogers. Fred’s wife Joanne sang in the same choir at Third Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh as Clemmons. After a particularly moving concert of spirituals, everyone came up to say how much they appreciated Clemmons. The last in line was this self-effacing man who turned out to be Fred Rogers. In his memoir, he writes:

“My clearest memory of that occasion was of Fred Rogers’s sincerity and the deep look, bordering on passion, in his gentle blue eyes. He nailed me when he took my hand, turned his head slightly, and paused, as though he was waiting for me to say something. I waited too, because it was he who had come over to talk to me. He took his time and spoke of my lovely voice, my compelling interpretations, and the genuine effect the songs had had on him during the service. I smiled and returned his warmth and sincerity. It was easy to accept his praise. There was something serious yet comforting and disarming about him. His eyes hugged me without touching me.”

Rogers followed up by inviting him to lunch and a visit to the studio. Eventually, he asked him to sing and then offered him a part as Officer Clemmons. Clemmons struggled with this because of the perception of police in the Black community. Rogers convinced him that he could change the perception of police. They did more than that together. This was still a time when swimming pools were segregated (this was true at one time in Youngstown). There is a famous scene, filmed in 1969, in which Mr. Rogers invites Officer Clemmons to cool his feet with Rogers in a small child’s pool, and even share Rogers towel to dry them. You can see the scene in this clip of scenes with François Clemmons on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.

Clemmons had realized he was gay during college but remain closeted. He discussed this with Rogers who continued to be warmly accepting personally, but warning him that he could not be “out” or wear an earing on the show and continue on the show. Clemmons went so far in following Rogers’ advice that he entered into a brief, disastrous marriage. Rogers always welcomed Clemmons gay friends and later encouraged him to pursue a stable gay relationship. This challenged the trust they had built but reflected societal realities of the time. Rogers worried that Clemmons’ sexuality could actually put Clemmons in danger.

Clemmons was on the show for 25 years until 1993. In that year, he reprised the pool scene with Rogers drying his feet. In 1988, he formed the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble to preserve Black spirituals. Then in 1997, he artist in residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College, in which he continued working until his retirement in 2013. Middlebury awarded him an honorary Doctor of Arts degree.

He still lives in Middlebury, Vermont and has published a volume of spirituals, children’s books, and a memoir, Officer Clemmons in 2020. Like many other Blacks growing up in the 1950’s in Youngstown, racial prejudice resulted in barriers he overcame through his determination, his singing and the help of a social worker, teacher, and principal. His work on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood contributed to changing racial perceptions and exposed people to his splendid voice. He realized his dreams of singing at the top levels. His work in creating the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble preserved our rich heritage of spirituals.

I’ll leave you with this performance of a Mr. Rogers favorite by Clemmons: