Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling

 Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975)

He was known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen, and helped form television industry standards. During World War II, at age 19, he joined the Army, serving from January 1943 to January 1946. Although he was short, only 5 feet, 4 inches tall, he was a noted boxer on his regimental sports team. While fighting the Japanese in the Philippines, he was seriously wounded in the wrist and knee, and was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantryman's Badge, among many decorations. Due to his wartime experiences, he would later suffer from nightmare flashbacks for the rest of his life. After the war, Serling went to Antioch college and studied literature. In 1955, he wrote a play "Patterns" for Kraft Television Theater, and it became so popular that it was presented for a second time the following week, a first for that show. In 1959, Serling began a series for CBS television called "The Twilight Zone," in which Serling would introduce each episode. The show lasted 5 seasons, and in 1970, NBC picked up Serling's follow on series, Night Gallery, an hour-long show that ran three tales during each show. Serling would write nearly one-third of the shows for Night Gallery during its three year run.

Serling also wrote screenplays for movies, including "Seven Days in May" (1964), a movie about an attempted military coup against the President of the US, "Planet of the Apes" (1968), and "The Man" (1972), a movie about the first Black US President. In 1975, he suffered two heart attacks before he entered a Rochester hospital for heart bypass surgery. Serling was a lifelong chain smoker, and could smoke up to 5 packs a day. He suffered another heart attack during surgery, and died at age 50. Rod Serling is buried at Lake View Cemetery in Interlaken, NY.