Jim Henson

This 2003 memorial to Jim Henson by Jay Hall Carpenter stands in front of the Adele Stamp Student Union at the University of Maryland in College Park.

“James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, artist, cartoonist, inventor, screenwriter, and filmmaker who achieved international fame as the creator of the Muppets. Born in Greenville, Mississippi, he was raised in Leland, Mississippi, and Hyattsville, Maryland.” – Wikipedia

Henson graduated from the University of Maryland in 1960 with a degree in Home Economics. He had already introduced Kermit the Frog in the show  “Sam and Friends” on WRC-TV in Washington starring Jim Henson and his wife Jane surrounded by a host of puppets.

This  photo from an historical marker in Tenleytown in upper Northwest Washington shows Jim and Jane Henson at WRC accompanied by Sam, Yorick, Kermit the Frog, and Harry the Hipster.

Kermit, fashioned from an old coat belonging to Henson's mother, first appeared on  “Sam and Friends” in 1955. He now resides in the Smithsonian.

In College park, Kermit is shown chatting with his creator on a Texas red granite bench.

Henson supplied Kermit's distinctive voice until his death in 1990.

Jim Henson's Frog Belt Buckle