A life-size bronze statue of Fred Rogers was unveiled Saturday morning in America’s beloved neighbor’s hometown.

The statue was dedicated during a public ceremony at James H. Rogers Park, named for Rogers’ father.

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Originally scheduled to be dedicated in June, the statue's debut was put on hold when the sculptor, Jon Hair, became ill. Hair was in attendance for Saturday’s ceremony, as was Rogers’ sister, Nancy Rogers Crozier.

"I am so excited about this," Crozier said. "We've been waiting a long time."

Fred Rogers died Feb. 27, 2003, after a battle with stomach cancer.

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Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com