A video created by two students in the Film and Electronic Arts Department of Cal State Long Beach will be added to the Smithsonian Institution in the American History Collection.
Rod Velasquez and Zachary Stuart created the tribute, titled “Mr. Rose Parade,” to honor architect and CSULB alumnus Raul L. Rodriguez, who died in February 2015. He is known for his work as Tournament of Roses Parade float designer, and his designs have decorated places such as Caesars Palace, Circus Circus, Tropicana and Flamingo Hilton hotels.
In 1993 he was honored as distinguished alumnus at CSULB for the College of the Arts.
“Once I researched Paul, I fell in love with his artwork and spirit, and ultimately felt compelled to do him justice,” Stuart, a production management major, said in a statement. “It was an amazing experience about an amazing person.”
Rodriguez created his first Rose Parade float when he was 15 years old, and has continued to design floral floats in the parade since then. In the history of the parade he won a total of 23 awards, such as the Sweepstakes Trophy, the Tournament of Roses Parade’s highest honor, which is more than anyone in history.
“Raul Rodriguez had such an incredible influence on float design and I wanted to undertake a project where the facilitation between ideas, impact and artwork were fundamental in the presentation of the video,” Velesquez, a documentary production major, said in a statement. “Learning of Raul’s impact was very inspiring. It made me feel like anything can be possible.”
