by Fred Rogers grew up outside of Pittsburgh, Penn., in a town called Latrobe; his beloved children’s program, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, was produced in Pittsburgh for decades, and both towns honor him. In Pittsburgh there is a large memorial in a prime waterfront spot, which was inexplicably closed off when we were there, so we could only get a partial glimpse. But in Latrobe we were able to go to the Fred Rogers Institute and tour the exhibit, see the Latrobe memorial, and visit his gravesite. While driving around we listened to The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King, which really just made him sound like an angel on earth.
Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-2003) was born into a life of privilege, living in a mansion with his very wealthy parents. Yet, he grew up to be a kind, caring man with a passion for educating children. He and his wife Joanne both had a wonderful sense of humor, which most people don’t realize given the slow, deliberate way of speaking to children that he was known for. He was a talented musician, earning a bachelor’s degree in music, which is also how he met his wife, a talented musician in her own right. He was deeply religious, going back to school as an adult to become a Presbyterian minister.
Rogers was extremely involved in all aspects of his famous show, writing or editing every episode (often consulting with a child psychiatrist on how to best present difficult and taboo topics to children). He created the characters, performed many of the significant puppet roles, hosted every episode, and wrote 200 songs and 13 operas, among other things. He did not shy away from addressing divorce, anger issues, disability, and many other topics not talked about at the time; when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, three days later a special segment on the topic was aired on the show. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood ran for an astounding 33 years (1968-2001), and won many awards and accolades. Rogers’ mother knitted the famous sweaters he wore on the show.
There’s much more to Rogers’ life than I’ve summarized above – check out how long his Wikipedia article is! You can also watch the documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? or the dramatized version of his life starring Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Or if you’re really committed, read or listen to the book I mentioned above.
Really cool!