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Line 1: − {{Redirect|Mister Rogers|the television series|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood|the asteroid|26858 Misterrogers|other people|Frederick Rogers (disambiguation){{!}}Frederick Rogers}}+ − {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} − {{good article}} − {{short description|American television personality (1928–2003)}} − {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}} − {{Infobox person − | honorific_prefix = [[The Reverend]] − | name = Fred Rogers − | image = Fred Rogers, late 1960s.jpg − | caption = Rogers on the set of ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]'' in the late 1960s − | birth_name = Fred McFeely Rogers − | birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|3|20}} − | birth_place = [[Latrobe, Pennsylvania]], U.S. − | death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|2|27|1928|3|20}} − | death_place = [[Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], U.S. − | other_names = Mister Rogers − | spouse = {{marriage|Joanne Byrd|June 9, 1952}} − | children = 2 − | alma_mater = [[Rollins College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Pittsburgh Theological Seminary]] ([[Master of Divinity|MDiv]]) − | occupation = Children's television presenter, actor, puppeteer, singer, composer, television producer, author, educator, Presbyterian minister − | party = <!-- [[Republican Party (U.S.)|Republican]] --><!-- Not a politician. Putting this in the infobox puts undue emphasis on his political leanings. --> − | years_active = 1951–2001 − | signature = FredRogersSignature.svg − | module = {{Infobox designation list − | embed = yes − | designation1 = Pennsylvania Historical Marker − | designation1_offname = Fred McFeely Rogers (1928–2003) − | designation1_type = Roadside − | designation1_criteria = − | designation1_date = June 25, 2016 − | delisted1_date = − | designation1_partof = − | designation1_number = − }} − }} − '''Fred McFeely Rogers''' (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American [[television personality]], musician, puppeteer, writer, [[television producer|producer]], and [[Presbyterian minister]]. He was the creator, [[showrunner]] and host of the preschool television series ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]'', which ran from 1968 to 2001.+ − Born in [[Latrobe, Pennsylvania]], near [[Pittsburgh]], Rogers earned a bachelor's degree in music from [[Rollins College]] in 1951. He began his television career in 1951 at [[NBC]] in New York. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1953 to work for children's programming at NET (later [[PBS]]) television station [[WQED (TV)|WQED]]. After graduating from [[Pittsburgh Theological Seminary]], he became a [[Presbyterian minister]] in 1963 and attended the [[University of Pittsburgh]]'s Graduate School of Child Development, where he began his 30-year long collaboration with child psychologist [[Margaret McFarland]]. He also helped develop the children's shows ''The Children's Corner'' (1955) and ''Misterogers'' (1963). In 1968 he created ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', which ran for 33 years. The program was critically acclaimed for focusing on children's emotional and physical concerns, such as death, [[sibling rivalry]], school enrollment, and [[divorce in the United States|divorce]].+ − − Rogers died of [[stomach cancer]] on February 27, 2003, at the age of 74. His work in children's television has been widely lauded, and he received over 40 honorary degrees and several awards, including the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 2002 and a Lifetime Achievement [[Emmy Award|Emmy]] in 1997. He was inducted into the [[Television Hall of Fame]] in 1999. Rogers influenced many writers and producers of children's television shows, and his broadcasts have served as a source of comfort during tragic events, even after his death. − − ==Early life== − [[File:Latrobe PA MainStreet.jpg|left|thumb|Main Street, [[Latrobe, Pennsylvania]], Rogers' birthplace]] − Rogers was born on March 20, 1928, in [[Latrobe, Pennsylvania]], about {{Convert|40|mi|km|abbr=|sp=us}} outside of [[Pittsburgh]], at 705 Main Street<ref name="Burlington Free Press 2018">{{cite web |last=Harpaz |first=Beth J. |title=Mister Rogers: 'Won't you be my neighbor?' fans can check out Fred Rogers Trail |website=Burlington Free Press |date=July 18, 2018 |url=https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/entertainment/2018/07/18/mister-rogers-fans-documentary-show-can-visit-fred-rogers-trail/795861002/ |agency=Associated Press| access-date=November 1, 2018}}</ref> to James and Nancy Rogers. James was "a very successful businessman"<ref name="EarlyLife">{{cite web |title=Early Life |website=Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning & Children's Media |url=http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/about-us/about-fred/early-life/ | access-date=October 30, 2018}}</ref> who was president of the McFeely Brick Company, one of Latrobe's largest businesses. Nancy's father, Fred Brooks McFeely, after whom Rogers was named, was an [[entrepreneur]].<ref name="latimes 2003">{{cite news |last1=Woo |first1=Elaine |title=It's a Sad Day in This Neighborhood |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/28/local/me-rogers28 |accessdate=October 30, 2018 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 28, 2003}}</ref> Nancy [[knit]]ted sweaters for American soldiers from western Pennsylvania who were fighting in Europe and regularly volunteered at the Latrobe Hospital. Initially dreaming of becoming a doctor, she settled for a life of hospital volunteer work. Rogers grew up in a three-story brick mansion at 737 Weldon Street in Latrobe.<ref name="king-19">King (2018), p. 19.</ref><ref name="Burlington Free Press 2018"/> He had a sister, Elaine, whom the Rogerses adopted when he was 11 years old.<ref name="king-19"/> Rogers spent much of his childhood alone, playing with puppets, and also spent time with his grandfather. He began to play the [[piano]] when he was five years old.<ref name="DeFranceso">{{cite news |url=http://www.wqed.org/mag/0403_remember3.shtml |title=Remembering Fred Rogers: A Life Well-Lived: A look back at Fred Rogers' life |last=DeFranceso |first=Joyce |date=April 2003 |work=[[Pittsburgh Magazine]] |accessdate=January 17, 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050103143529/http://www.wqed.org/mag/0403_remember3.shtml |archivedate=January 3, 2005}}</ref> Through an ancestor from [[Schöneck, Hesse|Schöneck, Hesse, Germany]], Johannes Meffert (1732–1795), later Johannes Mefford, Rogers is the sixth cousin of American actor [[Tom Hanks]], who portrays him in the film ''[[A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood]]'' (2019).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/19/entertainment/tom-hanks-fred-rogers-related-trnd/index.html |title=Tom Hanks just found out he's related to Mister Rogers |last=Capron |first=Maddie |last2=Zdanowicz |first2=Christina |website=CNN |access-date=November 20, 2019}}</ref> − − Rogers had a difficult childhood. He was shy, introverted, and overweight, and was frequently homebound after suffering bouts of [[asthma]].<ref name="EarlyLife"/> He was [[bullying|bullied]] and taunted as a child for his weight, and called "Fat Freddy".<ref name="EW.com 2018">{{cite web |url=https://ew.com/movies/2018/06/09/mister-rogers-relics-wont-you-be-my-neighbor/ |title=The relics of Mister Rogers: 7 emotional items from the new film Won't You Be My Neighbor? |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |date=June 9, 2018 |website=EW.com|url-status=live|access-date=October 20, 2018}}</ref> According to [[Morgan Neville]], director of the 2018 documentary ''[[Won't You Be My Neighbor? (film)|Won't You Be My Neighbor?]]'', Rogers had a "lonely childhood{{nbsp}}... I think he made friends with himself as much as he could. He had a ventriloquist dummy, he had [stuffed] animals, and he would create his own worlds in his childhood bedroom".<ref name="EW.com 2018"/> − − [[File:Mr-rogers-hs-yearbook.jpg|thumb|upright|Rogers in 1946 as a high school senior]] − Rogers attended [[Greater Latrobe School District|Latrobe High School]], where he overcame his shyness.<ref name="legendary locals">{{cite book |last=Comm |first1=Joseph A. |title=Legendary Locals of Latrobe |location=Charleston, South Carolina |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-4671-0184-4 |page=52}}</ref> "It was tough for me at the beginning," Rogers told NPR's [[Terry Gross]] in 1984. "And then I made a couple friends who found out that the core of me was okay. And one of them was{{nbsp}}... the head of the football team".<ref>Gross (1984), event occurs at 4.27.</ref> Rogers served as president of the student council, was a member of the [[National Honor Society]] and was editor-in-chief of the school [[yearbook]].<ref name="legendary locals"/> He attended [[Dartmouth College]] for one year before transferring to [[Rollins College]] in [[Winter Park, Florida]]; he graduated ''magna cum laude''<ref name="latimes 2003"/> in 1951 with a degree in music composition.<ref name="DeFranceso"/> − − Rogers graduated from [[Pittsburgh Theological Seminary]] and was ordained a [[Christian minister|minister]] of the [[United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America|United Presbyterian Church]] in 1963.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jacobson |first1=Lisa |title=Remembering Mr. Rogers |url=https://www.history.pcusa.org/blog/remembering-mr-rogers |publisher=Presbyterian Historical Society |accessdate=January 20, 2019 |date=February 11, 2013}}</ref> His mission as an ordained minister, instead of being a pastor of a church, was to minister to children and their families through television. He regularly appeared before church officials to keep up his ordination.<ref name="danielburke">{{cite web |last1=Burke |first1=Daniel |title=Mr. Rogers was a televangelist to toddlers |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/23/entertainment/mister-rogers-faith-religion/index.html |date=November 23, 2019 |work=CNN.com |accessdate=November 23, 2019}}</ref> − − ==Career== − {{external media | width = 210px | float = right | audio1 = [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1178498 Terry Gross and Fred Rogers], ''[[Fresh Air with Terry Gross]]''<ref name="Freshair">{{cite web |title=Terry Gross and Fred Rogers |work=[[Fresh Air with Terry Gross]] |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=February 28, 2003 |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1178498 |accessdate=January 21, 2019}} Show originally aired 1985.</ref>}} − − ===Early work=== − Rogers wanted to enter [[seminary]] after college,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/fred-rogers?clip=48375 |title=Fred Rogers: On his college years |last=Herman |first=Karen |date=October 22, 2017 |website=Television Academy Interviews |publisher=Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |language=en|url-status=live|access-date=November 23, 2019}}</ref> but instead chose to go into the nascent medium of television after encountering a TV at his parents' home in 1951 during his senior year at Rollins College.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/arts/television/mister-rogers-neighborhood-at-50.html |title='Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' at 50: 5 Memorable Moments |last=Deb |first=Sopan |date=March 5, 2018 |work=The New York Times|access-date=November 23, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In a [[CNN]] interview, he said, "I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there's some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schuster |first1=Henry |title=Fred and me: An appreciation |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/27/rogers.appreciation/ |accessdate=January 21, 2019 |work=CNN.com |date=February 27, 2003}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|According to ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' producer [[Hedda Sharapan]], Rogers used television to communicate his message;<ref name="king-266">King, p. 266.</ref> [[David Newell]], who played Mr. McFeely on the ''Neighborhood'', said, "Television was a vehicle for Fred, to reach children and families; it was sort of a necessary evil".<ref>King, p. 265.</ref>}} After graduating in 1951, he worked at [[NBC]] in New York City as floor director of ''[[Your Hit Parade]]'', ''[[Kate Smith|The Kate Smith Hour]]'', and [[Gabby Hayes]]'s children's show, and as an assistant producer of ''[[The Voice of Firestone]]''.<ref name="Washington Post 1982">{{cite web |last=Hendrickson |first=Paul |title=In the Land of Make Believe, The Real Mister Rogers |website=Washington Post |date=November 18, 1982 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/11/18/in-the-land-of-make-believe-the-real-mister-rogers/7ca0e14f-5f91-48e0-932c-898e24970890/ | access-date=October 20, 2018}}</ref><ref>Gross (1984), event occurs at 6.38.</ref><ref name="highlights">{{cite news |title=Highlights in the life and career of Fred Rogers |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/localnews/20030227timelinep5.asp |accessdate=January 21, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 27, 2003}}</ref> − − [[File:WQEDHeadquartersPittsburgh.jpg|thumb|WQED headquarters in Pittsburgh]] − − In 1953, Rogers returned to Pittsburgh to work as a program developer at [[public television]] station [[WQED (TV)|WQED]]. [[Josie Carey]] worked with him to develop the children's show ''The Children's Corner'', which Carey hosted. Rogers worked off-camera to develop puppets, characters, and music for the show. He used many of the puppet characters developed during this time, such as Daniel the Striped Tiger (named after WQED's station manager, Dorothy Daniel, who gave Rogers a tiger puppet before the show's premiere),<ref>Tiech, p. 10.</ref> King Friday XIII, Queen Sara Saturday (named after Rogers' wife),<ref>{{cite web |title=Fred Rogers |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-people/fred-rogers/ |website=Pioneers of Television |publisher=PBS.org |accessdate=January 22, 2019 |date=2014}}</ref> X the Owl, Henrietta, and Lady Elaine, in his later work.<ref name="Early Years">{{cite web |title=Early Years in Television |website=Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning & Children's Media |url=http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/about-us/about-fred/mister-rogers-neighborhood/early-years-in-television/ | access-date=November 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>Tiech, p. 9.</ref> Children's television entertainer [[Ernie Coombs]] was an assistant puppeteer.<ref name="Broughton 1986 p. 51"/> ''The Children's Corner'' won a [[Sylvania Award]] for best locally produced children's programming in 1955 and was broadcast nationally on NBC.<ref name="Presbyterian Historical Society 2018">{{cite web |title=Sunday on the Children's Corner, Revisited |website=Presbyterian Historical Society |date=February 15, 2018 |url=https://www.history.pcusa.org/blog/2018/02/sunday-childrens-corner-revisited | access-date=November 1, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Schultz">{{cite web |url=http://uv201.com/TV_Pages/sylvania_award.htm |title=Sylvania Award |last=Schultz |first=Mike |publisher=uv201.com |accessdate=January 22, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Fred Rogers Official Bio">{{cite web |title=Fred Rogers Biography |website=Fred Rogers Productions |date=2018 |url=https://www.fredrogers.org/fred-rogers/bio/ | access-date=November 1, 2018}}</ref> While working on ''The Children's Corner'', Rogers attended [[Pittsburgh Theological Seminary]], and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1963. He also attended the [[University of Pittsburgh]]'s Graduate School of Child Development,<ref name="Flecker">{{cite web |last=Flecker |first=Sally Ann |title=When Fred Met Margaret: Fred Rogers' Mentor |date=Winter 2014 |website=Pitt Med |publisher=University of Pittsburgh |url=https://www.pittmed.health.pitt.edu/story/when-fred-met-margaret | access-date=October 26, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Fred Rogers Official Bio"/> where he began working with child psychologist [[Margaret McFarland]], who according to Rogers' biographer Maxwell King became his "key advisor and collaborator" and "child-education guru".<ref name="king-126">King, p. 126.</ref> Much of Rogers' "thinking about and appreciation for children was shaped and informed" by McFarland.<ref name="Flecker"/> She was his consultant for most of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''{{'}}s scripts and songs for 30 years.<ref name="king-126"/> − − In 1963, the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] (CBC) in [[Toronto]] contracted Rogers to develop and host the 15-minute black-and-white children's program ''Misterogers;'' it lasted from 1963 to 1967.<ref name="Broughton 1986 p. 51">{{cite book |last=Broughton |first=Irv |title=Producers on Producing: The Making of Film and Television |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc. |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-7864-1207-5 |page=51}}</ref><ref>King (2018), p. 145.</ref> It was the first time Rogers appeared on camera. CBC's children's programming head Fred Rainsberry insisted on it, telling Rogers, "Fred, I've seen you talk with kids. Let's put you yourself on the air".<ref name="Roberts 2018">{{cite web |last=Roberts |first=Soraya |title=The Fred Rogers We Know |date=June 26, 2018 |url=https://hazlitt.net/longreads/fred-rogers-we-know |work=Hazlitt Magazine |publisher=Penguin Random House | access-date=October 28, 2018}}</ref> Coombs joined Rogers in Toronto as an assistant puppeteer.<ref name="Broughton 1986 p. 51"/> Rogers also worked with Coombs on the children's show ''[[Butternut Square]]'' from 1964 to 1967. He acquired the rights to ''Misterogers'' in 1967 and returned to Pittsburgh with his wife, two young sons, and the sets he developed, despite a potentially promising career with CBC and no job prospects in Pittsburgh.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Matheson |first1=Sue |chapter=Good Neighbors, Moral Philosophy and the Masculine Ideal|editor1-last=Merlock Jackson |editor1-first=Sandra |editor2-last=Emmanuel |editor2-first=Steven M. |title=Revisiting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Essays on Lessons about Self and Community |date=2016 |publisher=McFarland & Company, Publishers |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |isbn=978-1-4766-2341-2 |page=25}}</ref><ref>King, p. 150.</ref> Coombs remained in Toronto, creating the long-running children's program ''[[Mr. Dressup]]'', which ran from 1967 to 1996.<ref name="National Post 2018">{{Cite web |url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/television/how-mr-rogers-and-mr-dressups-road-trip-from-pittsburgh-to-toronto-changed-childrens-television-forever |title=How Mr. Rogers and Mr. Dressup's road trip from Pittsburgh to Toronto changed children's television forever |last=Gillmor |first=Don |date=July 11, 2018 |website=National Post |access-date=October 26, 2018}}</ref> Rogers' work for CBC "helped shape and develop the concept and style of his later program for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the U.S."<ref>{{cite web |title=Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Beyond |website=Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning & Children's Media |url=http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/about-us/about-fred/mister-rogers-neighborhood/mister-rogers-neighborhood-and-beyond/ | access-date=October 28, 2018}}</ref> − − ===''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''=== − − {{Main|Mister Rogers' Neighborhood}} − [[File:Rogers screens the tape replay with Betty Aberlin and Johnny Costa - Look Magazine.png|thumb|Rogers screens the tape replay with [[Betty Aberlin]] and Johnny Costa in 1969.]] − − ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (also called the ''Neighborhood''), a half-hour educational children's program starring Rogers, began airing nationally in 1968 and ran for 895 episodes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bahr |first1=Lindsey |title=Mister Rogers pic in development with 'Little Miss Sunshine' directors |url=https://ew.com/article/2013/09/27/mister-rogers-movie-development/ |accessdate=March 21, 2019 |work=Entertainment Weekly |date=September 27, 2013}}</ref> The program was videotaped at WQED in Pittsburgh and was broadcast by [[National Educational Television]] (NET), which later became the [[Public Broadcasting Service]] (PBS).<ref>{{cite news |title=Children's TV Host Fred Rogers Dies At 74 |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/remember-jan-june03-rogers_02-27 |accessdate=March 21, 2019 |work=PBS News Hour |date=February 27, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Burns |first1=Asia Simone |title=Mister Rogers Is Coming Back To Your Neighborhood, On A Stamp |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/02/07/583970831/mister-rogers-will-appear-forever-on-a-stamp |accessdate=March 21, 2019 |work=NPR.org |date=February 7, 2018}}</ref> Its first season had 180 black-and-white episodes. Each subsequent season, filmed in color and funded by PBS, the [[Sears-Roebuck]] Foundation, and other charities, consisted of 65 episodes.<ref>King, p. 164.</ref><ref name="wapostobit">{{cite news |last1=Estrada |first1=Louie |title=Children's TV Icon Fred Rogers Dies at 74 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/02/28/childrens-tv-icon-fred-rogers-dies-at-74/8f5b9796-3588-42cf-aa84-45daec1f0583/ |accessdate=March 31, 2019 |work=Washington Post |date=February 28, 2003}}</ref> By the time the program ended production in December 2000, its average rating was about .7 percent of television households, or 680,000 homes, and it aired on 384 PBS stations. At its peak in 1985–1986, its ratings were at 2.1 percent, or 1.8 million homes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=DeFranceso |first1=Joyce |title=A Life Well-Lived |url=http://www.wqed.org/mag/0403_remember3.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050103143529/http://www.wqed.org/mag/0403_remember3.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 3, 2005 |accessdate=March 22, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Magazine |date=April 2003}}</ref><ref name="finalday">{{cite news |last1=Montgomery |first1=David |title=For Mister Rogers, a Final Day in the Neighborhood |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/09/01/for-mister-rogers-a-final-day-in-the-neighborhood/6c6b6bdd-82f6-4a7e-92c0-af5493837953/ |accessdate=March 22, 2019 |work=Washington Post |date=September 1, 2001}}</ref> Production of the ''Neighborhood'' ended in December 2000, and the last original episode aired in 2001, but PBS continued to air reruns; by 2016 it was the third-longest running program in PBS history.<ref name="wapostobit"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Kathy Merlock |last2=Emmanuel |first2=Steven M |title=Revisiting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Essays on Lessons about Self and Community |date=2016 |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc. |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |isbn=978-1-4766-2341-2 |page=1 |chapter=Introduction}}</ref> − − Many of the sets and props in ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', like the trolley, the sneakers, and the castle, were created for Rogers' show in Toronto by CBC designers and producers. The program also "incorporated most of the highly imaginative elements that later became famous",<ref name="King, p. 158">King, p. 158.</ref> such as its slow pace and its host's quiet manner.<ref>King, p. 146.</ref><ref name="King, p. 158" /> The format of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' "remained virtually unchanged" for the entire run of the program.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wolfe |first1=Mark J. P. |title=The World of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood |date=2017 |publisher=Routledge Publishers |location=New York |isbn=978-1-315-11008-0 |page=16}}</ref> Every episode begins with a camera's-eye view of a model of a neighborhood, then panning in closer to a representation of a house while a piano instrumental of the theme song, "Won't You be My Neighbor?", by music director [[Johnny Costa]] and inspired by a Beethoven sonata, is played.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Woo |first1=Elaine |title=From the Archives: It's a Sad Day in This Neighborhood |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-fred-rogers-20030228-story.html |accessdate=April 25, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 28, 2003}}</ref> The camera zooms in to a model representing Mr. Rogers' house, then cuts to the house's interior and pans across the room to the front door, which Rogers opens as he sings the theme song to greet his visitors while changing his suit jacket to a cardigan (knitted by his mother)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Christine |title=The Importance of Sweaters and Sneakers in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood |url=https://www.rewire.org/pbs/sweaters-sneakers-rogers-neighborhood/ |website=Rewire.org |publisher=PBS |accessdate=April 10, 2019 |date=March 20, 2017}}</ref> and his dress shoes to sneakers, "complete with a shoe tossed from one hand to another".<ref>Wolfe, p. 11.</ref> − − [[File:Mister Rogers Trolley.jpg|left|thumb|Neighborhood Trolley from ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' set at WQED studios in Pittsburgh]] − The episode's theme is introduced, and Mr. Rogers leaves his home to visit another location, the camera panning back to the neighborhood model and zooming in to the new location as he enters it. Once this segment ends, Mr. Rogers leaves and returns to his home, indicating that it is time to visit the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Mr. Rogers proceeds to the window seat by the trolley track and sets up the action there as the Trolley comes out. The camera follows it down a tunnel in the back wall of the house as it enters the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. The stories and lessons told take place over a series of a week's worth of episodes and involve puppet and human characters. The end of the visit occurs when the Trolley returns to the same tunnel from which it emerged, reappearing in Mr. Rogers' home. He then talks to the viewers before concluding the episode. He often feeds his fish, cleans up any props he has used, and returns to the front room, where he sings the closing song while changing back into his dress shoes and jacket. He exits the front door as he ends the song, and the camera zooms out of his home and pans across the neighborhood model as the episode ends.{{refn|group=note|See Wolfe, pp. 9–16, for a complete description of the structure of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''.}} − − [[File:Fred Rogers sweater.jpg|left|thumb|A sweater worn by Rogers, on display in the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s Museum of American History]] − ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' emphasized young children's social and emotional needs, and unlike another PBS show, ''[[Sesame Street]]'', which premiered in 1969, did not focus on cognitive learning.<ref>King, p. 145.</ref> Writer Kathy Merlock Jackson said, "While both shows target the same preschool audience and prepare children for kindergarten, ''Sesame Street'' concentrates on school-readiness skills while ''Mister Rogers Neighborhood'' focuses on the child's developing psyche and feelings and sense of moral and ethical reasoning".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Kathy Merlock |editor1-last=Jackson |editor1-first=Kathy Merlock |editor2-last=Emmanuel |editor2-first=Steven M. |title=Revisiting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Essays on Lessons about Self and Community |publisher=McFarland & Company, Publishers |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |isbn=978-1-4766-2341-2 |page=11 |chapter=Social Activism for the Small Set |date=February 17, 2016}}</ref> The ''Neighborhood'' also spent fewer resources on research than ''Sesame Street'', but Rogers used early childhood education concepts taught by his mentor Margaret McFarland, [[Benjamin Spock]], [[Erik Erikson]], and [[T. Berry Brazelton]] in his lessons.<ref>King, p. 134.</ref> As the ''[[Washington Post]]'' noted, Rogers taught young children about civility, tolerance, sharing, and self-worth "in a reassuring tone and leisurely cadence".<ref name="postobit">{{cite news |last1=Estrada |first1=Louie |title=Children's TV Icon Fred Rogers Dies at 74 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/02/28/childrens-tv-icon-fred-rogers-dies-at-74/8f5b9796-3588-42cf-aa84-45daec1f0583/ |accessdate=April 10, 2019 |work=The Washington Post |date=February 28, 2003}}</ref> He tackled difficult topics such as the death of a family pet, sibling rivalry, the addition of a newborn into a family, moving and enrolling in a new school, and divorce.<ref name="postobit" /> For example, he wrote a special segment that dealt with the [[assassination of Robert F. Kennedy]] that aired on June 7, 1968, days after the assassination occurred.<ref>King, p. 192.</ref> − − According to King, the process of putting each episode of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' together was "painstaking"<ref>King, p. 184.</ref> and Rogers' contribution to the program was "astounding". Rogers wrote and edited all the episodes, played the piano and sang for most of the songs, wrote 200 songs and 13 operas, created all the characters (both puppet and human), played most of the major puppet roles, hosted every episode, and produced and approved every detail of the program.<ref>King, p. 204.</ref> The puppets created for the Neighborhood of Make-Believe "included an extraordinary variety of personalities".<ref>King, p. 216.</ref> They were simple puppets but "complex, complicated, and utterly honest beings".<ref>King, p. 219.</ref> In 1971, Rogers formed Family Communications, Inc. (FCI, now [[The Fred Rogers Company]]), to produce the ''Neighborhood'', other programs, and non-broadcast materials.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Beyond |url=http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/about-us/about-fred/mister-rogers-neighborhood/mister-rogers-neighborhood-and-beyond/ |website=Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning & Children's Media |accessdate=April 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jefferson |first1=Robin Seaton |title=Siefken Heads Up Fred Rogers Company, Keeping Mister Rogers' Message Relevant For Next Generation |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinseatonjefferson/2017/03/23/siefken-heads-up-the-fred-rogers-company-keeping-mister-rogers-message-relevant-for-next-generation/#7ef935881e9b |accessdate=April 25, 2019 |work=Forbes |date=March 23, 2017}}</ref> − − [[File:DivaMan as Officer Clemmons.png|right|thumb|Rogers and [[François Clemmons]] reprising their famous foot bath in 1993. The 1969 scene was a message of inclusion during an [[Racial segregation in the United States|era of racial segregation]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/03/11/469846519/walking-the-beat-in-mr-rogers-neighborhood-where-a-new-day-began-together |title=Walking The Beat In Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Where A New Day Began Together |last=Morris |first=Jasmyn Belcher |date=March 11, 2016 |website=NPR |language=en|url-status=live|access-date=November 17, 2019}}</ref>]] − − In 1975 Rogers stopped producing ''Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood'' to focus on adult programming. Reruns of the ''Neighborhood'' continued to air on PBS.<ref>King, pp. 230–231.</ref> King reports that the decision caught many of his coworkers and supporters "off guard".<ref>King, p. 231.</ref> Rogers continued to confer with McFarland about child development and early childhood education, however.<ref>King, p. 240.</ref> In 1979, after an almost five-year hiatus, Rogers returned to producing the ''Neighborhood''; King calls the new version "stronger and more sophisticated than ever".<ref>King, p. 243.</ref> King writes that by the program's second run in the 1980s, it was "such a cultural touchstone that it had inspired numerous parodies",<ref name="king-266"/> most notably [[Eddie Murphy]]'s parody on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' in the early 1980s.<ref name="king-266"/> − − Rogers retired from producing the ''Neighborhood'' in 2001, at the age of 73, although reruns continued to air. He and FCI had been making about two or three weeks of new programs per year for many years, "filling the rest of his time slots from a library of about 300 shows made since 1979".<ref name="finalday"/> The final original episode of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' aired on August 31, 2001.<ref>King, p. 338.</ref> − − ===Other work and appearances=== − − In 1969, Rogers testified before the [[U.S. Senate]] Subcommittee on Communications, which was chaired by Democratic Senator [[John Pastore]] of Rhode Island. [[President Lyndon Johnson]] had proposed a $20 million bill for the creation of PBS before he left office, but his successor, [[Richard Nixon]], wanted to cut the funding to $10 million.<ref name="frankmsnbc">{{cite news |last1=Frank |first1=Steve |title=Mr. Rogers offers timeless defense of PBS funding…in 1969 |url=http://www.msnbc.com/the-ed-show/mr |accessdate=November 13, 2019 |work=MSNBC.com |date=September 6, 2013}}</ref> Even though Rogers was not yet nationally known, he was chosen to testify because of his ability to make persuasive arguments and to connect emotionally with his audience. The clip of Rogers' testimony, which was televised and has since been viewed by millions of people on the internet, helped to secure funding for PBS for many years afterwards.<ref>King, pp. 170–171.</ref><ref>King, p. 176.</ref> According to King, Rogers' testimony was "considered one of the most powerful pieces of testimony ever offered before Congress, and one of the most powerful pieces of video presentation ever filmed".<ref name="king-172">King, p. 172.</ref> It brought Pastore to tears and also, according to King, has been studied by public relations experts and academics.<ref name="king-172"/> Congressional funding for PBS increased from $9 million to $22 million.<ref name="frankmsnbc"/> In 1970, Nixon appointed Rogers as chair of the [[White House Conference on Children and Youth]].<ref>King, p. 175.</ref>{{refn|group=note|See American Rhetoric.com for the transcript of Rogers' testimony.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mr. Fred Rogers: Senate Statement on PBS Funding |url=https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fredrogerssenatetestimonypbs.htm |website=American Rhetoric.com |accessdate=November 13, 2019 |date=May 1, 1969}}</ref>}} − − In 1978, while on hiatus from ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', Rogers wrote, produced, and hosted a 30-minute interview program for adults on PBS called ''Old Friends{{nbsp}}... New Friends.''<ref name="newneighborhood">{{cite news |last1=Neuhaus |first1=Cable |title=Fred Rogers Moves into a New Neighborhood—and So Does His Rebellious Son |url=https://people.com/archive/fred-rogers-moves-into-a-new-neighborhood-and-so-does-his-rebellious-son-vol-9-no-19/ |accessdate=May 25, 2019 |work=People |date=May 15, 1978}}</ref><ref>King, p. 230.</ref> It lasted 20 episodes. Rogers' guests included [[Hoagy Carmichael]], [[Helen Hayes]], [[Milton Berle]], [[Lorin Hollander]], poet [[Robert Frost]]'s daughter Lesley, and [[Willie Stargell]].<ref name="newneighborhood"/><ref>King, p. 233.</ref> − − Rogers appeared as the first guest on the long-running Soviet children's TV show ''[[Good Night, Little Ones!]]'', on December 7, 1988, which coincided with Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]'s summit with American president [[Ronald Reagan]] in Washington, D.C. The Soviet program's host, [[Tatiana Vedeneeva]], also appeared on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', in a series of episodes about Rogers' visit to the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ogintz |first1=Eileen |title=Neighborhood Hero |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-03-06-8804050228-story.html |accessdate=May 25, 2019 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=March 6, 1988}}</ref> − − In 1994, Rogers wrote, produced, and hosted a special for PBS called ''Fred Rogers' Heroes'', which featured interviews and portraits of four people from across the country who were having a positive impact on children and education.<ref>King, p. 232.</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Scott |title='Mr. Rogers' Heroes' Looks at Who's Helping America's Children |url=https://apnews.com/97b26c623a7b246ce802492b7be046dd |accessdate=May 25, 2019 |work=AP News |agency=Associated Press |date=September 2, 1994}}</ref> The first time Rogers appeared on television as an actor, and not himself, was in a 1996 episode of ''[[Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman]]'', playing a preacher.<ref name="DeFranceso" /> − − [[File:Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, 1969.ogv|thumb|Rogers testified before the [[United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet|Senate Subcommittee on Communications]], chaired by [[John Pastore]], on May 1, 1969. As part of his testimony, he recites the lyrics to "[[What Do You Do with the Mad that You Feel?]]"]] − Rogers gave "scores of interviews".<ref name="king-326">King, p. 326.</ref> Though reluctant to appear on television talk shows, he would usually "charm the host with his quick wit and ability to ad-lib on a moment's notice".<ref>King (2018), p. 308.</ref> Rogers was "one of the country's most sought-after commencement speakers",<ref name="ntyobit"/> making over 150 speeches.<ref name="king-326"/> His friend and colleague David Newell reported that Rogers would "agonize over a speech",<ref>King (2018), p. 326.</ref> and King reported that Rogers was at his least guarded during his speeches, which were about children, television, education, his view of the world, how to make the world a better place, and his quest for self-knowledge. His tone was quiet and informal but "commanded attention".<ref name="king-326"/> In many speeches, including the ones he made accepting a [[24th Daytime Emmy Awards|Lifetime Achievement Emmy]] in 1997,<ref name="ntyobit"/> for his induction into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999,<ref name="tomjunod"/> and his final commencement speech at [[Dartmouth College]] in 2002, he instructed his audiences to remain silent and think for 10 seconds about someone who had a good influence on them.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Fred Rogers |url=https://www.misterrogers.org/about-fred-rogers/ |website=Mister Rogers.org |publisher=The Fred Rogers Company |accessdate=July 30, 2019}}</ref> − − ==Personal life== − Rogers met Sara Joanne Byrd (called "Joanne") from [[Jacksonville, Florida]], while attending Rollins College. They were married in 1952 and remained so for 50 years, until his death in 2003. They had two sons, James and John.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dawn |first1=Randee |title=Fred Rogers' widow reveals the way he proposed marriage—and it's so sweet |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/fred-rogers-widow-reveals-way-he-proposed-marriage-it-s-t130799 |accessdate=July 25, 2019 |work=Today.com |date=June 12, 2018}}</ref><ref>King (2018), p. 54.</ref> Joanne was "an accomplished pianist",<ref name="joannerogers">{{cite web |last1=Schlageter |first1=Bill |title=Children's Museum of Pittsburgh to honor Joanne Rogers with its 2016 Great Friend of Children Award |url=https://pittsburghkids.org/pages/children-s-museum-of-pittsburgh-to-honor-joanne-rogers-with-its-2016-great-friend-of-children-award |publisher=Children's Museum of Pittsburgh |accessdate=July 25, 2019 |date=February 3, 2016}}</ref> who like Fred earned a bachelor's from Rollins, and went on to earn a master's degree in music from [[Florida State University]]. She performed publicly with her college classmate, Jeannine Morrison, from 1976 to 2008.<ref name="joannerogers"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Owen |first1=Rob |title=Music plays key role in Mrs. Rogers' relationship with husband Fred |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/ae/20020409rogers0409fnp3.asp |accessdate=July 25, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=April 9, 2002}}</ref> According to biographer Maxwell King, Rogers' close associates said he was "absolutely faithful to his marriage vows".<ref>King (2018), p. 208.</ref> − − Rogers was red-green [[color-blind]].<ref name="tomjunod"/><ref>King (2018), p. 87.</ref> He became a [[pescatarian]] in 1970, after the death of his father, and a [[vegetarian]] in the early 1980s,<ref>{{cite AV media | people=Rick Sebak (host/producer)| date=October 19, 1987| title=My Interview with Fred| medium = video clip| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvDUUqcUP3Y| accessdate=December 7, 2019| publisher=WQED}}</ref> saying he "couldn't eat anything that had a mother".<ref name="king-9">King (2018), p. 9.</ref> He became a co-owner of ''[[Vegetarian Times]]'' in the mid-1980s<ref name="king-9"/> and said in one issue, "I love tofu burgers and beets".<ref name="vegetarian">{{Cite magazine |last=Obis |first=Paul |date=November 1983 |title=Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQgAAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA23&dq=vegetarian%20rogers&pg=PA26#v=snippet&q=god&f=false |magazine=[[Vegetarian Times]] |page=26 |accessdate=July 25, 2019}}</ref> He told ''Vegetarian Times'' that he had become a vegetarian for both ethical and health reasons.<ref name="vegetarian"/> According to King, Rogers also signed his name to a statement [[Fur_clothing#Anti-fur_campaigns|protesting wearing animal furs]].<ref name="king-9"/> Rogers was "a registered [[Republican Party (U.S.)|Republican]]", but according to Joanne Rogers, he was "very independent in the way he voted", choosing not to talk about politics because he wanted to be impartial.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaufman |first1=Amy |title=How befriending Mister Rogers' widow allowed me to learn the true meaning of his legacy |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-11-26/mister-rogers-widow-legacy-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood |accessdate=November 27, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 26, 2019}}</ref> − − Rogers was a [[Presbyterian]], and many of the messages he expressed in ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' were inspired by the core tenets of [[Christianity]]. Rogers rarely spoke about his faith on air; he believed that teaching through example was as powerful as preaching. He said, "You don't need to speak overtly about religion in order to get a message across". According to writer Shea Tuttle, Rogers considered his faith a fundamental part of his personality and "called the space between the viewer and the television set 'holy ground'". But despite his strong faith, Rogers struggled with anger, conflict, and self-doubt, especially at the end of his life.<ref name="danielburke"/> He also studied [[Catholic mysticism]], [[Judaism]], [[Buddhism]], and other faiths and cultures.<ref name="king-9"/><ref name="king-313">King (2018), p. 313.</ref> King called him "that unique television star with a real spiritual life",<ref name="king-313"/> emphasizing the values of patience, reflection, and "silence in a noisy world".<ref name="king-9"/> King reported that despite Rogers' family's wealth, he cared little about making money, and lived frugally, especially as he and his wife grew older.<ref>King (2018), p. 10.</ref><ref>King (2018), p. 336.</ref> King reported that Rogers' relationship with his young audience was important to him. For example, since hosting ''Misterogers'' in Canada, he answered every letter sent to him by hand. After ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' began airing in the U.S., the letters increased in volume and he hired staff member and producer Hedda Sharapan to answer them, but he read, edited, and signed each one. King wrote that Rogers saw responding to his viewers' letters as "a pastoral duty of sorts".<ref>King (2018), p. 328.</ref> − − ''The New York Times'' called Rogers "a dedicated lap-swimmer",<ref name="ntyobit">{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Daniel |title=Mister Rogers, TV's Friend For Children, Is Dead at 74 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/28/arts/mister-rogers-tv-s-friend-for-children-is-dead-at-74.html |page=A00001 |accessdate=July 29, 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=February 28, 2003}}</ref> and [[Tom Junod]], author of "Can You Say{{nbsp}}... Hero?", the 1998 ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' profile of Rogers, said, "Nearly every morning of his life, Mister Rogers has gone swimming".<ref name="tomjunod">{{cite news |last1=Junod |first1=Tom |title=Can You Say…Hero? |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a27134/can-you-say-hero-esq1198/ |accessdate=July 29, 2019 |work=Esquire |date=November 1998}}</ref> Rogers began swimming when he was a child, at his family's vacation home outside Latrobe, where they owned a pool, and during their winter trips to Florida. King wrote that swimming and playing the piano were "lifelong passions" and that "both gave him a chance to feel capable and in charge of his destiny",<ref>King (2018), p. 318.</ref> and that swimming became "an important part of the strong sense of self-discipline he cultivated". Rogers swam daily at the [[Pittsburgh Athletic Association]], after waking every morning between 4:30 and 5:30 A.M. to pray and to "read the Bible and prepare himself for the day".<ref name="king-317">King (2018), p. 317.</ref> He did not smoke or drink.<ref name="ntyobit"/> According to Junod, he did nothing to change his weight from the 143 pounds he weighed for most of his adult life; by 1998, this also included napping daily, going to bed at 9:30 P.M., and sleeping eight hours per night without interruption. Junod said Rogers saw his weight "as a destiny fulfilled", telling Junod, "the number 143 means 'I love you.' It takes one letter to say 'I' and four letters to say 'love' and three letters to say 'you'".<ref name="tomjunod"/> − − ==Death and memorials== − − After Rogers' retirement in 2001, he remained busy working with FCI, studying religion and spirituality, making public appearances, traveling, and working on a children's media center named after him at [[Saint Vincent College]] in Latrobe with Archabbot [[Douglas Robert Nowicki|Douglas Nowicki]], chancellor of the college.<ref>King, pp. 338, 344.</ref> By the summer of 2002 his chronic stomach pain had become severe enough for him to see a doctor about it, and in October 2002 he was diagnosed with [[stomach cancer]].<ref>King, pp. 343–344.</ref> He delayed treatment until after he served as Grand Marshal of the 2003 [[Rose Parade]], with [[Art Linkletter]] and [[Bill Cosby]] in January.<ref>King, p. 344.</ref> On January 6, Rogers underwent stomach surgery. He died less than two months later, on February 27, 2003,<ref>{{cite news |last1=De Vinck |first1=Christopher |title=My friend, Mr. Rogers |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2013/02/24/My-friend-Mr-Rogers/stories/201302240297 |accessdate=July 5, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 24, 2013}}</ref><ref name="postgazetteobit">{{cite news |last1=Owen |first1=Rob |last2=Vancheri |first2=Barbara |title=Fred Rogers dies at 74 |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/ae/20030228rogersae1p1.asp |accessdate=July 5, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 28, 2003}}</ref> one month before his 75th birthday, at his home in Pittsburgh, with his wife of 50 years, Joanne, at his side. While comatose shortly before his death, he received the [[Last rites|last rites of the Catholic Church]] from Archabbot Nowicki.<ref>King, p. 348.</ref><ref name="postgazetteobit"/> He was survived by his wife, two sons, and three grandsons.<ref name="DeFranceso"/> − − The following day, the ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'' covered Rogers' death on the front page and dedicated an entire section to his death and impact.<ref name="postgazetteobit"/> The newspaper also reported that by noon, the internet "was already full of appreciative pieces" by parents, viewers, producers, and writers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kalson |first1=Sally |title=Lasting connection his legacy: Children felt Mister Rogers was talking just to them |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/ae/20030228frconnectfnp6.asp |accessdate=July 5, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 28, 2003}}</ref> Rogers' death was widely lamented. Most U.S. metropolitan newspapers ran his obituary on their front page, and some dedicated entire sections to coverage of his death.<ref name="simonich"/> WQED aired programs about Rogers the evening he died; the ''Post-Gazette'' reported that the ratings for their coverage were three times higher than their normal ratings.<ref name="simonich"/> That same evening, ''[[Nightline]]'' on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] broadcast a rerun of a recent interview with Rogers; the program got the highest ratings of the day, beating the February average ratings of ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' and ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]''.<ref name="simonich">{{cite news |last1=Simonich |first1=Milan |title=Rogers' death gets front-page headlines |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/ae/20030302fredcoverage6.asp |accessdate=July 6, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=March 2, 2003}}</ref> On March 4, the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] unanimously passed a resolution honoring Rogers sponsored by Representative [[Mike Doyle (American politician)|Mike Doyle]] from Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McFeatters |first1=Ann |title=It's a beautiful day in the U.S. House as Congress honors Fred Rogers |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/ae/20030305rogers0305p4.asp |accessdate=July 6, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=March 5, 2003}}</ref> − − On March 1, 2003, a private funeral was held for Rogers in Unity Chapel, which was restored by Rogers' father, at Unity Cemetery in Latrobe. About 80 relatives, co-workers, and close friends attended the service, which "was planned in great secrecy so that those closest to him could grieve in private".<ref name="privatefuneral">{{cite news |last1=Rodgers-Melnick |first1=Ann |title=Friends, relatives mourn death of Mr. Rogers |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/ae/20030302rogers7.asp |accessdate=July 6, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=March 2, 2003}}</ref> Reverend John McCall, pastor of the Rogers family's church, Sixth Presbyterian Church in [[Squirrel Hill]], gave the homily, and Reverend William Barker, a retired Presbyterian minister who was a "close friend of Mr. Rogers and the voice of Mr. Platypus on his show",<ref name="privatefuneral"/> read Rogers' favorite Bible passages. Rogers was interred at Unity Cemetery in [[Latrobe, Pennsylvania]] in a mausoleum owned by his mother's family.<ref name="privatefuneral"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-grave-of-mr-rogers |title=The Grave of Mister Rogers |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en|access-date=November 12, 2019}}</ref> − − On May 3, 2003, a public memorial was held at [[Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts|Heinz Hall]] in Pittsburgh. According to the ''Post-Gazette'', 2,700 people attended. Violinist [[Itzhak Perlman]], cellist [[Yo-Yo Ma]] (via video), and organist [[Alan Morrison (organist)|Alan Morrison]] performed in honor of Rogers. Barker officiated the service; also in attendance were Pittsburgh philanthropist [[Elsie Hillman]], former ''[[Good Morning America]]'' host [[David Hartman (TV personality)|David Hartman]], ''[[The Very Hungry Caterpillar]]'' author [[Eric Carle]] and ''[[Arthur (TV series)|Arthur]]'' creator [[Marc Brown (author)|Marc Brown]]. Businesswoman and philanthropist [[Teresa Heinz]], PBS President [[Pat Mitchell]], and executive director of The Pittsburgh Project Saleem Ghubril gave remarks.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vancheri |first1=Barbara |last2=Owen |first2=Rob |title=Pittsburgh bids farewell to Fred Rogers with moving public tribute |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/localnews/20030504rogers0504p1.asp |accessdate=July 6, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=May 4, 2003}}</ref> [[Jeff Erlanger]], who at the age of 10 appeared on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' in 1981 to explain his electric wheelchair, also spoke.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vancheri |first1=Barbara |title=Memorable guest: It's you, Fred, that I like |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/localnews/20030504erlanger0504p3.asp |accessdate=July 6, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=May 4, 2003}}</ref> The memorial was broadcast several times on Pittsburgh television stations and websites throughout the day.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Owen |first1=Rob |title=Appreciation: Mister Rogers will always be part of our neighborhood |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/tv/20030503rogers0503fnp4.asp |accessdate=July 6, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=May 3, 2003}}</ref> − − ==Legacy== − {{quote box − | width = 30em − | quote = When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster", I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world.<br> —Fred Rogers<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rothman |first1=Lily |title=The Backstory: The Moving Mr. Rogers Clip Everyone Is Talking About |url=http://entertainment.time.com/2013/04/16/the-backstory-the-moving-mr-rogers-clip-everyone-is-talking-about/ |accessdate=November 11, 2019 |work=Time |date=April 16, 2013}}</ref> − − {{break}}Whenever a great tragedy strikes—war, famine, mass shootings, or even an outbreak of populist rage—millions of people turn to Fred's messages about life. Then the web is filled with his words and images. With fascinating frequency, his written messages and video clips surge across the internet, reaching hundreds of thousands of people who, confronted with a tough issue or ominous development, open themselves to Rogers' messages of quiet contemplation, of simplicity, of active listening and the practice of human kindness.<br> —Rogers biographer Maxwell King<ref>King, p. 357.</ref> − }} − − [[Marc Brown (author)|Marc Brown]], creator of another PBS children's show, ''[[Arthur (TV series)|Arthur]]'', considered Rogers both a friend and "a terrific role model for how to use television and the media to be helpful to kids and families".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Juul |first1=Matt |title=Creator Marc Brown on Mr. Rogers, Memes, and 20 Years of ''Arthur'' |url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2016/10/07/marc-brown-20-years-arthur/ |accessdate=June 5, 2019 |work=Boston Magazine |date=October 10, 2016}}</ref> [[Josh Selig]], creator of ''[[Wonder Pets]]'', credits Rogers with influencing his use of structure and predictability, and his use of music, opera, and originality.<ref>King, pp. 353–354.</ref> − − Rogers inspired [[Angela Santomero]], co-creator of the children's television show ''[[Blue's Clues]]'', to earn a degree in developmental psychology and go into educational television.<ref name="santomero"/> She and the other producers of ''Blue's Clues'' used many of Rogers' techniques, such as using child developmental and educational research, and having the host speak directly to the camera and transition to a make-believe world.<ref>King, p. 353.</ref> In 2006, three years after Rogers' death and after the end of production of ''Blue's Clues'', the Fred Rogers Company contacted Santomero to create a show that would promote Rogers' legacy.<ref name="santomero">{{cite news |url=http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/mister-rogers-changed-my-life/?ref=fredrogers |title=Mister Rogers Changed My Life |last=Santomero |first=Angela |work=The New York Times |date=September 21, 2012 |accessdate=June 14, 2019}}</ref> In 2012, ''[[Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood]]'', with characters from and based upon ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', premiered on PBS.<ref>{{cite news |last=Owen |first=Rob |date=September 2, 2013 |title=A 'very Fred-ish' birthday for 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood' |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/tv-radio/2013/09/02/A-very-Fred-ish-birthday-for-Daniel-Tiger-s-Neighborhood/stories/201309020110 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |accessdate=June 14, 2019}}</ref> − − Rogers' style and approach to children's television and early childhood education also "begged to be parodied".<ref>{{cite web |title=Pioneers of Television: Fred Rogers |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-people/fred-rogers/ |website=PBS.org |accessdate=June 14, 2019 |date=2014}}</ref> Comedian [[Eddie Murphy]] parodied ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' during the 1980s.<ref name="king-266"/><ref name="burnsnpr"/> Rogers told interviewer [[David Letterman]] in 1982 that he believed parodies like Murphy's were done "with kindness in their hearts".<ref>King, p. 267.</ref> − − Video of Rogers' 1969 testimony in defense of public programming has experienced a resurgence since 2012, going [[Viral video|viral]] at least twice. It first resurfaced after then presidential candidate [[Mitt Romney]] suggested cutting funding for PBS.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2017/03/17/Mister-Rogers-testimony-Trump-budget-cuts-Pittsburgh-PBS-kids-shows/stories/201703180040 |title=Fred Rogers re-emerges as champion for PBS |last=Eberson |first=Sharon |date=March 17, 2019 |website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |language=en|url-status=live|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://slate.com/culture/2012/10/mister-rogers-senate-testimony-defending-pbs-watch-video.html |title=Watch Mister Rogers Defend PBS In Front of the U.S. Senate |last=Harris |first=Aisha |date=October 5, 2012 |website=Slate Magazine |language=en|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref> In 2017, video of the testimony again went viral after President [[Donald Trump]] proposed defunding several arts-related government programs including PBS and the [[National Endowment for the Arts]].<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mr-rogers-pbs-budget-cuts_n_58ca8d6fe4b0be71dcf1d440 |title=The Best Argument For Saving Public Media Was Made By Mr. Rogers In 1969 |last=Strachan |first=Maxwell |date=March 16, 2017 |website=HuffPost |language=en|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref> − − In 2018, ''[[Won't You Be My Neighbor? (film)|Won't You Be My Neighbor?]]'', director [[Morgan Neville]]'s documentary about Rogers' life, grossed over $22 million and became the top-grossing biographical documentary ever produced, the highest-grossing documentary in five years, and the 12th largest-grossing documentary ever produced.<ref name="gibson"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=McNary |first1=Dave |title='Won't You Be My Neighbor', 'RBG' Nab Producers Guild Documentary Nominations |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/producers-guild-documentary-nominations-2019-1203033482/ |accessdate=August 18, 2019 |work=Variety |date=November 20, 2019}}</ref> The 2019 drama film ''[[A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood]]'' tells the story of Rogers and his television series, with [[Tom Hanks]] portraying Rogers. − − According to Caitlin Gibson of ''The Washington Post'', Rogers became a source for parenting advice; she called him "a timeless oracle against a backdrop of ever-shifting parenting philosophies and cultural trends".<ref name="gibson">{{cite news |last1=Gibson |first1=Caitlin |title=How Mister Rogers became a timeless oracle of parenting wisdom |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/on-parenting/how-mister-rogers-became-a-timeless-oracle-of-parenting-wisdom/2019/08/10/810f79dc-b488-11e9-951e-de024209545d_story.html?wpisrc=nl_optimist&wpmm=1 |accessdate=August 18, 2019 |work=Washington Post |date=August 12, 2019}}</ref> Robert Thompson of [[Syracuse University]] noted that Rogers "took American childhood—and I think Americans in general—through some very turbulent and trying times",<ref name="burnsnpr"/> from the [[Vietnam War]] and the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968, to the [[September 11 attacks|9/11 attacks in 2001]]. According to Asia Simone Burns of [[National Public Radio]], in the years following the end of production on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' in 2001, and his death in 2003, Rogers became "a source of comfort, sometimes in the wake of tragedy".<ref name="burnsnpr">{{cite news |last1=Burns |first1=Asia Simone |title=Mister Rogers Still Lives In Your Neighborhood |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/02/18/584669284/mister-rogers-still-lives-in-your-neighborhood |accessdate=June 14, 2019 |work=NPR.org |date=February 18, 2018}}</ref> Burns has said Rogers' words of comfort "began circulating on social media"<ref name="burnsnpr"/> following tragedies such as the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting]] in 2012, the [[Manchester Arena bombing]] in Manchester, England in 2017, and the [[Stoneman Douglas High School shooting|shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School]] in Parkland, Florida in 2018. − − ===Awards and honors=== − {| class="wikitable sortable" − |- − ! scope="col" | Year − ! scope="col" | Honor − ! class="unsortable" scope="col" | Notes − ! class="unsortable" scope="col" | Ref. − |- − | 1975 − | [[Ralph Lowell]] Award − | Given by the [[Corporation for Public Broadcasting]] in recognition of "outstanding contributions and achievements to public television". − | <ref>{{cite web |title=Public Media Awards: Ralph Lowell Award |url=https://www.cpb.org/aboutpb/awards/lowell/ |publisher=Corporation for Public Broadcasting |accessdate=July 21, 2019}}</ref> − |- − | 1987 − | Honorary member, [[Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia]] − | Fraternity for male musicians who have adopted music as a career. − − | <ref>{{cite web |title=Famous Sinfonians |url=http://winthrop.sinfonia.org/famous-sinfonians |publisher=Nu Kappa Fraternity |accessdate=July 28, 2019 |location=Rock Hill, South Carolina}}</ref> − |- − | 1991 − | [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] Celebrity Captain − | Part of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL)'s 75th anniversary. Rogers was one of 12 celebrity captains to be selected for the 1992 [[Pro Set trading cards|Pro Set]] Platinum collection. − | <ref>{{cite news |title=Can you say…captain?|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=October 7, 1991|volume=65|number=58|page=1|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19911007&id=jtlRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SG4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3150,2070580|accessdate=July 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sal |first1=Barry |date=March 21, 2016 |url=http://puckjunk.com/2016/03/21/mister-rogers-had-a-hockey-card/ |title=Mister Rogers' Hockey Card |publisher=Puck Junk |accessdate=July 22, 2019}}</ref> − |- − | 1992 − | [[Peabody Award]] − | Awarded "in recognition of 25 years of beautiful days in the neighborhood".<ref>{{cite web |title=Personal Award: Fred Rogers |url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/personal-award-fred-rogers |publisher=Peabody Awards |accessdate=July 21, 2019}}</ref> − | <ref>{{cite news |last1=Sciullo |first1=Maria |title=2018 Peabody Awards honor The Fred Rogers Company |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2018/04/19/Fred-Rogers-Company-Peabody-Award/stories/201804190108 |accessdate=July 21, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=April 19, 2018}}</ref> − |- − | 1995 − | National Patron, [[Delta Omicron]] − | Awarded by the international professional music fraternity, to musicians who have attained "a national reputation in his or her field".<ref>{{cite web |title=National Patrons & Patronesses |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317051706/http://www.delta-omicron.org/national/patrons.html#R |publisher=Delta Omicron |accessdate=July 21, 2019}}</ref> − | <ref>{{cite journal |editor1-last=Fetters |editor1-first=Elizabeth Rusch |title=Mr. Rogers Golden Anniversary |journal=The Wheel: Educational Journal of Delta Omicron |date=Spring 2018 |volume=108 |issue=1 |page=28 |url=https://www.delta-omicron.org/file/9/Spring%202018.pdf |accessdate=July 21, 2019}}</ref> − |- − | 1999 − | Television Hall of Fame inductee − | [[Jeff Erlanger]] appeared during ceremony as a surprise guest. − | <ref>{{cite news |last1=Owen |first1=Rob |title=Obituary: Jeffrey Erlanger / Quadriplegic who endeared himself to Mister Rogers |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2007/06/14/Obituary-Jeffrey-Erlanger-Quadriplegic-who-endeared-himself-to-Mister-Rogers/stories/200706140325 |accessdate=July 21, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=June 14, 2017}}</ref> − |- − | 2002 − | [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] − | The highest American civilian honor; awarded by President [[George W. Bush]]. − | <ref>{{cite web |title=Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients |url=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/two_column_table/Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom_Recipients.htm |publisher=United States Senate |accessdate=July 22, 2019}}</ref> − <ref>{{cite news |last1=McFeatters |first1=Ann |title=Fred Rogers gets Presidential Medal of Freedom |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/ae/20020710fredrogersp1.asp |accessdate=July 22, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=July 10, 2002}}</ref> − |- − | 2002 − | [[Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service|Common Wealth Award]] − | Given by [[PNC Financial Services]], "celebrating the best of human achievement". − | <ref>{{cite press release |title=PNC Honors Six Achievers Who Enrich The World |url=http://pnc.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=3473&item=73673 |publisher=PNC Media Room |location=Wilmington, Delaware |accessdate=July 22, 2019}}</ref> − |- − | 2003 − | [[International Astronomical Union]] asteroid designation − | Asteroid [[26858 Misterrogers]] named in Rogers' honor, discovered by [[Eleanor Helin]] in 1993. − | <ref>{{cite web |title=(26858) Misterrogers = 1952 SU = 1993 FR = 2000 EK107 |website=IAU Minor Planet Center |publisher=International Astronomical Union |url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=26858 |accessdate=July 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Asteroid is named after Mister Rogers |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-may-03-et-quick3-story.html |accessdate=July 22, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |agency=Associated Press |date=May 3, 2003}}</ref> − |- − | 2008 − | "Sweater Day" − | Tribute to Rogers on what would have been his 80th birthday (March 20), by FCI. People all over the world were encouraged to wear a sweater honoring Rogers' legacy and the final event in a six-day celebration in Pittsburgh. − | <ref name="today">{{cite news |title=Wear a sweater, honor Mr. Rogers |url=http://www.today.com/id/23370703/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/wear-sweater-honor-mr-rogers/#.XTKiFehKjIU |accessdate=July 20, 2019 |work=Today.com |agency=Associated Press |date=February 27, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McCoy |first1=Adrian |title=Sweater day to honor Mister Rogers |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/2008/02/27/Sweater-day-to-honor-Mister-Rogers/stories/200802270300 |accessdate=July 20, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 27, 2008}}</ref> − |- − | 2015 − | "Sweater drive" − | Rogers honored by the [[Altoona Curve]], a [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] affiliate of the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]]. The team wore commemorative jerseys that featured a printed facsimile of Rogers' cardigan and tie ensemble, and then were auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the local PBS station, [[WPSU-TV]]. − | <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/06/11/pittsburgh-pirates-minor-league-mr-rogers-uniforms |title=Minor league team honors Mr. Rogers with cardigan uniforms |date=June 11, 2015 |accessdate=July 24, 2019 |work=Sports Illustrated |first=Brendan |last=Maloy}}</ref> − |- − | 2018 − | Stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service − | Dedicated on March 23 at WQED. − | <ref>{{cite web |title=Mister Rogers Forever Stamp dedicated today |url=https://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2018/pr18_022.htm |publisher=United States Postal Service |accessdate=July 24, 2019 |date=March 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hauser |first1=Christine |title=A Mister Rogers Postage Stamp, and a Legacy That's Anything but Make-Believe |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/arts/mister-rogers-stamp.html |accessdate=July 24, 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=February 13, 2018}}</ref> − |- − | 2018 − | [[Google Doodle]] − | In honor of the 51st anniversary of the premiere of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (September 21). Created in collaboration with Fred Rogers Productions, The Fred Rogers Center, and BixPix Entertainment. − | <ref>{{cite web |title=Celebrating Mister Rogers |url=https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-mister-rogers |website=Google.com |accessdate=July 24, 2019 |date=September 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Elassar |first1=Alaa |last2=Muaddi |first2=Nadeem |title=Today's Google Doodle is a heartwarming tribute to Mr. Rogers |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/21/entertainment/fred-rogers-google-doodle-trnd/index.html |accessdate=July 24, 2019 |work=CNN |date=September 21, 2018}}</ref> − |} − [[File:FredRogersStatueinPittsburghPA.jpg|thumb|Memorial statue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, created by [[Robert Berks]], opened to the public on November 5, 2009]] − [[File:President George W. Bush Presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award to Fred Rogers.jpg|thumb|right|Rogers being presented the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by President [[George W. Bush]] in the East Room of the White House on July 9, 2002]] − − ====Museum exhibits==== − − * [[Smithsonian Institution]] permanent collection. In 1984, Rogers donated one of his sweaters to the Smithsonian.<ref name="highlights"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Mister Rogers' Sweater |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_680637 |publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of American History |accessdate=July 21, 2019}}</ref> − * [[Children's Museum of Pittsburgh]]. Exhibit created by Rogers and FCI in 1998. It attracted hundreds of thousand of visitors over 10 years, and included, from ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', one of his sweaters, a pair of his sneakers, original puppets from the program, and photographs of Rogers. The exhibit traveled to children's museums throughout the country for eight years until it was given to the Louisiana Children's Museum in New Orleans as a permanent exhibit, to help them recover from [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005. In 2007, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh created a traveling exhibit based on the factory tours featured in episodes of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lorando |first1=Mark |title=Mister Rogers to open a New Orleans neighborhood |url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/article_d7e9f16a-e900-54ea-a154-d1c18d91d78e.html |accessdate=July 24, 2019 |work=The Times-Picayune |date=June 19, 2017 |location=New Orleans, Louisiana}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Kids explore exhibit featuring Mister Rogers |url=https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Kids-explore-exhibit-featuring-Mister-Rogers-490671631.html |accessdate=July 24, 2019 |work=WCAX.com |date=August 12, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hamill |first1=Sean D. |title=It's Still a Beautiful Day in His Neighborhood |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/us/17pittsburgh.html |accessdate=July 24, 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=March 16, 2010}}</ref> − * [[Heinz History Center]] permanent collection (2018). In honor of the 50th anniversary of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' and what would have been Rogers' 90th birthday.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McMarlin |first1=Shirley |title=New Mister Rogers 50th anniversary display opens March 20 at Heinz History Center |url=https://archive.triblive.com/aande/museums/new-mister-rogers-50th-anniversary-display-opens-march-20-at-heinz-history-center/ |accessdate=July 23, 2019 |work=Trib Total Media |date=March 19, 2018}}</ref> − − ====Art pieces==== − − There are several pieces of art dedicated to Rogers throughout Pittsburgh, including a 7,000-pound, 11-foot high bronze statue of him in the North Shore neighborhood. In the [[Oakland (Pittsburgh)|Oakland]] neighborhood, his portrait is included in the [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and "Interpretations of Oakland" murals. A statue of a dinosaur titled "Fredasaurus Rex Friday XIII" originally stood in front of the WQED building and as of 2014 stands in front of the building that contains the Fred Rogers Company offices. There is a "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood of Make-Believe" in [[Idlewild Park]] and a kiosk of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' artifacts at [[Pittsburgh International Airport]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Visual Legacy |url=https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/January-2015/Visual-Legacy/ |accessdate=July 23, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Magazine |date=December 18, 2014}}</ref> − − ====Honorary degrees==== − − Rogers has received honorary degrees from over 43 colleges and universities. After 1973, two commemorative quilts, created by two of Rogers' friends and archived at the Fred Rogers Center at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, were made out of the academic hoods he received during the graduation ceremonies.<ref name="thiel">{{cite news |last1=Erdley |first1=Debra |title=Thiel College remembers Mister Rogers |url=https://archive.triblive.com/local/regional/13456243-74/thiel-college-remembers-mister-rogers |accessdate=July 14, 2019 |work=Tribune-Review |date=March 23, 2018 |location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania}}</ref><ref name="quilt">{{cite web |title=Academic Hood Quilt |url=https://www.fredrogerscenter.org/portfolio_page/academic-hood-quilt/ |website=Fred Rogers Center |accessdate=July 15, 2019 |location=Latrobe, Pennsylvania |date=2018}}</ref> − − ''Note: Much of the below list is taken from "Honorary Degrees Awarded to Fred Rogers",<ref>{{cite web |last1=Newell |first1=David |last2=Hamilton |first2=Lisa Belcher |title=Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Program Notes: Honorary Degrees Awarded to Fred Rogers |url=http://digitalcollections.library.cmu.edu/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=578166 |publisher=Family Communications, Inc. |accessdate=July 14, 2019 |location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania}}</ref> unless otherwise stated.'' − {{Expand list|date=August 2019}}{{div col|colwidth=22em}} − * [[Thiel College]], 1969. Thiel also awards a yearly scholarship named for Rogers.<ref name="thiel"/> − * [[Eastern Michigan University]], 1973 − * [[Saint Vincent College]], 1973 − * [[Christian Theological Seminary]], 1973 − * [[Rollins College]], 1974 − * [[Yale University]], 1974<ref>{{cite news |last1=Powers |first1=Martine |title=Music student pens Mister Rogers score |url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2008/02/21/music-student-pens-mister-rogers-score/ |accessdate=July 15, 2019 |work=Yale Daily News |date=February 21, 2008}}</ref> − * [[University of Pittsburgh]], 1976 − * [[Carnegie Mellon University]], 1976 − * [[Lafayette College]], 1977<ref name="lehighvalley">{{cite news |last1=Muschick |first1=Paul |title=What celebrities have honorary degrees from Lehigh Valley colleges? |url=https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-honorary-degrees-desales-moravian-muhlenberg-lafayette-muschick-20180502-story.html |accessdate=July 16, 2019 |work=The Morning Call |date=May 7, 2018 |location=Allentown, Pennsylvania}}</ref> − * [[Pittsburgh Theological Seminary]], 1978 − * [[Waynesburg University]], 1978 − * [[Linfield College]], 1982<ref>{{cite news |title=Linfield College Honorary PhD Announcement |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=11812279&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjE5OTU1NDc4MSwiaWF0IjoxNTYzMzEyNzk3LCJleHAiOjE1NjMzOTkxOTd9.R_UKXpU_lLb0CWu-eCMh2HlTfKoBwLlkof1JnjAhsqY |accessdate=July 16, 2019 |work=Statesman Journal |date=May 27, 1982 |location=Salem, Oregon |page=58}}</ref> − * [[Slippery Rock State College]], 1982<ref>{{cite journal |title=World Premiere II: Even More Magical |journal=The Rock Magazine |date=Spring 2004 |page=6 |url=http://rockpride.sru.edu/issuu/pdf/TheRockSpring04.pdf |accessdate=July 16, 2019 |location=Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania}}</ref> − * [[Duquesne University]], 1982 − * [[Washington & Jefferson College]], 1984 − * [[University of South Carolina]], 1985 − * [[Hobart and William Smith Colleges]], 1985 − * [[Bowling Green State University]], 1987<ref>{{cite news |last1=Obereigner |first1=Dagmar |title=Father Jenco, Mister Rogers Among Graduation Speakers |url=https://www.apnews.com/045d8f7af45ac61971220e8d8c494bd5 |accessdate=July 16, 2019 |work=AP News |agency=Associated Press |date=May 9, 1987}}</ref> − * [[University of Connecticut]], 1991<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://honorarydegree.uconn.edu/honorary-degree-recipients/1990s/ |title=Honorary Degree Recipients—1990s |publisher=University of Connecticut |accessdate=July 17, 2019 |date=August 29, 2016}}</ref> − * [[Boston University]], 1992<ref>{{cite news |title=BU Yesterday |url=https://www.bu.edu/bridge/archive/2001/09-14/bu-yesterday.html |accessdate=July 17, 2019 |work=B.U. Bridge |publisher=Boston University Office of University Relations |volume=5 |number=5 |date=September 14, 2001}}</ref> − * [[Moravian College]], 1992<ref name="lehighvalley"/> − * [[West Virginia University]], 1995<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/413703/WV-UNIVERSITY-TO-HONOR-A-NEIGHBOR-MR-ROGERS.html |title=W.V. University to Honor a Neighbor: Mr. Rogers |date=April 6, 1995 |work=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |accessdate=July 17, 2019}}</ref> − * [[Edinboro University of Pennsylvania]], 1998<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://edinboro.edu/news/detail.html?inode=6d993663-5526-48d0-afb1-edb24721aa38 |title=Pa. Physician General, nearly 800 EU students receive degrees |website=edinboro.edu |publisher=Edinboro University |accessdate=July 17, 2019}}</ref> − * [[Rider University]], 1999<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.rider.edu/offices-services/commencement/lawrenceville-commencement/honorary-degree-recipients |title=Honorary Degree Recipients |date=August 27, 2010 |publisher=Rider University |location=Lawrenceville, New Jersey |accessdate=July 17, 2019}}</ref> − * [[Marist College]], 1999<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/23/nyregion/commencement-fordham-class-hears-magician-and-peacemaker.html |title=Commencement; Fordham Class Hears Magician and Peacemaker |work=The New York Times |date=May 23, 1999 |page=1001036 |accessdate=July 17, 2019}}</ref> − * [[Old Dominion University]], 2000<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.odu.edu/news/news-archive/2000/05/MISTERROGERSO_5190#.XZvt40ZKiUk |title=Mister Rogers of PBS Fame Gives Old Dominion Graduates Advice for Life |accessdate=October 7, 2019 |publisher=Old Dominion University |location=Norfolk, Virginia |date=July 3, 2014}}</ref> − * [[Marquette University]], 2001<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.marquette.edu/universityhonors/speakers-rogers.shtml |title=Honorary Degrees:Fred Rogers |publisher=Marquette University |date=2001 |location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin |accessdate=July 17, 2019}}</ref> − * [[Dartmouth College]], 2002<ref name="quilt"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Horgan |first1=Denis |title=Mr. Rogers Has Mean Neighbors at Dartmouth |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2002-06-09-0206093818-story.html |accessdate=July 17, 2019 |work=The Hartford Courant |date=June 9, 2002 |location=Hartford, Connecticut}}</ref> − * [[Seton Hill University]], 2003 (posthumous)<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/Seton-Hall-Will-Have-Tribute-to-Rogers-7351821.php |title=Seton Hall Will Have Tribute to Rogers |date=April 17, 2003 |work=Huron Daily Tribune |location=Bad Axe, Michigan |accessdate=July 17, 2019}}</ref> − * [[Union College]], 2003 (posthumous)<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://muse.union.edu/newsarchives/2003/06/15/joanne-rogers-accepts-husbands-41st-honorary-degree/ |title=Joanne Rogers accepts husband's 41st honorary degree |date=June 15, 2003 |work=Union College News Archives |location=Schenectady, New York |accessdate=July 17, 2019}}</ref> − * [[Roanoke College]], 2003 (posthumous)<ref name="quilt"/> − {{div col end}} − − ==Filmography== − ===Television=== − − {|class="wikitable sortable" − |- − ! Year − ! Title − |- − | 1954–1961 − | ''The Children's Corner''<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=swv53KTLriAC&pg=PA2&dq=%22Children's+Corner%22+%221954%22+%221961%22 |title=Air Wars: The Fight to Reclaim Public Broadcasting |last=Starr |first=Jerold M. |date=2001 |publisher=Temple University Press |isbn=978-1-56639-913-5 |pages=2 |language=en}}</ref> − |- − | 1963–1966 − − | ''Misterogers<ref name=":1" />'' − |- − | 1964–1967 − | ''[[Butternut Square]]''<ref name=":1" /> − |- − | 1968–2001 − | ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]<ref name=":1" />'' − − |- − | 1977–1982 − | ''Christmastime with Mister Rogers''<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ceI-AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1972&dq=%22Christmastime+with+Mister+Rogers%22+%221977%22 |title=Mister Rogers: A Biography of the Wonderful Life of Fred Rogers |last=Warner |first=Jennifer |date=August 8, 2013 |publisher=BookCaps Study Guides |isbn=978-1-62917-046-6 |language=en}}</ref> − |- − | 1978–1981 − − | ''Old Friends{{nbsp}}... New Friends''<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AIAUAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Old+Friends,+New+Friends%22+%221978+to+1981%22 |title=Encyclopedia of World Biography: Supplement |date=2001 |publisher=Gale Research |isbn=978-0-7876-2945-8|editor-last=Bourgoin|editor-first=Suzanne Michele |pages=354 |language=en|editor-last2=Byers|editor-first2=Paula Kay}}</ref> − |- − | 1981 − − | ''[[Sesame Street]]''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.avclub.com/why-not-punch-yourself-in-the-gut-with-this-picture-of-1835533915 |title=Why not punch yourself in the gut with this picture of Elmo looking sadly at Mr. Rogers' old sweater? |last=Hughes |first=William |date=June 14, 2019 |website=AV Club News |language=en-US|url-status=live|access-date=November 17, 2019}}</ref> − |- − | 1988 − − | ''[[Good Night, Little Ones!]]''<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qFmBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA90&dq=%22Good+Night,+Little+Ones%22+%22Fred+Rogers%22+%221988%22 |title=Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: A Visual History |last=Fred Rogers Productions |last2=Lybarger |first2=Tim |last3=Wagner |first3=Melissa |last4=McGuiggan |first4=Jenna |date=October 29, 2019 |publisher=Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale |isbn=978-1-9848-2622-0 |pages=90–91 |language=en}}</ref> − |- − − | 1991 − − | ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' − − |- − | 1994 − − |[[Mr. Dressup|''Mr. Dressup''<nowiki/>'s 25th Anniversary]]'' − − |- − | 1994 − − | ''Fred Rogers' Heroes''<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JUzIAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1949&dq=%22Heroes%22+%22Fred+Rogers%22+%221994%22 |title=Encyclopedia of Television |last=Williams-Rautiolla |first=Suzanne |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-19479-6|editor-last=Newcomb|editor-first=Horace |pages=1949 |language=en}}</ref> − − |- − | 1996 − − | ''[[Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman]]''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-02-02-ca-31543-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 2, 1996 |accessdate=November 16, 2019 |title=Mister Rogers Pays a Visit to 'Dr. Quinn'}}</ref> − − |- − | 1997 − − | ''[[Arthur (season 2)#ep31a|Arthur]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/arthur/episode-1-season-2/arthur-meets-mister-rogers/194495/ |publisher=TV Guide |accessdate=November 16, 2019 |title=Arthur}}</ref> − − |- − | 1998 − | ''[[Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]''<ref>{{cite tweet |number=1043299316473856000 |user=WheelofFortune |date=September 21, 2018 |accessdate=November 16, 2019 |title=In honor of Mister Rogers' 51st anniversary, here's one of our favorite memories—when he visited our neighborhood on #WheelOfFortune!}}</ref> − |- − | 2003 − | ''[[Rose Parade|114th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade]]''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/2002/12/29/this-weeks-picks/4f4d971e-f349-41d3-b91a-db7360fe5611/ |work=The Washington Post |title=This Week's Picks |date=December 29, 2002 |accessdate=November 16, 2019}}</ref> − |} − − ==Published works== − ===Children's books=== − − * ''Our Small World'' (with Josie Carey, illustrated by Norb Nathanson), 1954, Reed and Witting, {{OCLC|236163646}} − * ''The Elves, the Shoemaker, & the Shoemaker's Wife'' (illustrated by Richard Hefter), 1973, Small World Enterprises, {{OCLC|969517}} − * ''The Matter of the Mittens'', 1973, Small World Enterprises, {{OCLC|983991}} − * ''Speedy Delivery'' (illustrated by Richard Hefter), 1973, Hubbard, {{OCLC|11464480}} − * ''Henrietta Meets Someone New'' (illustrated by Jason Art Studios), 1974, Golden Press, {{OCLC|950967676}} − * ''Mister Rogers Talks About'', 1974, [[Platt & Munk]], {{OCLC|1093164}} − * ''Time to Be Friends'', 1974, [[Hallmark Cards]], {{OCLC|1694547}} − * ''Everyone is Special'' (illustrated by Jason Art Studios), 1975, [[Western Publishing]], {{OCLC|61280957}} − * ''Tell Me, Mister Rogers'', 1975, Platt & Munk, {{OCLC|1525780}}<!-- − * ''Trolley Golden Shape Book'' (illustrated by Jason Art Studios), 1975--> − * ''The Costume Party'' (illustrated by Jason Art Studios), 1976, Golden Press, {{OCLC|3357187}} − * ''Planet Purple'' (illustrated by Dennis Hockerman), 1986, [[Texas Instruments]], {{ISBN|978-0-89512-092-2}} − * ''If We Were All the Same'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1987, [[Random House]], {{OCLC|15083194}} − * ''A Trolley Visit to Make-Believe'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1987, Random House, {{OCLC|17237650}} − * ''Wishes Don't Make Things Come True'' (illustrated Pat Sustendal), 1987, Random House, {{OCLC|15196769}} − * ''No One Can Ever Take Your Place'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1988, Random House, {{OCLC|990550735}} − * ''When Monsters Seem Real'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1988, Random House, {{OCLC|762290817}} − * ''You Can Never Go Down the Drain'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1988, Random House, {{ISBN|978-0-394-80430-9}} − * ''The Giving Box'' (illustrated by Jennifer Herbert), 2000, Running Press, {{OCLC|45616325}} − * ''Good Weather or Not'' (with Hedda Bluestone Sharapan, illustrated by James Mellet), 2005, [[Family Communications]], {{OCLC|31597516}} − * ''Josephine the Short Neck-Giraffe'', 2006, Family Communications, {{OCLC|1048459379}} − * ''A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers Neighborhood'' (illustrated by Luke Flowers), 2009, [[Quirk Books]], {{OCLC|1042097615}} − ;First Experiences series illustrated by Jim Judkis: − * ''Going to Day Care'', 1985, [[G. P. Putnam's Sons|Putnam]], {{OCLC|11397421}} − * ''The New Baby'', 1985, Putnam, {{OCLC|11470082}} − * ''Going to the Potty'', 1986, Putnam, {{OCLC|1123224708}} − * ''Going to the Doctor'', 1986, Putnam, {{OCLC|12751383}} − * ''Making Friends'', 1987, Putnam, {{OCLC|1016110382}} − * ''Moving'', 1987, Putnam, {{OCLC|13526459}} − * ''Going to the Hospital'', 1988, Putnam, {{OCLC|16472458}} − * ''When a Pet Dies'', 1988, Putnam, {{OCLC|16130718}} − * ''Going on an Airplane'', 1989, Putnam, {{OCLC|18589040}} − * ''Going to the Dentist'', 1989, Putnam, {{OCLC|17954325}} − ;Let's Talk About It series: − * ''Going to the Hospital''<!-- (illustrated by William Panos)-->, 1977, Family Communications, {{OCLC|11287782}} − * ''Having an Operation''<!-- (illustrated by Ruth Brunner-Strosser)-->, 1977, Family Communications, {{OCLC|11394237}} − * ''So Many Things To See!''<!-- (illustrated by Lynn Dahoney)-->, 1977, Family Communications, {{OCLC|704507774}} − * ''Wearing a Cast''<!-- (illustrated by George Gaadt)-->, 1977, Family Communications, {{OCLC|11287804}} − * ''Adoption'', 1993, Putnam, {{OCLC|608811678}} − * ''Divorce'', 1994, Putnam, {{OCLC|228437876}} − * ''Extraordinary Friends'', 2000, Putnam, {{OCLC|40838701}} − * ''Stepfamilies'', 2001, Putnam, {{OCLC|35192315}} − − ===Songbooks=== − − * ''Tomorrow on the Children's Corner'' (with Josie Carey, illustrated by Mal Wittman), 1960, Vernon Music Corporation, {{OCLC|12316162}} − * ''Mister Rogers' Songbook'' (with Johnny Costa, illustrated by Steven Kellogg), 1970, Random House, {{OCLC|34224058}}<!-- − * ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (Five Finger Pattern Piano)'', 1984 − * ''Mister Rogers' Songbook (Big Note Piano)'', 1984 − * ''Mister Rogers' Songbook (Easy Piano)'', 1997 − * ''Mister Rogers' Songbook (EZ Play)'', 2018--> − − ===Books for adults=== − − * ''Mister Rogers Talks to Parents''<!-- (with Barry Head, illustrated by Jim Prokell)-->, 1983, Family Communications, {{OCLC|704903806}} − * ''Mister Rogers' Playbook'' (with Barry Head, illustrated by Jamie Adams), 1986, [[Berkley Books]], {{OCLC|1016158916}} − * ''Mister Rogers Talks with Families About Divorce'' (with Clare O'Brien), 1987, Berkley Books, {{OCLC|229152864}} − * ''Mister Rogers' How Families Grow'' (with Barry Head and Jim Prokell), 1988, Berkley Books, {{OCLC|20133117}} − * ''You Are Special: Words of Wisdom from America's Most Beloved Neighbor'', 1994, [[Penguin Books]], {{OCLC|1007556599}} − * ''Dear Mister Rogers'', 1996, Penguin Books, {{OCLC|1084686063}} − * ''Mister Rogers' Playtime'', 2001, [[Running Press]], {{OCLC|48118722}} − * ''The Mister Rogers Parenting Book'', 2002, Running Press, {{OCLC|50757046}} − * ''You are special: Neighborly Wisdom from Mister Rogers'', 2002, Running Press, {{OCLC|50402664}} − * ''The World According to Mister Rogers'', 2003, [[Hyperion Books]], {{OCLC|52520625}} − * ''Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers'', 2005, Hyperion Books, {{OCLC|56686439}} − * ''The Mister Rogers Parenting Resource Book'', 2005, [[Courage Books]], {{OCLC|60452524}} − * ''Many Ways to Say I Love You: Wisdom For Parents And Children'', 2019, [[Hachette Books]], {{OCLC|1082231639}} − − ==Discography== − − * ''Around the Children's Corner'' (with Josey Carey), 1958, Vernon Music Corporation, {{OCLC|12310040}} − * ''Tomorrow on the Children's Corner'' (with Josie Carey), 1959<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i_G4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA131 |title=Horne's: The Best Place to Shop After All |last=Savage |first=Letitia Stuart |date=November 18, 2019 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-4671-3835-2 |pages=131 |language=en}}</ref> − * ''King Friday XIII Celebrates'', 1964<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39155656/misterogers_neighborhood_of/ |title=Misterogers' neighborhood of make-believe is on records |date=June 13, 1964 |work=The Ottawa Citizen |department=TV Weekly |pages=22 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> − * ''Won't You Be My Neighbor?'', 1967<ref name="H. W. Wilson">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kvgZAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Won't+You+Be+My+Neighbor?%22 |title=Current Biography Yearbook |date=1972 |publisher=H. W. Wilson Company |pages=355 |language=en}}</ref> − * ''Let's Be Together Today'', 1968<ref name="H. W. Wilson" /> − * ''Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe'', 1969<ref name="H. W. Wilson" /> − * ''You Are Special'', 1969<ref name="H. W. Wilson" /> − * ''A Place of Our Own'', 1970<ref name="H. W. Wilson" /> − * ''Come On and Wake Up'', 1972<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kbw7nzfOgQsC |title=Biography Today Performing Artists: Profiles of People of Interest to Young Readers |date=February 1, 2004 |publisher=Omnigraphics Incorporated |isbn=978-0-7808-0709-9|editor-last=Abbey|editor-first=Cherie D. |pages=126 |language=en|editor-last2=Hillstrom|editor-first2=Kevin}}</ref><!-- − * ''21 Favorite Songs From Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', 1973 − * ''Mister Rogers Sings For Those Times When{{nbsp}}...'', 1973--> − * ''Growing'', 1992<ref name=":3" /> − * ''Bedtime'', 1992<ref name=":2" /> − * ''Won't You Be My Neighbor?'' (cassette and book), 1994, [[Hal Leonard LLC|Hal Leonard]], {{OCLC|36965578}} − * ''Coming and Going'', 1997<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iQ0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA70 |title=Almost 30, 'Neighborhood' Is Still Central To Kids' TV; Youngheart Eyes Mainstream |last=McCormick |first=Moira |date=January 31, 1998 |work=Billboard|access-date=November 17, 2019 |pages=70}}</ref> − − ==See also== − − * ''[[Won't You Be My Neighbor? (film)|Won't You Be My Neighbor?]]'', 2018 documentary − * ''[[A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood]]'', 2019 biographical film − * [[List of vegetarians]] − − ==Notes== − − {{reflist|group=note}} − − ==References== − − {{Reflist}} − − ==Works cited== − − * Gross, Terry (1984). [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1178498 "Terry Gross and Fred Rogers".] ''Fresh Air''. NPR. − * King, Maxwell (2018). [https://books.google.com/books?id=aNdQDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PT269#v=onepage&q&f=false ''The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers''.] Abrams Press. {{ISBN|978-1-68335-349-2}}. − * Tiech, John (2012). ''Pittsburgh Film History: On Set in the Steel City''. Charleston, North Carolina: The History Press. {{ISBN|978-1-60949-709-5}}. − − ==External links== − − {{Commons category}} − {{Wikiquote}} − * {{IMDb name|0736872}} − * {{findagrave|7216800}} − * [http://pbskids.org/rogers/ PBS Kids: Official Site] − * [http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/ The Fred M. Rogers Center] − * [http://www.fci.org/ The Fred Rogers Company] (formerly known as Family Communications) − * {{emmytvlegends name|fred-rogers}} − * {{Cite news |title=It's a Beautiful 50th Birthday for 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' |date=February 19, 2018 |work=[[Fresh Air]] |publisher=[[NPR]]}} 1984 interview with Fred Rogers. − * [https://sites.google.com/site/pittsburghmusichistory/pittsburgh-music-story/pop/fred-rogers The Music of Mister Rogers—Pittsburgh Music History] − * [http://voicechasers.com/database/showactor.php?actorid=6391 Fred Rogers at Voice Chasers] − * {{C-SPAN|Fred Rogers}} − − {{Mister Rogers' Neighborhood}} − {{Navboxes − | title = Awards for Fred Rogers − | list = − {{Daytime Emmy Award Lifetime Achievement}} − {{Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming}} − {{TCA Career Achievement Award}} − {{1999 Television Hall of Fame}} − }} − {{Authority control}} − − {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Fred}} − − [[Category:2003 deaths]] − [[Category:20th-century American composers]] − [[Category:20th-century American singers]] − [[Category:20th-century Presbyterians]] − [[Category:21st-century Presbyterians]] − [[Category:American male composers]] − [[Category:American male singers]] − [[Category:American male television actors]] − [[Category:American male voice actors]] − [[Category:American puppeteers]] − [[Category:American Presbyterians]] − [[Category:American television personalities]] − [[Category:Burials in Pennsylvania]] − [[Category:Children's television presenters]] − [[Category:Christianity in Pittsburgh]] − [[Category:Dartmouth College alumni]] − [[Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners]] − [[Category:Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania]] − [[Category:Deaths from stomach cancer]] − [[Category:Male actors from Pittsburgh]] − [[Category:PBS people]] − [[Category:Peabody Award winners]] − [[Category:People from Latrobe, Pennsylvania]] − [[Category:Pittsburgh Theological Seminary alumni]] − [[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]] − [[Category:Rollins College alumni]] − [[Category:Songwriters from Pennsylvania]] − [[Category:Television personalities from Pittsburgh]] − [[Category:United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers]] − [[Category:Writers from Pittsburgh]] − [[Category:20th-century American male actors]] − [[Category:20th-century male singers]] − [[Category:Fred Rogers| ]] − [[Category:American anti-war activists]] − [[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
Reverted edits by LawfulLibertarian (talk) to last revision by Northwest
'''Frederick McFeely "Fred" Rogers''' (March 20, 1928 - February 27, 2003) was an American television personality, musician, puppeteer, writer, producer, and [[Presbyterian]] [[minister]]. He is best known for making the program, ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]'', which ran on [[National Educational Television]] and its successor [[PBS]] from 1968-2001.
He was from [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]] and of English, German, and Scottish descent. He was named after his maternal grandfather from [[Scotland]] named Frederick McFeely. His parents co-owned a Pittsburgh-based brick company. Mr. Rogers was very well known for his kind demeanor. He also never drank any alcoholic beverages nor did he use any tobacco product. He also never used profanity and was a vegetarian. Even though he supported [[gun control]] and was an [[environmentalist]], it should be noted that he was also against illegal drugs, [[gambling]], [[pornography]], and [[prostitution]]. There were rumors about him serving in the military during the [[Vietnam War]] and having tattoos covered by his sweater's sleeves. Both of these rumors were completely false as he appeared on television frequently during the war and he was very clean cut with no tattoos at all. He had two children of his own named James Byrd Rogers (born 1959) and John Frederick Rogers (born 1961). In 2003, he died of stomach cancer. Following his death, his production company, Family Communications, was renamed to The Fred Rogers Company and began production of new children's shows such as ''Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'' (an animated sequel to ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'').
[[Category:Presbyterians]]
[[Category:1928 births]]