Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series ''
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' deb ...
'', which ran from 1968 to 2001.
Born in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
The city population was 8,338 as of the 2010 census (9,265 in 1990). It is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ri ...
, near
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, Rogers earned a bachelor's degree in music from
Rollins College in 1951. He began his television career at
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
in New York, returning to Pittsburgh in 1953 to work for children's programming at NET (later
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
) television station
WQED. He graduated from
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) is a Presbyterian graduate seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1794, it houses one of the largest theological libraries in the tri-state area.
History
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary was formed ...
with a bachelor's degree in divinity in 1962 and became a Presbyterian minister in 1963. He attended the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
's Graduate School of Child Development, where he began his 30-year collaboration with child psychologist
Margaret McFarland
Margaret Beall McFarland (July 3, 1905 – September 12, 1988) was an American child psychologist and a consultant to the television show ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. She was the co-founder and director of the Arsenal Family and Children's Ce ...
. He also helped develop the children's shows ''The Children's Corner'' (1955) for
WQED in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
and ''Misterogers'' (1963) in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
for the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
. In 1968, he returned to Pittsburgh and adapted the format of his Canadian series to create ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.'' It ran for 33 years, and was critically acclaimed for focusing on children's emotional and physical concerns, such as death, sibling rivalry, school enrollment, and divorce.
Rogers died of stomach cancer in 2003, aged 74. His work in children's television has been widely lauded, and he received more than 40 honorary degrees and several awards, including the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
in 2002 and a
Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997. He was inducted into the
Television Hall of Fame
The Television Academy Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to U.S. television. The hall of fame was founded by former Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) president John H. Mitchell (1921–1988). ...
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
Rogers was born on March 20, 1928, at 705 Main Street in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
The city population was 8,338 as of the 2010 census (9,265 in 1990). It is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ri ...
, about outside of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
.
His father, James Hillis Rogers, was "a very successful businessman"
who was president of the McFeely Brick Company, one of Latrobe's largest businesses. His mother, Nancy (née McFeely),
knit
Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile, or fabric. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine.
Knitting creates stitches: loops of yarn in a row, either flat or i ...
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. Her father, Fred Brooks McFeely, after whom Rogers was named, was an
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...
.
Rogers grew up in a large three-story brick house at 737 Weldon Street in Latrobe.
[King (2018), p. 19.] He had a sister, Elaine, whom the Rogerses adopted when he was 11 years old.
Rogers spent much of his childhood alone, playing with puppets, and also spent time with his grandfather. He began playing the
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
when he was five.
Through an ancestor who immigrated from Germany to the U.S., Johannes Meffert (born 1732), Rogers is the sixth cousin of American actor
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
, who portrays him in the film ''
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
''A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'' is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say... Hero?" by Tom Junod, published in ...
'' (2019).
Rogers had a difficult childhood. Shy, introverted and overweight, he was frequently homebound after suffering bouts of
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
.
He was
bullied
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an im ...
as a child for his weight, and called "Fat Freddy".
According to
Morgan Neville
Morgan Neville (born October 10, 1967) is an American film producer, director and writer. His acclaimed film ''20 Feet from Stardom'' won him the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2014 as well as a Grammy Award for Best Music Film. ...
, director of the 2018 documentary ''
Won't You Be My Neighbor?'', Rogers had a "lonely childhood... I think he made friends with himself as much as he could. He had a
ventriloquist dummy
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...
, he had
tuffedanimals, and he would create his own worlds in his childhood bedroom".
![Photograph of Fred Rogers in the 1951 Tomokan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Photograph_of_Fred_Rogers_in_the_1951_Tomokan.jpg)
Rogers attended
Latrobe High School
, motto_translation = Strength and stability
, established =
, status = Open
, type = Government comprehensive secondary school
, gender = Co-educational
, educational_authority = Tasmanian Department of Education ...
, where he overcame his shyness.
"It was tough for me at the beginning," Rogers told NPR's
Terry Gross
Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of '' Fresh Air'', an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining N ...
in 1984. "And then I made a couple friends who found out that the core of me was okay. And one of them was... the head of the football team". He became president of the student council, a member of the
National Honor Society, and editor-in-chief of the school
yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...
.
He registered for the draft in
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city lies within the Laurel Highlands and the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau. The city is ...
in 1948 at age 20, where he was classified 1-A (available for military service).
[Celebrating Mr. Rogers at the National Archives](_blank)
U.S. National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...
. Retrieved September 14, 2021. However, his status was changed to unqualified for military service following an Armed Forces physical on October 12, 1950.
He attended
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
for one year before transferring to
Rollins College in
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Winter Park was f ...
,
where he graduated ''magna cum laude''
in 1951 with a Bachelor of Music.
He graduated ''magna cum laude'' from
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) is a Presbyterian graduate seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1794, it houses one of the largest theological libraries in the tri-state area.
History
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary was formed ...
in 1962 with a Bachelor of Divinity,
and was ordained a
minister by the Pittsburgh Presbytery of the
United Presbyterian Church in 1963. His mission as an ordained minister, rather than being a pastor of a church, was to minister to children and their families through television. He regularly appeared before church officials to maintain his ordination.
Career
Early work
Rogers wanted to enter
seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...
after college, 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. In a
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
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". After graduating in 1951, he worked at
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
in New York City as floor director of ''
Your Hit Parade
''Your Hit Parade'' was an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1953 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During its 24-year ru ...
'', ''
The Kate Smith Hour
Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith is well known for her renditions of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" & "When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain". ...
'', and
Gabby Hayes
Gabby is a given name, usually a short form of Gabriel or Gabrielle or Gabriella.
Gabby or Gabbie may refer to:
People with the name
* Gabby Chaves (born 1993), Colombian-American racing driver
* Guy Gabaldon (also "Gabby"; 1926–2006 ...
's children's show, and as an assistant producer of ''
The Voice of Firestone
''The Voice of Firestone'' was a radio and television program of classical music. The show featured leading singers in selections from opera and operetta. Originally titled ''The Firestone Hour'', it was first broadcast on the NBC Radio network ...
''.
![Josie Carey, Fred Rogers, and Various Puppets](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Josie_Carey%2C_Fred_Rogers%2C_and_Various_Puppets.jpg)
In 1953, Rogers returned to Pittsburgh to work as a program developer at
public television
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
station
WQED.
Josie Carey
Josephine Vicari Massucci Franz (August 20, 1930 – May 28, 2004), known by the stage name Josie Carey, was a lyricist and a host of several children's television shows.
Biography
Carey was born in Pittsburgh and raised in Butler, Pennsylvan ...
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), King Friday XIII, Queen Sara Saturday (named after Rogers's wife), X the Owl, Henrietta, and Lady Elaine, in his later work.
Children's television entertainer
Ernie Coombs was an assistant puppeteer.
''The Children's Corner'' won a
Sylvania Award for best locally produced children's programming in 1955 and was broadcast nationally on NBC.
While working on the show, Rogers attended
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) is a Presbyterian graduate seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1794, it houses one of the largest theological libraries in the tri-state area.
History
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary was formed ...
and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1963. He also attended the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
's Graduate School of Child Development,
where he began working with child psychologist
Margaret McFarland
Margaret Beall McFarland (July 3, 1905 – September 12, 1988) was an American child psychologist and a consultant to the television show ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. She was the co-founder and director of the Arsenal Family and Children's Ce ...
—who, according to Rogers's biographer Maxwell King, became his "key advisor and collaborator" and "child-education guru".
[King, p. 126.] Much of Rogers's "thinking about and appreciation for children was shaped and informed" by McFarland.
She was his consultant for most of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''s scripts and songs for 30 years.
In 1963, the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
(CBC) in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
contracted Rogers to develop and host the 15-minute black-and-white children's program ''Misterogers;'' it lasted from 1963 to 1967.
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".
Coombs joined Rogers in Toronto as an assistant puppeteer.
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.
On Rogers' recommendation, Coombs remained in Toronto and became Rogers' Canadian equivalent of an iconic television personality, creating the long-running children's program ''
Mr. Dressup
''Mr. Dressup'' is a Canadian children's television series, starring Ernie Coombs, a former understudy of Fred Rogers, in the title role. It originally ran on CBC from 1967 to 1996, soon becoming an iconic presence in Canadian media.
Producti ...
'', which ran from 1967 to 1996.
Rogers's 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."
''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''
![Fred Rogers Changing Shoes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Fred_Rogers_Changing_Shoes.jpg)
''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. It was videotaped at WQED in Pittsburgh and broadcast by
National Educational Television
National Educational Television (NET) was an American educational broadcast television network owned by the Ford Foundation and later co-owned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It operated from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970, and ...
(NET), which later became the
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Its first season had 180 black-and-white episodes. Each subsequent season, filmed in color and funded by PBS, the
Sears-Roebuck
Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...
Foundation, and other charities, consisted of 65 episodes.
By the time it ended production in December 2000, its average rating was about 0.7% of television households, or 680,000 homes, and it aired on 384 PBS stations. At its peak in 1985–1986, its ratings were 2.1%, or 1.8 million homes.
The last original episode aired in 2001, but PBS continued to air reruns, and by 2016 it was the third-longest-running program in PBS history.
Many of the sets and props in ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', like the trolley, the sneakers, and the castle, were created for Rogers's show in Toronto by CBC designers and producers. The program also "incorporated most of the highly imaginative elements that later became famous",
[King, p. 158.] such as its slow pace and its host's quiet manner.
The format of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' "remained virtually unchanged" for the entire run of the program. 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?", performed by music director
Johnny Costa
Johnny Costa (born John Costanza; January 18, 1922 – October 11, 1996) was an American jazz pianist. Given the title "The White Art Tatum" by jazz legend Art Tatum, Costa is best known for his work as musical director of the children's televisi ...
and inspired by a Beethoven sonata, is played. The camera zooms in to a model representing Mr. Rogers's 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) and his dress shoes to sneakers, "complete with a shoe tossed from one hand to another". 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's 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.
''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' emphasized young children's social and emotional needs, and unlike another PBS show, ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
'', which premiered in 1969, did not focus on cognitive learning. 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". 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
Benjamin McLane Spock (May 2, 1903 – March 15, 1998) was an American pediatrician and left-wing political activist whose book '' Baby and Child Care'' (1946) is one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century, selling 500,000 copies ...
,
Erik Erikson, and
T. Berry Brazelton in his lessons. As the ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
'' noted, Rogers taught young children about civility, tolerance, sharing, and self-worth "in a reassuring tone and leisurely cadence".
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.
For example, he wrote a special segment that dealt with the
assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan shortly after midnight at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. He was pronounced dead at 1:44 a.m. PDT the following day.
Kennedy was a senator from New York and a candidate ...
that aired on June 7, 1968, days after the assassination occurred.
According to King, the process of putting each episode of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' together was "painstaking" and Rogers's 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. The puppets created for the Neighborhood of Make-Believe "included an extraordinary variety of personalities". They were simple puppets but "complex, complicated, and utterly honest beings". In 1971, Rogers formed Family Communications, Inc. (FCI, now
The Fred Rogers Company), to produce the ''Neighborhood'', other programs, and non-broadcast materials.
In 1975, Rogers stopped producing ''Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood'' to focus on adult programming. Reruns of the ''Neighborhood'' continued to air on PBS. King reports that the decision caught many of his coworkers and supporters "off guard". Rogers continued to confer with McFarland about child development and early childhood education, however. 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". King writes that by the program's second run in the 1980s, it was "such a cultural touchstone that it had inspired numerous parodies",
most notably
Eddie Murphy's parody on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' in the early 1980s.
Rogers retired from producing the ''Neighborhood'' in 2001 at age 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".
The final original episode of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' aired on August 31, 2001.
Other work and appearances
In 1969, Rogers testified before the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
Subcommittee on Communications, which was chaired by Democratic Senator
John Pastore
John Orlando Pastore (March 17, 1907July 15, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Rhode Island from 1950 to 1976 and as the 61st governor of Rhode Island from 19 ...
of Rhode Island. U.S. President
Lyndon Johnson had proposed a $20 million bill for the creation of PBS before he left office, but his successor,
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
, wanted to cut the funding to $10 million.
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's 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. According to King, Rogers's 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".
[King, p. 172.] It brought Pastore to tears and also, according to King, has been studied by public relations experts and academics.
Congressional funding for PBS increased from $9 million to $22 million.
In 1970, Nixon appointed Rogers as chair of the
White House Conference on Children and Youth The White House Conference on Children and Youth was a series of meetings hosted over 60 years by the President of the United States of America, and the first White House conference ever held. Under the leadership of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, ...
.
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... New Friends.''
It lasted 20 episodes. Rogers's guests included
Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...
,
Helen Hayes,
Milton Berle,
Lorin Hollander
Lorin Hollander (born July 19, 1944) is an American classical concert pianist. He has performed with virtually all of the major symphony orchestras in the United States and many around the world. A ''New York Times'' critic called him in 1964 "the ...
, poet
Robert Frost's daughter Lesley, and
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1962–1982) ...
.
In September 1987, Rogers visited Moscow to appear as the first guest on the long-running Soviet children's TV show ''
Good Night, Little Ones!
''Good Night, Little Ones!'' (russian: Спокойной ночи, малыши!, Spokoynoy nochi, malyshi!) is a long-running Russian-language children's television program. Continuously broadcast since 1964 (premiered during the Soviet era), ...
'' with host
Tatiana Vedeneyeva. The appearance was broadcast in the Soviet Union on December 7, coinciding with the
Washington Summit meeting between Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President
Ronald Reagan in Washington D.C. Vedeneyeva visited the set of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' in November. Her visit was taped and later aired in March 1988 as part of Rogers's program. 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. The first time Rogers appeared on television as an actor, and not himself, was in a 1996 episode of ''
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' is an American Western drama television series created and executive produced by Beth Sullivan and starring Jane Seymour, who plays Dr. Michaela Quinn, a physician who leaves Boston in search of adventure in the O ...
'', playing a preacher.
Rogers gave "scores of interviews".
[King, p. 326.] 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". Rogers was "one of the country's most sought-after commencement speakers",
making over 150 speeches.
His friend and colleague David Newell reported that Rogers would "agonize over a speech", 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".
In many speeches, including the ones he made accepting a
Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997,
for his induction into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999,
and his final commencement speech at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
in 2002, he instructed his audiences to remain silent and think for a moment about someone who had a good influence on them.
Personal life
![Fred and Joanne Rogers Sitting at Piano](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Fred_and_Joanne_Rogers_Sitting_at_Piano.jpg)
Rogers met Sara Joanne Byrd (called "Joanne") from
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
, while attending Rollins College. They were married from 1952 until his death in 2003. They had two sons, James and John.
Joanne Rogers (fr) was "an accomplished pianist",
who like Fred earned a Bachelor of Music from Rollins, and went on to earn a Master of Music from
Florida State University. She performed publicly with her college classmate, Jeannine Morrison, from 1976 to 2008.
According to biographer Maxwell King, Rogers's close associates said he was "absolutely faithful to his marriage vows".
Rogers was red-green
color-blind
Color blindness or color vision deficiency (CVD) is the decreased ability to see color or differences in color. It can impair tasks such as selecting ripe fruit, choosing clothing, and reading traffic lights. Color blindness may make some aca ...
.
He became a
pescatarian in 1970, after the death of his father, and a
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetariani ...
in the early 1980s, saying he "couldn't eat anything that had a mother".
[King (2018), p. 9.] He became a co-owner of ''
Vegetarian Times
''Vegetarian Times'' is an American publication focused on food, culture, health and lifestyle for vegetarians, vegans, and all people interested in plant-based eating. ''Vegetarian Times'' promotes an eco-friendly lifestyle with recipes, and he ...
'' in the mid-1980s
and said in one issue, "I love tofu burgers and beets".
He told ''Vegetarian Times'' that he became a vegetarian for both ethical and health reasons.
According to his biographer Maxwell King, Rogers also signed his name to a statement
protesting wearing animal furs.
Rogers was a registered
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, 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. Rogers was a
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
, and many of the messages he expressed in ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' were inspired by the core tenets of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. 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.
He also studied
Catholic mysticism,
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...
,
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
, and other faiths and cultures.
[King (2018), p. 313.] King called him "that unique television star with a real spiritual life",
emphasizing the values of patience, reflection, and "silence in a noisy world".
King reported that despite Rogers's family's wealth, he cared little about making money, and lived frugally, especially as he and his wife grew older. King reported that Rogers's 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".
''The New York Times'' called Rogers "a dedicated lap-swimmer",
and
Tom Junod
Tom Junod (born April 9, 1958) is an American journalist. He is the recipient of two National Magazine Awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors.
Early life
In 1980, Junod graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the S ...
, author of "Can You Say... Hero?", the 1998 ''
Esquire'' profile of Rogers, said, "Nearly every morning of his life, Mister Rogers has gone swimming".
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", and that swimming became "an important part of the strong sense of self-discipline he cultivated". Rogers swam daily at the
Pittsburgh Athletic Association
The Pittsburgh Athletic Association was a private social club and athletic club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Its clubhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard ...
, 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".
[King (2018), p. 317.] He did not smoke or drink.
According to Junod, he did nothing to change his weight from the 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'".
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
Saint Vincent College is a private Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Benedictine monastery in the ...
in Latrobe with Archabbot
Douglas Nowicki, chancellor of the college. By the summer of 2002, his chronic stomach pain became severe enough for him to see a doctor about it, and in October 2002, he was diagnosed with
stomach cancer. He delayed treatment until after he served as Grand Marshal of the 2003
Rose Parade, with
Art Linkletter
Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly or Arthur Gordon Kelly; sources differ; July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of ''Art Linkletter's House Party, House Par ...
and
Bill Cosby
William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...
, in January. On January 6, Rogers underwent stomach surgery. He died less than two months later, on February 27, 2003,
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 of the Catholic Church from Archabbot Nowicki.
The following day, the ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...
'' covered Rogers' death on the front page and dedicated an entire section to his death and impact.
The newspaper also reported that by noon, the internet "was already full of appreciative pieces" by parents, viewers, producers, and writers. 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.
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.
That same evening, ''
Nightline'' on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
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
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
''.
On March 4, the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
unanimously passed a resolution honoring Rogers sponsored by Representative
Mike Doyle Michael, Mick or Mike Doyle may refer to:
Politics
* Michael Doyle (Irish politician), Irish Farmers' Party politician from Wexford, TD from 1922 to 1927
*Michael Doyle, alleged member of the Molly Maguires
*Mike Doyle (American politician) (born ...
from Pennsylvania.
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".
Reverend John McCall, pastor of the Rogers family's church, Sixth Presbyterian Church in
Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated ...
, 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",
read Rogers' favorite Bible passages. Rogers was interred at Unity Cemetery in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
The city population was 8,338 as of the 2010 census (9,265 in 1990). It is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ri ...
, in a mausoleum owned by his mother's family.
On May 3, 2003, a public memorial was held at
Heinz Hall
Heinz Hall is a performing arts center and concert hall located at 600 Penn Avenue in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, the 2,676 sea ...
in Pittsburgh. According to the ''Post-Gazette'', 2,700 people attended. Violinist
Itzhak Perlman, cellist
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...
(via video), and organist
Alan Morrison performed in honor of Rogers. Barker officiated the service; also in attendance were Pittsburgh philanthropist
Elsie Hillman
Elsie Hilliard Hillman (December 9, 1925 – August 4, 2015) was a Pittsburgh based philanthropist and a former Republican National Committeewoman. She was the wife of billionaire industrialist Henry Hillman. During her life, Hillman helped to a ...
, former ''
Good Morning America'' host
David Hartman, ''
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
''The Very Hungry Caterpillar'' is a 1969 children’s picture book designed, illustrated, and written by Eric Carle. The book features a hungry caterpillar that eats a variety of foods before pupating and emerging as a butterfly. It has won m ...
'' author
Eric Carle
Eric Carle (June 25, 1929 – May 23, 2021) was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books. His picture book '' The Very Hungry Caterpillar'', first published in 1969, has been translated into more than 66 languages and sol ...
, and ''
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...
'' creator
Marc Brown. Businesswoman and philanthropist
Teresa Heinz
Teresa Heinz (born Maria Teresa Thierstein Simões-Ferreira; October 5, 1938), also known as Teresa Heinz Kerry, is a Portuguese-American businesswoman and philanthropist. Heinz is the widow of former U.S. Senator John Heinz and the wife of fo ...
, PBS President
Pat Mitchell, and executive director of The Pittsburgh Project Saleem Ghubril gave remarks.
Jeff Erlanger
Jeffrey Clay Erlanger (November 30, 1970 – June 10, 2007) was an American advocate and activist for disability rights. He is known for appearing on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' when he was 10 years old, talking about his electric whe ...
, who at age 10 appeared on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' in 1981 to explain his electric wheelchair, also spoke. The memorial was broadcast several times on Pittsburgh television stations and websites throughout the day.
Legacy
Marc Brown, creator of another PBS children's show, ''
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...
'', 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".
Josh Selig
Joshua Selig (born May 12, 1964) is an American television producer and director. He won ten Daytime Emmy Awards for his work as a writer on ''Sesame Street''. After leaving ''Sesame Street'', Selig partnered with Lori Shaer to create a studio c ...
, creator of ''
Wonder Pets
''Wonder Pets!'' is an American educational animated children's television series created by Josh Selig for Nickelodeon. The series follows a trio of classroom pets—Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck and Ming-Ming Duckling—who use teamwork t ...
'', credits Rogers with influencing his use of structure and predictability, and his use of music, opera, and originality.
Rogers inspired
Angela Santomero
Angela Candace Santomero, also known as Angela Santomero (born April 26, 1968), is an American television executive producer and co-creator of the long-running Nickelodeon children's television programs ''Blue's Clues'', its spin-off ''Blue's Room ...
, co-creator of the children's television show ''
Blue's Clues
''Blue's Clues'' is an American live-action/animated children's television series, created by Angela C. Santomero, Todd Kessler, and Traci Paige Johnson, that premiered on Nickelodeon as part of its Nick Jr. block on September 8, 1996, and ...
'', to earn a degree in developmental psychology and go into educational television.
She and the other producers of ''Blue's Clues'' used many of Rogers's 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. In 2006, three years after Rogers's death and the end of production of ''Blue's Clues'', the Fred Rogers Company contacted Santomero to create a show that would promote Rogers's legacy.
In 2012, ''
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
''Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'' (known as ''Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood'' in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and often abbreviated to ''Daniel Tiger'') is a Flash-animated (photographs-influenced) musical television ser ...
'', with characters from and based upon ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', premiered on PBS.
Rogers's style and approach to children's television and early childhood education also "begged to be parodied". Comedian
Eddie Murphy parodied ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' during the 1980s.
Rogers told interviewer
David Letterman in 1982 that he believed parodies like Murphy's were done "with kindness in their hearts".
Video of Rogers's 1969 testimony in defense of public programming has experienced a resurgence since 2012, going
viral at least twice. It first resurfaced after then presidential candidate
Mitt Romney suggested cutting funding for PBS.
In 2017, video of the testimony again went viral after President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
proposed defunding several arts-related government programs including PBS and the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
.
A roadside Pennsylvania Historical Marker dedicated to Rogers to be installed in Latrobe was approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission on March 4, 2014. It was installed on June 11, 2016, with the title "Fred McFeely Rogers (1928–2003)".
In 2018, ''
Won't You Be My Neighbor?'', director
Morgan Neville
Morgan Neville (born October 10, 1967) is an American film producer, director and writer. His acclaimed film ''20 Feet from Stardom'' won him the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2014 as well as a Grammy Award for Best Music Film. ...
's documentary about Rogers's 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.
The 2019 drama film ''
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
''A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'' is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say... Hero?" by Tom Junod, published in ...
'' tells the story of Rogers and his television series, with
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
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".
Robert Thompson of
Syracuse University noted that Rogers "took American childhood—and I think Americans in general—through some very turbulent and trying times",
from the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
and the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968 to the
9/11 attacks in 2001. According to Asia Simone Burns of
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, 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".
Burns has said Rogers's words of comfort "began circulating on social media"
following tragedies such as the
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and t ...
in 2012, the
Manchester Arena bombing
On 22 May 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb as people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande.
Twenty-three people were killed, including ...
in Manchester, England, in 2017, and the
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.
Awards and honors
Museum exhibits
*
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
permanent collection. In 1984, Rogers donated one of his sweaters to the Smithsonian.
*
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''.
*
Heinz History Center
The Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the largest history museum in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. Named after U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III (1938–1991) from Pennsylvania, it is ...
permanent collection (2018). In honor of the 50th anniversary of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' and what would have been Rogers's 90th birthday. Exibits include the iconic
King Friday
The Neighborhood of Make-Believe is the fictional kingdom inhabited by hand puppet characters on the children's television series ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', which originally aired on PBS (and its predecessor NET) from 1968 to 2001, and its ...
's blue castle, the
Owl's tree and a tricycle ridden by courier
Mr. McFeely.
* Louisiana Children's Museum. The museum contains an exhibit of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', which debuted in 2007. The exhibit was donated by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.
* Fred Rogers Exhibit. The Exhibit displays the life, career and legacy of Rogers and includes photos, artifacts from ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' and clips of the program and interviews featuring Rogers. It is located at the Fred Rogers Center.
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 neighborhood, his portrait is included in the
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
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
Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, is a civil–military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Located about 10 miles (15 km) west of downtown Pitts ...
. The Carnegie Science Center's Miniature Railroad and Village debuted a miniature recreation of Rogers's house from ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' in 2005.
Honorary degrees
Rogers has received honorary degrees from over 43 colleges and universities. After 1973, two commemorative quilts, created by two of Rogers's 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.
''Note: Much of the below list is taken from "Honorary Degrees Awarded to Fred Rogers",
unless otherwise stated.''
*
Thiel College
Thiel College (, ) is a private college in Greenville, Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is one of the smallest colleges or universities in the region with about 100 full-time and part time faculty ...
, 1969. Thiel also awards a yearly scholarship named for Rogers.
*
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
, 1973
*
Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a private Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Benedictine monastery in the ...
, 1973
*
Christian Theological Seminary
Christian Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It provides five degree-level education courses, three dual-degree programs, a Doctor of Minis ...
, 1973
*
Rollins College, 1974
*
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
, 1974
*
Chatham College
Chatham University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally founded as a women's college, it began enrolling men in undergraduate programs in 2015. It enrolls about 2,110 students, including 1,002 undergraduate students an ...
, 1975
*
Carnegie Mellon University, 1976
*
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...
, 1977
*
Waynesburg College
Waynesburg University is a private university in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1850 and offers undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. The university enrolls over 2,500 students, including ...
, 1978
*
Linfield College
Linfield University is a private university with campuses in McMinnville, and Portland, Oregon. Linfield Wildcats athletics participates in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference. Linfield reported a combined 1,755 students after the fal ...
, 1982
*
Slippery Rock State College, 1982
*
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit
, image = Holy Gh ...
, 1982
*
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries t ...
, 1984
*
University of South Carolina, 1985
*
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 1985
*
Drury College
Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,700 undergraduate and grad ...
, 1986
*
MacMurray College
MacMurray College was a private college in Jacksonville, Illinois. Its enrollment in fall 2015 was 570. Founded in 1846, the college closed in May 2020.
History
Although founded in 1846 by a group of Methodist clergymen as the Illinois Confer ...
, 1986
*
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...
, 1987
*
Westminster College (Pennsylvania)
Westminster College is a private liberal arts college in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1852, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The student population is approximately 1,307 undergraduate and graduate students.
Histo ...
, 1987
*
University of Indianapolis
The University of Indianapolis (UIndy) is a private United Methodist Church-affiliated university in Indianapolis, Indiana. It offers Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees. It was founded in 1902 as Indiana Central University and ...
, 1988
*
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...
, 1991
* Boston University, 1992
* Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 1992
* Moravian College, 1992
* Goucher College, 1993
*
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
, 1993
* West Virginia University, 1995
* North Carolina State University, 1996
* Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, 1998
* Marist College, 1999
* Westminster Choir College, 1999
* Old Dominion University, 2000
* Marquette University, 2001
* Middlebury College, 2001
*
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
, 2002
* Seton Hill University, 2003 (posthumous)
* Union College, 2003 (posthumous)
* Roanoke College, 2003 (posthumous)
Filmography
Television
Published works
Children's books
* ''Our Small World'' (with Josie Carey, illustrated by Norb Nathanson), 1954, Reed and Witting,
* ''The Elves, the Shoemaker, & the Shoemaker's Wife'' (illustrated by Richard Hefter), 1973, Small World Enterprises,
* ''The Matter of the Mittens'', 1973, Small World Enterprises,
* ''Speedy Delivery'' (illustrated by Richard Hefter), 1973, Hubbard,
* ''Henrietta Meets Someone New'' (illustrated by Jason Art Studios), 1974, Golden Press,
* ''Mister Rogers Talks About'', 1974, Platt & Munk,
* ''Time to Be Friends'', 1974, Hallmark Cards,
* ''Everyone is Special'' (illustrated by Jason Art Studios), 1975, Western Publishing,
* ''Tell Me, Mister Rogers'', 1975, Platt & Munk,
* ''The Costume Party'' (illustrated by Jason Art Studios), 1976, Golden Press,
* ''Planet Purple'' (illustrated by Dennis Hockerman), 1986, Texas Instruments,
* ''If We Were All the Same'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1987, Random House,
* ''A Trolley Visit to Make-Believe'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1987, Random House,
* ''Wishes Don't Make Things Come True'' (illustrated Pat Sustendal), 1987, Random House,
* ''No One Can Ever Take Your Place'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1988, Random House,
* ''When Monsters Seem Real'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1988, Random House,
* ''You Can Never Go Down the Drain'' (illustrated by Pat Sustendal), 1988, Random House,
* ''The Giving Box'' (illustrated by Jennifer Herbert), 2000, Running Press,
* ''Good Weather or Not'' (with Hedda Bluestone Sharapan, illustrated by James Mellet), 2005, Family Communications,
* ''Josephine the Short Neck-Giraffe'', 2006, Family Communications,
* ''A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers Neighborhood'' (illustrated by Luke Flowers), 2009, Quirk Books,
;First Experiences series illustrated by Jim Judkis:
* ''Going to Day Care'', 1985, G. P. Putnam's Sons, Putnam,
* ''The New Baby'', 1985, Putnam,
* ''Going to the Potty'', 1986, Putnam,
* ''Going to the Doctor'', 1986, Putnam,
* ''Making Friends'', 1987, Putnam,
* ''Moving'', 1987, Putnam,
* ''Going to the Hospital'', 1988, Putnam,
* ''When a Pet Dies'', 1988, Putnam,
* ''Going on an Airplane'', 1989, Putnam,
* ''Going to the Dentist'', 1989, Putnam,
;Let's Talk About It series:
* ''Going to the Hospital'', 1977, Family Communications,
* ''Having an Operation'', 1977, Family Communications,
* ''So Many Things To See!'', 1977, Family Communications,
* ''Wearing a Cast'', 1977, Family Communications,
* ''Adoption'', 1993, Putnam,
* ''Divorce'', 1994, Putnam,
* ''Extraordinary Friends'', 2000, Putnam,
* ''Stepfamilies'', 2001, Putnam,
Songbooks
* ''Tomorrow on the Children's Corner'' (with Josie Carey, illustrated by Mal Wittman), 1960, Vernon Music Corporation,
* ''Mister Rogers' Songbook'' (with Johnny Costa, illustrated by Steven Kellogg), 1970, Random House,
Books for adults
* ''Mister Rogers Talks to Parents'', 1983, Family Communications,
* ''Mister Rogers' Playbook'' (with Barry Head, illustrated by Jamie Adams), 1986, Berkley Books,
* ''Mister Rogers Talks with Families About Divorce'' (with Clare O'Brien), 1987, Berkley Books,
* ''Mister Rogers' How Families Grow'' (with Barry Head and Jim Prokell), 1988, Berkley Books,
* ''You Are Special: Words of Wisdom from America's Most Beloved Neighbor'', 1994, Penguin Books,
* ''Dear Mister Rogers'', 1996, Penguin Books,
* ''Mister Rogers' Playtime'', 2001, Running Press,
* ''The Mister Rogers Parenting Book'', 2002, Running Press,
* ''You are special: Neighborly Wisdom from Mister Rogers'', 2002, Running Press,
* ''The World According to Mister Rogers'', 2003, Hachette Books, Hyperion Books,
* ''Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers'', 2005, Hyperion Books,
* ''The Mister Rogers Parenting Resource Book'', 2005, Courage Books,
* ''Many Ways to Say I Love You: Wisdom For Parents And Children'', 2019, Hachette Books,
Discography
* ''Around the Children's Corner'' (with Josey Carey), 1958, Vernon Music Corporation,
* ''Tomorrow on the Children's Corner'' (with Josie Carey), 1959
* ''King Friday XIII Celebrates'', 1964
* ''Won't You Be My Neighbor?'', 1967
* ''Let's Be Together Today'', 1968
* ''Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe'', 1969
* ''You Are Special'', 1969
* ''A Place of Our Own'', 1970
* ''Come On and Wake Up'', 1972
* ''Growing'', 1992
* ''Bedtime'', 1992
* ''Won't You Be My Neighbor?'' (cassette and book), 1994, Hal Leonard LLC, Hal Leonard,
* ''Coming and Going'', 1997
* ''It's Such A Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers'', 2019, Omnivore Recordings, posthumous release
See also
* ''
Won't You Be My Neighbor?'', 2018 documentary
* ''Mister Rogers: It's You I Like'', 2018 documentary
* ''
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
''A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'' is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say... Hero?" by Tom Junod, published in ...
'', 2019 biographical drama film
* List of vegetarians
Notes
References
Works cited
* Gross, Terry (1984)
"Terry Gross and Fred Rogers".''Fresh Air''. NPR.
* King, Maxwell (2018)
''The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers''.Abrams Press. .
* Tiech, John (2012). ''Pittsburgh Film History: On Set in the Steel City''. Charleston, North Carolina: The History Press. .
External links
*
*
PBS Kids: Official SiteThe Fred M. Rogers CenterThe Fred Rogers Company(formerly known as Family Communications)
*
* 1984 interview with Fred Rogers.
The Music of Mister Rogers—Pittsburgh Music History*
Fred Rogers at Voice Chasers
*
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