CELEBRATING FRED ROGERS BIRTHDAY!

Fred Rogers

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This week we celebrate the life of Fred Rogers, creator of the iconic PBS TV series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Fred is probably the most misunderstood and unassuming genius I can think of (Orson Welles was assuming, but not in a bad way--I admired him as well). Rogers once said, "We are servants of those who watch and listen." At his memorial service in 2003 was surprise guest, violinist Itzhak Perlman, who played a gavotte by Bach in memory of Rogers. On video, in a red sweater, was cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who was overseas on a concert tour but recalled his first meeting with Rogers and performed two musical favorites. One was Rogers' "Tree, Tree, Tree." Rogers wrote over 200 songs.

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Fred had a great sense of humor. "He was so genuinely, genuinely kind, a wonderful person," said David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on the show. "His mission was to work with families and children for television. ... That was his passion, his mission, and he did it from Day One."

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He began playing piano at the age of 5 and graduated with a B.A. in Music Composition from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. His curiosity about television led him to New York City to delve into the production side of television for a couple of years as a floor manager for the NBC shows "Your Hit Parade" and "The Kate Smith Hour," but he disliked the experience. "I got into television because I hated it so," Rogers told CNN. "And I thought there's some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen." Fred Rogers married his college sweetheart, Sara Joanne Byrd, then moved back to Pittsburgh and began experimenting with "educational television." In 1954, he caught a break. Pittsburgh's WQED became the nation's first public television station and Fred developed "The Children's Corner," a prototype for what later became "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". During this run, Fred attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and became ordained as a minister in 1962. Concurrently, he took courses in child development and the following year, he created a 15-minute version of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for Canadian television. In 1964, he returned to Pittsburgh where WQED launched his series as a half-hour show. By 1969, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" began airing on PBS stations that had built-out across the United States. He had a sincere devotion to children's curiosity about God, death and spirituality, and he used puppets to mirror children's feelings on a wide range of issues from sibling rivalry or separation anxiety. His persona was said to be the same on-camera and off-camera. There were never the bitter feuds of egos we hear about today and I think this was dues to Fred's total devotion towards ushering in a new era of emotional frankness in children's programming by nurturing both the psyche and soul. For example, he was deeply concerned about children's fears of war and nuclear annihilation during the "Cold War" and he protested television footage of the 9/11 attacks in the United States being re-run endlessly on television out of concern for children and their need for stability.

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Fred received 40 Honorary Doctorates, won 4 Emmy Awards (one for lifetime achievement) earned a Peabody Award in Broadcasting in 1992, gave numerous university commencement speeches, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999. On July 9, 2002 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for improving the lives of children through compassion and his dedication to spreading kindness worldwide. Wherever he was a guest speaker, he always asked the audience for 60 seconds of silence so that everyone would remember those who helped them in life become who they were. He left behind his wife, two grown sons, James and John and three grandchildren. One thing is certain. I firmly believe that we will never see (in our lifetimes) an educator as genuine or down to earth as Fred Rogers. To close this out, I have a fun story. Fred drove an old Chevrolet Impala automobile. It was stolen from the WQED parking lot and Fred filed a police report. Within hours, it was back in his parking spot with a note from the thieves that read, "If we knew who this car belonged to, we never would have touched it!"