In Praise of Fred Rogers - Democratic Underground

LibraLiz1973

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Thu Jan-25-07 06:50 PM
Original message

In Praise of Fred Rogers

Edited on Thu Jan-25-07 06:55 PM by LibraLiz1973

I was a fan of Mr. Rogers for almost 30 years.
He always reminded me of a simpler time. I cried when he died- and felt bad for
all the children who would never have Mr.Rogers tell them that they were special- that
their potential was limitless and all it takes is belief in yourself.

I'm a teacher now, and when asked why I point to the following 3 reasons:

1. My mother
2. My kindergarten teacher
3. Mr. Rogers- who taught us that making the world better for children in every neighborhood has meaning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers

Rogers was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, a town located 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. He was born to James and Nancy Rogers; he spent many years as an only child, which shaped his creativity and imagination. He spent much of his free time as a child with his grandfather, Fred McFeely, and had an interest in puppetry and in music.

When Rogers was 11, his parents adopted a daughter, Elaine. His parents also acted as foster parents to a black teenager named George; George's mother had died, and he came to live with the Rogers family. Rogers eventually came to consider George his older brother. George later became an instructor for the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II and also taught Rogers to fly.<1>

Rogers had a life-changing moment when he first saw television in his parents' home. He had planned to enter seminary after college, but had been diverted into television after his first experience as a viewer; he wanted to explore what the medium was capable of. "I went into television because I hated it so. And I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen."

After returning to Pittsburgh, Rogers attended and participated in activities at the Sixth Presbyterian church in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. On February 27, 2003 he died from stomach cancer, a short time after his retirement, at the age of 74.

Rev. William P. Barker presided over a public memorial, and attendees included Teresa Heinz Kerry, former "Good Morning America" host David Hartman, Elsie Hillman, PBS President Pat Mitchell, Arthur creator Marc Brown, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar author-illustrator Eric Carle, as well as about 2,700 other people stuffed into a near-capacity Heinz Hall.

Speakers remembered Rogers' love of children, devotion to his religion, enthusiasm for music, and quirks. Teresa Heinz Kerry said of Rogers, "He never condescended, just invited us into his conversation. He spoke to us as the people we were, not as the people others wished we were." Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, on a concert tour overseas, played on video, and violinist Itzhak Perlman played in person.Outside, a number of members of an anti-gay organization protested over his teachings about tolerance and acceptance , while about 150 supporters of Mr. Rogers from gay rights and peace groups marched in counter-protest, singing songs from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcvRMHz4mb4

The most remarkable thing about Mister Rogers was not that he loved children, although that was apparent to anyone who observed him even for a moment. It's that he respected children, not just for their ability to amuse or inspire, but for their intellect, their inherent sense of right, and their penchant for honesty." --Jessica Reaves, Time Magazine

"His legacy will be that he made millions of children feel safe and comforted in a time when so much of the bombardment of the media is overwhelming. For everything that we all agree is bad about television and children, he was the good of it. Nothing is as bad as he was good." --Linda Ellerbee, host of "Nick News" Nickelodeon