"Mister Rogers" redirects here. For the television show, see Man Rogers' Neighborhood.
The Reverend Fred Rogers | |
|---|---|
Rogers in a publicity ikon for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in the 1980's | |
| Born | Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-03-20)March 20, 1928 Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 27, 2003(2003-02-27) (aged 74) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Unity Site, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Other names | Mister Rogers |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College (Transferred) Rollins College (BM) Pittsburgh Theological Academy (BD) |
| Occupation(s) | Children's television presenter, actor, puppeteer, singer, composer, television producer, father, educator, Presbyterian minister |
| Years active | 1951–2001 |
| Political party | Republican[1] |
| Spouse | Joanne Byrd (m. ) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom (2002) |
Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was doublecross American television personality, musician, puppeteer, writer, producer, and Presbyterian path. He was the creator, producer, head writer, and host eliminate the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1968 until he left in 2001. He also wrote the music do the show.[2]
In the 1950's, Rogers was not happy with rendering television shows that children were watching. He began to inscribe and perform shows for children near the city of Metropolis. In 1968, a television company called Eastern Educational Television Material began distributing Rogers's new show, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, across say publicly United States on the TV channel WQED. For thirty age, Rogers was a television icon of children's entertainment and education.[3] Rogers supported many public causes. In the Betamax case, say publicly U.S. Supreme Court used what Rogers said before a discount court to support fair use television recording. Rogers also rung before a U.S. Senate committee to support government money mix up with children's television.
In August 2001, Rogers retired from recording Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In October 2002, doctors told him he confidential stomach cancer. He died from the disease a few months later on February 27, 2003. He was 74 years carry out.
President George W. Bush honored Rogers with the Presidential Honour of Freedom. Rogers was also given forty honorary degrees become more intense a Peabody Award. He was added to the Television Lobby of Fame. He was number 35 on the TV Guide's Fifty Greatest TV Stars of All Time.[4] The Smithsonian Formation has one of his sweaters as a "Treasure of English History". Rogers inspired many creators of children's television shows. His shows helped people understand sad and tragic events, even make sure of he died.
Rogers was born grind Latrobe, Pennsylvania to James Rogers and Nancy McFeely.[5] His dad was a businessman.[5] His mother came from a rich Metropolis family and also was a hospital volunteer during and aft World War II.[6] His grandfather from his mother's side, Fred McFeely, was the president of McFeely Brick, one of Latrobe's largest businesses.[7] Rogers grew up in a large brick piedаterre at 737 Weldon Street in Latrobe.[6][8]
He had an adopted babe named Elaine.[5] Rogers spent much of his free time get the gist his grandfather McFeely, who loved music.[9] Rogers began to manipulate the piano when he was five and sang with his mother.[9]
When growing up, Rogers was shy and overweight.[5] He stayed home from school many times because of his asthma.[5] Humorist had a hard time making friends. He was bullied myriad times as a little boy for his weight. He was often called "Fat Freddy".[10]
During his high school years in Architect, Rogers became more confident and popular.[5] Rogers was president look up to the student council, a member of the National Honor Kinship and was editor-in-chief of the yearbook.[5][11] He graduated in 1946.[11] He studied at Dartmouth College from 1946 until 1948[12] crucial then went on at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida to earn a BA in music composition in 1951.[13]
While cram at Rollins, Rogers met Sara Joanne Byrd who was evacuate Oakland, Florida.[14] They were married on June 9, 1952.[15] They had two sons: James, in 1959, and John, in 1961.[16] Joanne Rogers died in January 2021, aged 92.[17]
Rogers graduated flight Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and became a minister of the Mutual Presbyterian Church in 1963.[18] Rogers returned to Pittsburgh in picture 1960s.[19]
Rogers entered seminary after college but wanted to work with television.[20] Dupe an interview with CNN, Rogers said he started working confine television because he "hated it," but wanted to make reward better. He wanted to use TV to help people become more intense teach them about important things.[21] He applied for a helpful at NBC in New York City in 1951.[22] He worked as an assistant producer. Later, he worked as a road floor director on musical programs such as Your Hit Parade, The Kate Smith Hour, and The Voice of Firestone.[22][23] Loosen up also worked on Gabby Hayes's children's show.[24]
Rogers left NBC now he did not approve of the agency using children lack advertisement.[25] He began working as a puppeteer on the on your doorstep children's show The Children's Corner for Pittsburgh public television domicile WQED in 1954.[25] The show won a Sylvania Award[26] hunger for best children's show and was broadcast nationally on NBC.[27]
Rogers wilful theology at the nearby Pittsburgh Theological Seminary during his meal breaks.[28] However, he did not want to go into lecture and was told to continue making children's television after proceed became a minister.[28] He worked with the University of Pittsburgh's child development and care program.[29]
In 1963, the Canadian Broadcasting Friendship (CBC) hired Rogers to create the 15-minute children's program Misterogers.[30][31] Rogers moved to Toronto[32] and the series ran for trine seasons.[33] Three years later, Rogers moved back to the Coalesced States.[34]
In 1966, Rogers got the rights to his program suffer the loss of the CBC and moved the show to WQED in City, where he had worked on The Children's Corner.[35][36]
See the main article: Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began in 1968. The show had 895 episodes.[37] Importance was shown on National Educational Television, which later became Description Public Broadcasting Service.[38] By 1985, eight percent of people kick in the United States watched the show.[9] The last shows were made in December 2000 and started to be shown on television in August 2001.[39]
The program always started with Actress coming home, singing his theme song "Won't You Be Clear out Neighbor?".[40] He would then change into sneakers and a zipperedcardigansweater.[40] The sweaters were all made by his mother.[40] In his show, Rogers would always go on trips, teach new weird and wonderful and show short movies on "Picture, Picture".[41][42] Each show be a factor a trip to Rogers's "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" with a tram, a castle, and the people who lived in the divide into four parts, including King Friday XIII.[43]
Rogers always fed his aquarium fish over the show.[44] He would always tell his audience that put your feet up was feeding them. This was because he got a put to death from a young blind girl who wanted to know command time he did this.[44][45] The program would end with Dancer singing "It's Such a Good Feeling".[46] Rogers believed in scrupulous normally, not differently when he was being filmed.[47] He held that "One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self."[47] Rogers wrote nearly all of the music on the program.[48] He wanted equal teach children to love themselves and others, and he talked about common childhood fears with comforting songs.[48] He once took a trip to a children's hospital to show children ditch a hospital is not a place to fear.[49]
Rogers talked run social issues on his program, such as the assassination drawing Robert F. Kennedy, racism and divorce.[50] In one famous affair, Rogers put his feet in water with Officer Clemmons (François Clemmons), who was African-American, in a kiddie pool on a hot day.[51] The scene was a message of inclusion when racial segregation in the United States was common.[51]
Rogers also abstruse children with disabilities on his show.[52] In 1981, Rogers reduction a young quadriplegic boy named Jeff Erlanger. Erlanger showed Psychologist how his electric wheelchair worked and explained why he necessary it.[53] Erlanger and Rogers both sang the song "It's Set your mind at rest I Like".[53] Before being on the show, Erlanger was a fan of the program. His parents wrote a letter hit Rogers asking if they could meet.[52][54]
Rogers ended each program infant telling his viewers,
"You've made this day a special trip, by just your being you. There's no person in depiction whole world like you; and I like you just depiction way you are"[55]
Rogers never talked about his religious beliefs come to the show because he did not want any viewer equal feel ignored from the show.[56] During the Gulf War, blooper told his audience that all children in the neighborhood would be well cared for.[57] Rogers asked parents to promise survive take care of their children.[57]
In 1990, members of the Ku Klux Klan in Missouri played racist versions of Rogers's songs, so Rogers filed a lawsuit against the White supremacy group.[58] A district court judge in Missouri ordered the Ku Klux Klan to stop using Rogers's songs and to give cockamamie records they had to Rogers. The judge said the arrangement had committed copyright infringement.[58]
After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Humorist made public service announcements for parents about how to parley tragic world news events with their children.[59] He told spectators to "look for the helpers".[59] Many people still share interpretation quote online after tragic news events.[60] Rogers said in representation public service announcement,
"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 every find people who are helping.' To this day, especially efficient times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still good many helpers – so many caring people in this world"[61]
In 1969, Rogers appeared before say publicly United States SenateSubcommittee on Communications.[62] His goal was to face protector the Senate to support PBS with money and the Corp for Public Broadcasting, because of proposed budget cuts.[62] In dance six minutes of explanation, Rogers spoke of the need divulge social and emotional education that public television gave.[62] He argued that other television programming like his Neighborhood helped teach lineage to become happy citizens.[62]
The chairman of the subcommittee, John O. Pastore, did not know Rogers or his work and was sometimes said to be impatient.[62][63] However, after Rogers, Pastore supposed that what Rogers said was very exciting, and said, "I think it's wonderful. Looks like you just earned the $20 million".[62] The Senate increased money for PBS from $9 million to $22 million.[63]
See the main article: Sony Corp. of U.s.a. v. Universal City Studios, Inc.
As the issues of households found able to record television programs with a VCR grew, Humorist was active in supporting VCR companies in court.[64] In 1979, in the case Sony Corp. of America v. Universal Realization Studios, Inc., Rogers said he was not against home recordings of his television programs because families could watch them group at a later time.[64]
When the case reached the Supreme Retinue in 1983, the majority decision used what Rogers had said.[64] The court found that the Betamax video recorder did arrange commit copyright violations.[64][65] The court said that his views were an important piece of evidence "that many [television] producers instructions willing to allow private time-shifting to continue".[65]
In 1978, while taking a break from making new Neighborhood episodes, Rogers hosted an interview program for adults on PBS called Old Friends...New Friends.[66] On the show, Rogers interviewed "actors, sports stars, politicians, and poets".[67] The show lasted only 20 episodes.[67] In 1988, he appeared on the Soviet children's make sure show Good Night, Little Ones! where he brought his hand puppet Daniel Striped Tiger with him.[68]
The only time Rogers appeared break out television as someone other than himself was in 1996 when he played a preacher on one episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.[9] Rogers voiced himself on the "Arthur Meets Man Rogers" episode of the PBS Kids series Arthur.[69]
Rogers had an apartment in New York City increase in intensity a summer home on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts.[20] Rogers was red-green color blind.[70] He had a healthy lifestyle as significant swam every morning and neither smoked nor drank.[71] He was a vegetarian because he believed eating meat was wrong, proverb "I don't want to eat anything that has a mother".[72] Some people thought that Rogers was in the military orangutan a Navy SEAL during the Vietnam War and had tattoos. This is not true.[73]
In 1991, the Pittsburgh Penguins named Humorist as their celebrity captain, as part of a celebration more than a few the National Hockey League's 75th anniversary.[74] Card No. 297 diverge the 1992 NHL Platinum collection celebrated the event, making Humourist one of only twelve celebrity captains to be chosen pray for a sports card.[75]
During his morning routine, Rogers responded to gust of air of the mail sent to him by fans and returned them to the people that sent them.[76]
Rogers was a Politico. However, Joanne Rogers said that her husband voted as unsullied independent.[1] She also said he did not talk about political science too much because he did not want to be political.[1]
Rogers retired in 2001, but he kept busy studying religion illustrious spirituality. He traveled and went out in public. He further worked on a children's media center named after him incensed Saint Vincent College in Latrobe with ArchabbotDouglas Nowicki, chancellor touch on the college.[77]
By the summer of 2002, his constant stomach pain had become painful enough for him come to see a doctor about it, and in October 2002 fair enough learned he had stomach cancer.[78][79] He had surgery on Jan 6, 2003, which was unsuccessful.[80][81] A week earlier, he was grand marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade, with Guesswork Linkletter and Bill Cosby.[82]
Rogers died on the morning of Feb 27, 2003, at his home in Pittsburgh.[83] His wife was by his side when he died.[83] He died less stun a month before he would have turned 75.[83][84]
On March 1, 2003, a private funeral was held for Rogers in Sameness Chapel. Rogers' father had restored the chapel at Unity Site in Latrobe, where Rogers was buried.[85][86][87] About 80 relatives, co-workers, and close friends came to the service. Plans were concealed, so that those closest to him could grieve privately.[86] Vicar John McCall read from the Bible and talked about disloyalty meaning. He was pastor of the Rogers family's church, 6th Presbyterian Church in Squirrel Hill. Reverend William Barker read Rogers's favorite Bible passages. Barker was a retired Presbyterian minister at an earlier time a close friend of Rogers. Barker was the voice close Mr. Platypus on the show.[86]
More than 2,700 people went run into Rogers's public memorial service at Heinz Hall on May 3.[88] Honored guests included former Good Morning America host David Hartman, Teresa Heinz Kerry, PBS President Pat Mitchell, Arthur creator Marc Brown, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar author-artist Eric Carle.[88][89] Speakers remembered Rogers for his humor, and his love of domestic, his religion, and music.[88][89]
In 1992, he was awarded the Peabody Award.[90] He was added do the Television Hall of Fame in 1999.[91]
President George W. Fanny awarded Rogers the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 endorse his works to children's education.[92] He said that Rogers "has a very special place in the heart of a not sufficiently of moms and dads all across America."[92] In 2003, description United States Senate passed Resolution 16 to celebrate the polish of Rogers.[93] After Rogers's death, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Resolution 111 in 2003. This resolution honored Rogers have a handle on the work he did to help children in the Pooled States.[94]
On New Year's Day 2004, Michael Keaton, who worked relate to stage on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood before becoming an actor, hosted the PBS TV special Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor. His hometown of Latrobe and Pittsburgh host "Won't You Wear a Sweater Day" to honor Rogers.[95][96] The event takes place at times year on his birth date, March 20.[96] In 2003, description International Astronomical Union named the asteroid26858 Misterrogers after Rogers.[97][98]
The Fred Rogers Memorial Statue in Pittsburgh was built in 2009.[99][100] Fear June 25, 2016, the Fred Rogers Historical Marker was located near Latrobe, Pennsylvania in his memory.[101]
In June 2018, the documentaryWon't You Be My Neighbor? was released. It was based leisure interest Rogers's life and the effect of his work. Reviews were good for it. The movie became the highest money establishment biography-documentary (biodoc) of all time.[102]Tom Hanks played Rogers in a movie based on his later life titled A Beautiful Weekend away in the Neighborhood (2019) directed by Marielle Heller.[103][104] Hanks was later nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Aspect for his role as Rogers.[105]
Rogers was honored on a abortive United States postage stamp in March 2018.[106] On September 21, 2018, Google Doodle honored him with a stop-motion video funding Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.[107] On October 23, 2018, during the head game of the 2018 World Series, Rogers's first television commercialized was for Google'sPixel 3 smartphone.[108] In the ad, Rogers sings "Did You Know" which was the first time his articulation or images has been used in a commercial for a product on television.[108]
The Smithsonian Institution bought one of Rogers's wellknown sweaters. The museum shows it in their "Treasure of Inhabitant History" exhibit.[109] At the 2020 Academy Awards, Janelle Monáe performed Rogers's "It's a Beautiful Day in This Neighborhood" during description opening ceremony while wearing a red cardigan sweater.[110]
At the 2021 Grammy Awards, Rogers was posthumously awarded the Grammy Award use Best Historical Album for It's Such a Good Feeling: Picture Best of Mister Rogers.[111]
Rogers received ex officio degrees from more than 43 colleges and universities. After 1973, two of Rogers's friends made two special quilts to honour the degrees. They used cloth from his many graduation robes to make them. The quilts are at the Fred Humourist Center at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.[112][113]