 Mr. Rogers' favorite passages, from the end of the eighth chapter of Romans: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." |
Fast Facts about Fred Rogers Courtesy of CBS News Born: March 20, 1929 in Latrobe, Pa. - His father, James Rogers, worked at the McFeely Brick Co., one of Latrobe's largest employers at the time, owned by his wife Nancy's father, Fred McFeely.
- Fred Rogers has a degree in music composition from Rollins College in Florida and studied child development in the graduate school of the University of Pittsburgh. He enrolled at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in East Liberty and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1962.
- Prior to having his own show, Rogers was part of "The Gabby Hayes Show," "The Kate Smith Hour" show in New York and "The Children's Corner" with Josie Carey. He also created a 15-minute version of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for Canadian television.
- "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" began as a regional public TV program aired on WGBH-TV in Boston. And it aired on PBS stations across the nation in 1969.
- He is the voice behind King Friday XIII and Queen Sara, rulers of the neighborhood, as well as X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, Daniel the Striped Tiger, Lady Elaine Fairchild (named for Fred's sister, Elaine) and Donkey Hodie.
- The cardigan sweaters Rogers wears on his show were knitted by his mother and have become his trademark. One of them is even part of the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
- "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" has won three Emmy Awards and Rogers has been honored with the George Foster Peabody Award.
- He is the author of: "The New Baby : A Mister Rogers' First Experience Book"; "Mister Rogers Talks with Parents"; "The Giving Box: Create a Tradition of Giving with Your Children".
- He married his college sweetheart, Sara Joanne Byrd, a concert pianist.
Fred Rogers died on February 27, 2003 at his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife Joanne Rogers, their two sons and two grandsons. "Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it's what you are expected to give -- which is everything." -Anon. "If you judge people, you have no time to love them." -Mother Theresa Mr. Rogers Page 2 |