heroes
Fred Rogers
Fred Rogers, known as “Mr. Rogers” to just about everyone my age, is a hero of mine. One of those rare religious-types (he was an ordained Presbyterian minister) who was able to show the how of leading a good life without beating us over the head with his idea of why.
image from pbskids.org
He was the creator and star of a long-running children’s show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, on US public television. The show was known for its slow pace, predictable elements (Mr. Rogers always opened and closed the show in exactly the same way), great music (of which Mr. Rogers composed it all), and the Trolly’s trip to the Land of Make Believe, where puppets and humans discussed the theme of the show. Mr. Rogers was not afraid to tackle “grown-up” issues in his shows, dealing with topics like race, handicaps, death, and divorce in his same, gentle, up front, and matter-of-fact manner. Believing that you shouldn’t ever talk down to children, he discussed things in words and ideas that children could grasp without shying away from the topic at hand.
March 20th, his birthday, is Fred Rogers day for me. On that day, I do not wear my traditional dress shirt to work, but rather a sweater in his honor. Only day I’m not in a long-sleeved dress shirt at work (during normal hours). My traditional toast of the morning coffee or tea goes to him in addition to Dr. Whitmore.
My favorite story about him comes from Esquire’s reporting of his daytime Emmy award acceptance ‘speech,’ as related by Wikipedia:
Mister Rogers went onstage to accept the award — and there, in front of all the soap opera stars and talk show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, “All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are. Ten seconds of silence.”
And then he lifted his wrist, looked at the audience, looked at his watch, and said, ‘I’ll watch the time.” There was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized that he wasn’t kidding, that Mister Rogers was not some convenient eunuch, but rather a man, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked. And so they did. One second, two seconds, seven seconds — and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier. And Mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said softly, “May God be with you,” to all his vanquished children.
A person could not, in my opinion, live a better life than that of Fred Rogers. He died on 27 February 2003, succumbing to stomach cancer.
Notes
One thing I vividly remember is that he had a full-sized, working stoplight in his (TV) house. I thought that was very cool.
He would often show videos showing the production of various things on his “Picture Picture.” I was fascinated by that; I find myself stopping to watch “How It’s Made” on Discovery and thinking about Mr. Rogers’ videos.
My first cousin roomed with his niece in college. Unfortunately, I did not get to meet her uncle.
Resources
15 Reasons why Mr. Rogers was the best neighbor ever
Some things that you may not have known about Mr. Rogers, that, once you do know, you’ll love him that much more. The comments on that post are incredibly touching.Can You Say Hero?
via the Internet Archive, an Esquire piece on Mr. Rogers. Sadly, it seems this is no longer available.Remembering Mister Rogers
also from the Internet Archive, the author of the previous article gives his tear-jerking eulogy. Sadly, it seems this is no longer available.
