Fred Rogers Biography

The Reverend Frederick McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, minister and television host.

Rogers was the host of the internationally acclaimed children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, in production from 1968 to 2001. As Mister Rogers, he became an iconic presence to millions of viewers. Rogers was also an ordained Presbyterian minister. Throughout his life, he was a tireless advocate for the education and welfare of children.

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 Two and also taught Rogers to fly. [1]

Following secondary school, he studied at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire between 1946 and 1948 before transferring to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He received a BA in music composition there in 1951.

At Rollins, Rogers met his wife, Sara Joanne Byrd; they had two sons, James (born in 1959) and John (born in 1961).

After returning to Pittsburgh, Rogers attended and participated in activities at the Sixth Presbyterian church in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. 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 God, 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 the hall, about a half-dozen demonstrators from Fred Phelps' anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas protested Rogers' failure to condemn homosexuality, and his teachings about tolerance and acceptance. About 150 supporters of Mr. Rogers from gay rights and peace groups marched in counter-protest, singing songs from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.[4]

Fred Rogers' remains are entombed in a family crypt in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh Magazine dedicated their April 2003 issue to commemorate Rogers' life and mourn his passing. Included in the mazagine is a table of information that measures the impact Rogers had. Among the items cited:

Fred Rogers has been the subject of a few urban legends. Among the urban legends and rumors about Rogers: