When our daughter, Anna, was a year old (2001), my husband met Fred Rogers when they both were on The Today Show (my husband was performing w/James Taylor). So excited, L told Mr Rogers how much we all loved his show-especially the songs. L started singing "I like to take my time, hmm hmm hmm," & hummed...and Mr Rogers put his arm around Larry, and they sang together! "I mean I just might make mistakes if I should have to hurry up. And so I like to take my time." (!)
They reminisced about Johnny Costa (my husband is a jazz pianist too). Mr Rogers was just so sweet, and asked about our family and our address.
Not long after, we received in the mail an autographed photo of Fred Rogers in his signature sweater with a lovely letter addressed to all of us (we have it) and a cassette tape of Johnny Costa playing the music of Mr Rogers Neighborhood.
Now at the tender age of 53, I realize how fortunate we were to have been children of the generation in which we came into consciousness with Fred Rogers, and also were able to share that experience with our child. Larry and I are pianists, and we recall melodies so easily. Yet few lyrics to songs stay in our minds, except perhaps for those of the Beatles, and Fred Rogers:
"It's such a good feeling,
A very good feeling.
The feeling you know, that I'll be back
When the day is new.
And I'll have more ideas for you.
And you'll have things you'll want to talk about.
I will too."
All you need is love. Thank you, Mr Rogers.
23
Thank you for this gorgeous tribute to a man we need now more than ever. Just imagine the power of love and acceptance and give it whenever you can. Children and adults will benefit. It's never too late to build a bridge.
16
Wow. Those older Boomers just can't let go of their TV soaked childhood. In 1967 they shouted "Don't trust anyone over 30!" Now it's: "Where's the adult in the room?"
Isn't it enough for them that they gleefully brought back the Cold War?
Stanley Kubrick was dead-on when he ended Full Metal Jacket showing the Boomer Nation united and singing the Mickey Mouse Club theme as the world went up in flames all around them.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
1
I’m so taken aback by the tenor of your comment. Messages of goodness and kindness, the ability to understand children and their fears and needs, understanding that being loved releases creativity and the ability to believe in those around you are universal and not confined to Baby Boomers. Mickey Mouse club songs are nostalgia -fun to sing at the moment but carry very little universal truth.
33
@Rev. E. M. Camarena, PhD
Aside from indulging in snark I don't quite get, you actually don't really have the timing right, for a large part of the early to mid boomers were too old for Mr Rogers' Neighborhood, which wasn't on TV until 1968 and lasted until 2001. The official Boomer birth period was 1946 to 1964. A large portion of his audience was - well - Gens X,Y /Millennials and even Z. So, what generalizations hold for everyone below the age of about 75?
28
@GeriRad: When it comes to the National Religion - television - I am a heretic.
Anyone who believes in "Universal Truth" is ripe for any propaganda that comes down the pike. And guess what the number one instrument of propaganda is...
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
1
When he sang "Won't you be mine?" in that insinuating little voice, I turned off the TV and bolted out the door.
1
For people who don't understand why it's pernicious (to say the least) to stick a child in front of a television set and make the child listen to and even "love" a fictitious character who takes the persona of a real person, I strongly recommend this best-selling book:
https://www.amazon.com/Arguments-Elimination-Television-Jerry-Mander/dp/0688082742
Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.
Allowing highly-paid strangers into your child's head to shape that child's perception of the world, its understanding of love and friendship... what could possibly go wrong with that?
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
2
Here is a person that we can all respect. Someone to truly look up to. He changes us when we’re with him and we become better.
And then we’ll return to our nasty conceited ways. You won’t find Fred Rogers supporting abortion...ever. And that’s just one thing among hundreds that the rest of us do that he couldn’t conceive of doing.
And he was right.
3
@Betty Condon I don't know what Mr. Rogers' views on abortion were, I think he was wise enough to know that campaigning against it was not going to help but that it was the issues that put us in that position we need to focus on. Love is always the right way.
11
Well, now I feel a little bad. When a tiny girl, I always found everything about the Mr. Rogers Show profoundly unsettling (especially, I'm sorry to say, Mr. Rogers himself), and expertly avoided seeing any part of it, ever, save one: I knew to the minute when the puppet segment came on each afternoon. When the clock hands were in the right place, I'd switch the channel over hoping Daniel would be on that day. I loved that little tiger.
Thanks for Daniel Striped Tiger, Mr. Rogers, he - and you through him - made a lasting impression on me.
5
Back in 1969 and 70 I played in a band up in Connecticut. We rehearsed during the week at the other guitar player's parents' house. At around 4 or 4:30 we all went upstairs to the TV set to watch Mr. Rogers for a goof. Or was it?
1
I am one of the many who learned to love him by sitting with my two sons who followed him with rapt attention. He fed something in each of us. And slowly, I let go of being mistreated as a child. And slowly, came to forgive the Universe for giving me a mentally disabled child who in his innocent, delusional world hurt me and his little brother daily. Being his mother gave him the only chance he ever had (so far) to learn there is at least one person in the world who loves him unconditionally and who encourages him to keep trying to find other people who will love him just the way he is.
12
With a little Gandhi liberty—taking, I invite us to all “Be the Fred Rogers you wish to see in the world.”
We are the helpers.
Every. One. Of. Us.
Thanks, NYT. Keep it coming...
10
I watched a few "Mr. Rogers" programs as a young man perhaps because of how much excitement and joy I felt about the study of learning and personality development of the very young. I was curious about what this strange, excessively calm, quiet fellow was really all about. Most of it flew over my head but surprisingly I watched. Only years later when I saw clips of him again making his pitch for kids and kindness did it click for me that there was a lovely mystery behind his promotion of kindness and carefulness. I now feel there's something much more open-ended about this creator.
8
What a lovely contrast to certain contemporary public figures. All is not lost.
7
When my son was a toddler, he loved playing with blocks and building things. But when Mr. Rogers came on the TV, he would stop, walk up to the screen, face to face with Mr. Rogers, and smile.
5
When my son was a toddler, he loved playing with blocks and building things. But when Mr. Rogers came on the TV, he would stop, walk up to the screen, face to face with Mr. Rogers, and smile.
1
Dian Rehm, the D.C. interviewer, had a bittersweet encounter with Fred Rogers not long before he died. She describes it on Great Conversations on PBS. I know he was religious but passing from one known existence to an unknown cracked open his professional facade a bit.
1
Thank you for a touching column.
"We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without those qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost." – Charlie Chaplin
5
Mr. Rogers' songs are imbedded in my memory from 50 years ago, and they return to me like simple prayers when I need a thought of encouragement and empathy.
It's such a good feeling to know you're alive. It's such a happy feeling you're growing inside. And when you wake up ready to say, I think I'll make a snappy new day. It's such a good feeling, a very good feeling, a feeling to know that we're friends.
Now what prayer could be better than that? :)
3
I couldn´t help having teary eyes all along this magnificent article. Thank you! Mr Rogers undoubtedly left in my brother and I many memories. And as a father now, and a teacher, and also a permanent student his message is a call to action to many of us. Hope to see more writing like this in the NYT!
3
As an adult channel-surfing, occasionally I would stop on PBS and watch a little of Fred Rogers. I always felt more calm and relaxed after seeing even a few minutes of his programs.
2
Babysitting was just one of the ways I made it through college. It was a job I loved, but I absolutely did not care for that show. I thought it silly, insipid and condescending to children. After all I was all of 18 and knew about such things. It wasn't until I was older and reading some of his books to my young students that I realized he was not speaking to me, he was to the children. And the older I got and the more I learned about this good man in the last few years the more I realize he was indeed speaking to me as well. Thank you for sharing your story of your friendship..
12
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was required viewing for students in my developmental psychology class (back in the seventies). We were required to only watch three programs,; I watched every week for the entire semester and for years afterward. I was so impressed that there were, in fact, two men named Rogers with very similar worldviews; the other was Carl Rogers, I believe that these men never met but, their messages of unconditional positive regard overlapped to the extent that they could have been brothers. I've used excerpts of Fred Rogers' work with my own students and clients, and am grateful for his commitment to children.
5
Title of this article kinda sounds like no one saw the movie...
my childhood was a tough one to say the very least. mr. rogers was pretty much the only person that was nice to me until i was quite a bit older. he was such a comfort to me. no yelling, no hitting, no making me feel worthless. just a nice man on tv telling me that i was good enough and that he would be my friend. maybe he was “boring” to some people but he was exactly what i needed. peace, quiet, and love in an otherwise tumultuous world. i will forever be grateful
23
Mr. Rogers (I didn't know he had a first name) always made me feel secure and loved. He soothed me through a childhood of abuse.
19
I have reencountered Mr Rodgers and the wonder of him comes flooding back after all these years. I’ve watched the documentary and the movie out now and I am amazed at his ability to help people connect the dots about their feelings. We need him more now than ever, I hope his wisdom, his message and goodness reverberate across our broken society.
12
I am an unabashed Mister Rogers acolyte. A Fred Rogers “fan girl,” if you like.
As this article so clearly illustrates, Fred Rogers is a guru, an icon for our times…oh, the irony.
Just as one example from this article, Fred Rogers says, “I think the greatest thing about things, is they remind you of people.”
How many of all our all-important “things”…remind us of people? Our smart phones and laptops, and iPads, and Bluetooth’s…do they remind us of anyone?
Do they, in fact, bring us closer to those who we value? Those whom we love?
Really?
In middle age, I finally, really “get” the profound and provocative power of Mister Rogers. While I don’t know how the new movie is, I have however, seen the documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
I can tell you it is a paradigm shifter – perhaps even, a life-changer - if you allow it to be.
It has the power to return you home to who you truly are; to the values…that genuinely matter.
Perhaps one day soon the life and work of Fred Rogers - the ministry and the man - will become clear to us.
I hope so, we really need it.
13
I'm not sure but I think it was 1988 and I was so disgusted by our choices of Presidential nominees that I wrote in Fred Rogers for President. Would the world be a different place today if he had been elected? I like to think so. Remember how he handled his congressional testimony in support of funding for children's programming? Gentle Giant indeed.
10
When my daughter was little, I used to look forward to Mister Rogers. I was a graduate student who also taught part time with a husband doing the same. Our lives were hectic and we struggled to pay bills. I am not normally the calmest of people in any case, but both Mister Rogers and his reassuring words and his neighborhood brought me comfort and a sense of acceptance as much as they did for my daughter.
12
I was a young mother when I started watching with my little kids. I was really surprised that I felt comforted as much as my toddlers did. Then there were times when I tuned in just for myself.
16
I was not a kid, but a tired and sometimes very lonely wife and mother. I didn't want the children to watch much television and we didn't, but when we turned on Mr Rogers on PBS, I would sit down, inwardly sigh with relief, and watch along with my children. I know I always came away happier and calmer, as did the kids.
He was a real blessing.
18
I never saw Mr. Rogers as a child. My parents limited my TV watching to Sunday nights with Disney and Animal Kingdom and an hour of cartoons on Saturday mornings. But with my own children, as babies, Fred Rogers and his Neighborhood were often the highlight of my adult days. Sitting in front of the TV, on the floor with little ones sometimes in my lap with their sticky fingers and tiny smiles and then with their climbing over me and anything else in range as they grew from infants to toddlers and beyond he was a gentle power in our days, the best safe space in our world. Somehow I sensed the rightness and strength of him from the first program although I did not understand it. Now, even decades later and with all the shows I have watched and now the programs about Fred Rogers and commentary I am still a bit mystified around his creative genius. But this I do know, Fred Rogers had the heart of a lion for courage and the heart of the entire world for love. May we all follow the path he created for each and every one of us as we live the truth we learned at his feet: to like each other just the way we are.
19
When my now 49 year old son was about 10, he decided to sell his Mr Rogers albums among other things to make some money. When the man and his child arrived to pick them up, my son couldn’t part with them after all. Fortunately, the man was very understanding!
16
Sorry but Fred Rodgers gave me the creeps. I was always waiting for him to cut loose and go postal but glad when he didn't. You gotta admit, in todays world Mr. Rogers wouldn't make it.
4
Yep I’m afraid you’re right. Kind, gentle, thoughtful isn’t “in” right now in the US.
4
Excellent essay Ms. Laskas. I'm sure that Mr. Rogers would be proud.
7
The thing about the unabashed worship of Fred Rogers is that it only makes sense if you limit your frame to a simple, unrealistic world. The New York Times also writes about race and justice issues. Fred was a Republican, a supporter of Ronald Regan who pumped crack into black neighborhoods and who reinforced racial stereotypes. Whenever I want to help someone understand what White Supremacy really means I tell them, "Many people confuse White Supremacy and White Nationalism. David Duke and the Klu Klux Klan are White Nationalism - Mr. Rogers is White Supremacy." Yes, he shared a wading pool with Francois Clemmons, but his frame was one of white owned neighborhoods and white people granting access because white people should be nice and grant such access. Mr. Rogers was limited in scope, deeply ideological, and reinforcing of notions about individualism, conservatism, and a puritanical, Christian manifest superiority. I hope people will chill about their worship of this demagogue.
2
@Alan Murdock
No one would be more fascinated with your take on him than the man himself. I bet he would say, "tell me more" and make no move to defend himself from your labeling him a White Supremacist. And that's how Fred Rogers is very different from Ronald Reagan, and pretty much all the rest of us.
10
Mr. Rogers should be our mirror for how to live a moral life. Too bad Trump never watched Mr. Rogers or for that matter anyone in the Republican Party these days who have turned their backs on morality and honesty and integrity and settled for corruption, lies, deception, manipulation, money, greed, and treason for the oaths they took to protect Democracy.
Mr. Rogers should be replayed nonstop for our children to learn what is kindness and compassion and truth. Maybe Mitch needs to watch to cleanse his soul.
8
I never liked the Land of Make Believe. Being deaf, I could not read the puppets lips, so it was all meaningless. But I loved the beginning, when he would come in, take his shoes off, and hang up his sweater, and then talk, sing, and maybe a field trip. The magic of it was that it was all one on one. Just you and Mr. Rogers. That was his gift.
Don't make him a saint, you say. Sometimes, I tell people Jesus DID come back, and we missed Him. No one argues.
7
Wow, jut Wow. It gives me hope that maybe there will be one more Mr. Rogers if I wait long enough.
We could use him right now.
5
I wish Donald had watched this show.
5
Enough already. He was a nice guy who hosted an extremely dry and boring kids show. Good for him.
Just because Hanks decides to play him and to try to make him into a hero, doesn't mean that's the case.
And no, cardigans are not cool.
2
No, indeed, cardigans are not cool. I think that’s precisely the point; don’t you?
6
I like cardigans. While I respect your right to express your opinions, I don’t support your right to be condescending and to dismiss what others think.
2
I feel guilty in that I never tuned in when young, and I have absolutely zero curiosity about the man. He reminds me of a flavourless custard. Just sort of bland and - to me anyway - utterly uninspiring.
I suppose I should give him a chance.
But it seems I find myself equally rather tired of this unyielding idolatry over Tom Hanks as one of humanity’s noblest souls. I find him similarly of a bland simplicity, which at this point reeks of a marketing formula that has propped him up and served him extremely well in “Everyman-land”
Hanks seems as neutral as Switzerland. As good as its chocolate. Universally loved. A man who doesn’t offend, and by the same token doesn’t seem to take a stand, or sides or speak truth to power as Meryl Streep does or Jane Fonda. Rather he is perpetually unimpeachable anywhere; a come one, come all, Episcopalian preacher of sorts (I expect that would have been a formidable profession for his humane talents) if the dream factory hadn’t molded him into this mellifluous angel of Christmas - the George Bailey of “Its a Wonderful Life” that oozes his Canadian maple syrup of attained soulful wisdom as he sails above the mundane strife and pains of his fellow human beings, so safely secure in his multi-million dollar kindness franchise.
Life is more than a box of chocolates, or a happy day in the neighborhood, though I do concede we need the illusion of such men in order to hold on to hope for children and what was childlike in us, once upon a time.
1
Thanks you for the wonderful article.
I was raised on Mr Rogers Neighborhood. Daniel Tiger was always my favorite; I think I had a lot of anxieties as a child and I really loved that he did too. I also coveted his wristwatch. (My Nana had given me a Cinderella watch for my birthday, and I had a classmate who had a non functioning, play watch that looked just like Daniel’s, so we traded, much to my Nana’s displeasure!). I had, and still have, a record of theirs “Come on and Wake Up!” I loved all the sets, the imagination games, the songs and the fact that Fred never, ever talked down to us, always To us. It was a wonderful lesson to me as a child, to respect everyone and to treat them equally.
Some days still, either on glorious beautiful days or days where I need prodding to enjoy it, I think of the closing song “it’s such a good feeling to know you’re alive, it’s such a happy feeling, you’re growing inside, and when you wake up ready to say, I think I’ll make this a snappy new day!” It does help.
Thanks Mr Rogers. You will always be my neighbor.
10
My memory of Mr. Rogers is harsh. I was too old for him, and thought him a simpleton in my arrogant English major world. I am not proud of this, especially now that now I am old and know that everything he said/taught/stood for is exactly what we need to live a full and meaningful life. I have two younger sisters, and perhaps they were my excuse for watching Mr. Rogers. We had a two cats, one named Henrietta, and I never knew where my sister came up with that name. All these years, who knew. In so many ways.
9
My children didn’t watch Mr Rogers because we didn’t have a television when they were that age, but my niece did. My brother was determined that she would grow up without superstition or dogma. He wanted her to become a clear-eyed and intellectual adult, so he was disappointed to the point of scoffing when she developed a need to return daily to the comfort of spending time with Mr Rogers. When he asked her why she would watch something that he thought was so clearly beneath her, she would only reply, very confidently, about Mr Rogers, “He loves me.”
18
What a wonderful story. Friday, 11/22. I had just in disgust closed the editorial comments from Susan Rice (English, please!!) about the hearings when somehow I followed the yellow brick road to this article. Thank you for all the amazing "little" stories and thank you for your immaculate writing. A joy to read.
8
It seems the remarkable Fred Rogers never left childhood.
And that was part of his allure and magic with children.
Even with his famous wisdom and ease, it was always fantasy and childhood.
1
My mother, old, ill,and a bit senile, watched Mr. Rogers every day. She sat on the edge of her bed tp watch her 12" tv, wearing a similar cardigan sweater. I asked if she was cold; her response was that she thought Mr. Rogers was, "a really nice man, Judith." Which he certainly was and still is.
5
My last name is Rogers, and I loved Mister Rogers so much that I named my springer spaniel Mister Fred Rogers. That was in the 1980s. He was a fantastic dog!
1
It is always worth noting that a false view of saints is that they have or are something supremely different from the rest of us, which puts them out of reach. True saints have somehow rid themselves of whatever is in the way of their shining, and are thereby at least in theory possible for the rest of us. Mr. Rogers is an example.
5
His favourite quote, “What is essential is invisible to the eyes,” actually reveals his nature.
He was essential, yet his true self was invisible. As children we saw Mr. Rogers as a gentle television personality. As adults, we learnt he was a radical social engineer.
Fred Rogers' canvas was not television, it was humanity. He hoped to shape people and society, especially children. He helped and strengthened children, because he knew that children create our neighbourhoods and our tomorrows. He shaped a better world, by bettering our children.
Mr. Rogers was profoundly shaped by his grandfather who showed him the joys of dreaming and imagineering. Even vocationally he followed his grandfather who created many businesses managing fodder, but instead of fodder for chickens and hogs, Fred's many ventures always tilled creative artistic fodder... all meant to nurture human children.
I especially liked his poem included in the article, "It's you I like." At a poetry reading I will be attending this week, I will present his poem. He wrote it for all of us.
11
A beautifully written article about a most extraordinary man. This is why I subscribe to the New York Times. I will print out this article and keep it on my desk to remind me of better times, better people, and hope, please let there be hope, for a better future for today's children...
16
I came to the US in 1967, the year Mr. Rogers's Neighborhood started being broadcast nationwide . I cannot remember whether I first saw the program in Knoxville, Tenn. or in Philadelphia, Pa.
I do know that the producers probably did not think of people like me as the program's target audience : I was 24 years old in 1967 ! Yet, I watched it, if not religiously, at least pretty regularly . I watched it for myself : I did not have any children at the time.
If my wife found the habit surprising, she had the good grace of never mentioning it and I probably would have a hard time, then, explaining what drew me to it .
What was clear to me, then as now, is the Fred Rogers's message was at last as meaningful for adults as it was for children .
But of the many important messages that the program carried, the one that has stuck with me for all these years is the one contained in the first line of his most famous song : "It's you I like" . I taught me how to look at people in their entirety, not as bits that I approved of and bits that I did not .
I hope those who were children when they first saw the program learned that lesson early . I wish I had .
19
"WOW' Such a great person.... Sweet memories, I remember I used to watch his programmes everyday morning with my first daughter when I moved to US . I always murmuring his theme song lines.. "It's beautiful day in this neighbourhood".... Miss him a lot.
8
Throughout the article those who know Mr. Rogers claim he wasn't a saint. That might be true but many people might be familiar with an individual, probably not famous, whose life contained very many saintly actions. Mr. Rogers was one such individual.
12
Fred Rogers' genius was his profoundly simple message. If only we could all accept it.
15
Thank you, Jeanne Marie Laskas: You are fortunate to truly know Mister Rogers. And we are fortunate that you can share him so eloquently.
I shared this on FB: "It's funny, but I think if you can feel this article, we probably have many common hopes and dreams."
Happy and loving weekend to all.
18
It had been one of the most stressful days in my memory in the ICU at the Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh where I was working. I was the charge nurse for the shift and running from one room to another trying, along with all my colleagues, to put out the fires that, in a pediatric ICU are as heartbreaking as they are intellectually and professionally challenging. In the middle of rushing between the main unit and the step-down unit, I felt a tap on my back. Turning impatiently I came face to face with Fred Rogers. "I want to thank you for all that you are doing for these children". I remember feeling mildly annoyed and thinking, who has time to talk for chrissake?!! At the end of that shift, I got in my car and sat for a moment trying to make sense of the day. And then it finally registered, Mr. Rogers had just thanked me. The memory of that moment reminded me that I was a part of the universal network of people who love children and that we need to remember that that taking care of each other is as critical to their well-being as anything else that we do.
36
I didn't grow up with Mr Rogers and assumed I was far too sophisticated for such drivel. And then I had a child. Mr Rogers was safe, I could put it on and do my own thing while my son watched. But slowly I joined the audience, sitting rapt beside my little one, taking in the lessons and sweetness, not cloying, just kind. I listened and fell in love with this weird man's brand of love and life. And I felt great gratitude that we had him in our complicated world.
21
Many years ago my mother, a respected child development specialist and professor of early childhood education, wrote a column for an educational journal that compared Sesame Street (then a new TV phenomenon) with Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. She found the newer show too slick, too fast paced, too much like splashy TV ads in its approach to holding children's attention and teaching them letters, numbers and the rudimentaries of literacy. She championed the humanity of Mr. Rogers, his quiet ability to reach children in a gentle, intelligent way that neither condescended to them nor tried to razzle-dazzle them, and which helped them learn meaningful values as well as information about the world around them. My mother received harsh public criticism for this column, especially from the producers of Sesame Street, who charged that she was out of touch with the reality of contemporary life for children, especially those in the inner city. This was, I later realized, untrue: much of the work of my mother, an immigrant who grew up poor, was in touch with and aimed at the needs of underprivileged children. And though as an adult I can still see the value of Sesame Street, I am glad that Rogers is finally getting the appreciation he deserved -- not just for him personally, but for his goal of bringing out the best in children as human beings of intrinsic value to themselves and our society.
28
@Colettewoolf
I'm so glad you shared this. My own children, watching in the 90s and early 00s, seemed to much prefer Mr. Rogers to SS. I put it down to the idea that they both seemed to have pretty long attention spans for young kids, and SS moved too quickly and suddenly for them. They seemed to appreciate the time Fred took to speak and explain and imagine and wonder. SS changed topics too quickly for them and they never were as crazy about it as their friends.
4
I lived in Pittsburgh for 28 years and have an interesting story.
I was working for the home health division of a hospital, in 2003. We would process slips for feeding tubes and many other things, and I happened to spy one for Fred Rogers one day.
He died a day or two later.
7
Thank you for this, Jeanne.
As I work on my sixth decade on this good Earth, I still miss Fred. The fact that all his programs are not regularly shown in rotation on all PBS stations feels like something between a tragedy and a crime. We, all of us from children to grandparents, need his humanity so very much.
28
Thank you for sharing... I loved watching Mr. Rodgers and shared it with my kids. They love him too.
5
I was introduced to Fred Rogers by Jeanne Marie Laskas, the brilliant writer of this lovely piece. He gave me one of the best and kindest compliments I've ever received. I was visiting him at his office and something I said, some mannerism, maybe my loud laugh, made him say, "Oh Sasha, you remind me of my wife!" Delighted, I responded, "Fred, you remind me of my husband!"
It's the kind of comment you never forget. I must be okay if Fred Rogers loved me. That was enough.
Maybe he wasn't a saint but he sure was close.
-- Sasha Nyary, western Mass.
18
Fred was an icon in Pittsburgh, yet few knew it back then. I grew up with WQED and watched his show every day as a child.
I met him one rainy night in Oakland when he asked if he needed to put money in the meter. I was in awe. He was the same soft-spoken, humble man that we saw on television, and happily engaged me in a conversation until Joanne tugged at his raincoat like she probably did countless times in an effort to move him along.
I get goosebumps every time I watch him reduce the brusque senator John Pastore to acquiesce to $20 million in PBS funding in all of six minutes in a congressional hearing. Yeah, that's how powerful Fred could be.
He indeed was an underrated artist. He and Joe Negri used music as a language to communicate the most serious of emotional issues in a way that every pre-schooler could understand and remember.
He taught me and countless other Pittsburgh children that it's ok to feel, to be exactly who you are, to love, to be curious and to accept all human beings as equals.
Messages we need now more than ever in American culture.
Rest in peace, Fred. We miss you, but you're always be a big part of us kids from the 60's.
34
Ah, my hero. When my now 43-year-old daughter was about one- year-of-age (1977), she was not very interested in eating solid food, still preferring to breast feed, which worried me. But, we had an old black & white TV, and she was mesmerized by Mr. Rogers. So I chose to sit her in her chair in front to the TV and I spooned food into her as she sat entranced. She ate. But then one day Fred was mixing oil and water, and the swirls of color as he mixed the two were rather diluted on our black-and-white. Having been basically against TV for toddlers up to that point, I then decided that we would update to a color TV set so that we could get the full effect of Mr. Rogers, grumpy King Friday, Henrietta Pussycat and guests like Ezra Jack Keats, our favorite picture book collage artist. But most of all, it was Mr. Rogers voice and his message that we loved. A few years later our daughter and her brother each wrote letters to Mr. Rogers, and within a week each received a typed signed letter in response, specifically referring to what each had said to him. What a man! What a friend! He has long been, and remains, my hero. Thank you, Fred.
27
It's really pretty simple, isn't it? If your behavior was witnessed by Mr. Rogers, would he approve of your actions?
I put his picture on my office door to remind me and my colleagues that being nice isn't easy but it is a choice. It was what Mr Rogers chose to do everyday he shared with us.
Thank-you for your nice article.
21
I hadn’t known that Catholics were incapable of “critical thinking” before I read this otherwise delightful article. That’s disappointing! I feel like I have to either burn all my books or renounce my faith now, one or the other.
@Sheriff Moonbeam I'm quite sure that is not what Mrs. Laskas said -- or meant. As a Catholic raised in the Midwest, I can completely appreciate the perceptive salience of her commentary.
11
Thank you Ms. Laskas. You certainly write captivatingly. Do you think it helped Fred's relationship with Joanne that she was often away on the road playing the piano?
3
Such a terrific piece. I think Fred would have been proud of you. Thank you for not giving up on all those past attempts to write about him. Look at the good it did - the good you did:)
10
I moved from London to Seattle (though I was originally american) with my husband and twin daughters in 1989. I came home by myself one day, and as i was unloading groceries, I started flipping channels. There was some talk show about Transvestite Grandfathers who cheated on their wives or something like that, and another of that ilk, and then I flipped to Mr. Rogers. I was kind of used to the speed of Sesame Street, but I was intrigued. At first I thought he was gay. I had trouble adjusting to such a slow speed. All the props were so homemade looking. But by the end of that first show, I was in love. My kids and I continued to watch Fred Rogers intermittently for several years. I especially loved the videos that showed how things were made. Who knew how crayons were made! I wish there were more shows like his. Slow. Decent. Loving. And thanks for the term "Tending soil." I will try to remember that when I am shopping for wedding dresses with my speedy, way too cool New York daughter. I love her just the way she is.
14
I was in high school when Mr. Rogers became nationally distributed on PBS.
However, I'll never forget watching his program with my brothers in an Atlantic City hotel room, as we waited for our parents to take us to dinner.
Like Tom Hanks, I was fascinated and obsessed by the NASA space programs, Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. I watched every televised launch with rapt attention.
So we turn on the hotel TV, and saw Mr. Rogers interviewing a couple of astronauts. One of them was Air Force Lieutenant General Tom Stafford, whom I remember using coarse language when things did not go well on the launch pad.
I was very interested when Mr. Rogers digressed, and asked Stafford a question that Walter Cronkite, Jules Bergman, or anyone else had never broached on television, "How do you make a B.M. in outer space?"
It was all quite engrossing.
I thought, "This Mr. Rogers is a different sort."
14
What an uplifting, informative article -
thank you, Jeanne Marie Laskas! I needed that, especially given the events of this day.
I stumbled upon Mr. Rogers: I was an unhappy sixties adolescent going through tough times when I first turned the channel to PBS, heard him, and was drawn in by the luminous quietude of his message, which I carry within to this day.
I calIed him 'Rogers' and my friends found it funny that I was such a fan. I continued to watch him intermittently over the years and always felt a mixture of serenity, safety, and delight. I was deeply saddened when he passed and I still miss him, but I focus on what a blessing he was in my life and in the lives of countless 'neighbors'.
Fred Rogers' life is proof of the impact that one human being can have on people's souls. Many people helped and inspired him along the way and public television served to amplify his message. Without them he might not have succeeded for so long. They also have my gratitude.
It's pretty cool that Rogers is getting so much recognition now. I think it's more than nostalgia. I know that times have changed, but I hope that a new generation of people will see him and receive the same sense of joy he gave to me.
18
You’ve written a beautiful story. Thank you.
11
I loved Mr. Rogers! He was inspiring when it came to how to deal with your emotions. I watched him a lot every time he would come on. This article made me realize that when he passed on I was in high school. Therefore, I do not remember when he passed. I am glad, however, that he has gotten his own bio film. I did not know how much he impacted the world until I saw documentaries or videos of him in courtrooms fighting for public programming for children. I remember when they was trying to cut those shows due to budgets. They felt like the shows was not necessary. I applaud him for that fight even if it was seemed small; it was worth the fight.
12
The most profound things are the most simple & pure. This illustrates that principle and its ongoing impact. Thank you.
9
Genius!
7
I never watched Mr Rogers but for years, if I was sick in bed, I would watch Captain Kangaroo and I always felt better. Both had a gentleness that reminded me of my favorite grandfather.
10
Joybubbles, the man who discovered phone phreaking, loved Mr. Rogers. Blind since birth, Joybubbles (born Josef Engressia) had a rough childhood marked by abuse and betrayal. As an adult, he spent several weeks in Pittsburgh listening to Mr. Rogers’ programs in the archive. He also founded The Church of Eternal Childhood.
As an adult, Joybubbles found the acceptance he missed out on during his early years. I read once we are all children in adult bodies. I didn’t grow up watching Mr Rogers, unfortunately, but maybe it’s not too late.
7
Fred Rogers was a national treasure.
10
Long ago, Mr. Rogers created a planetarium program for the smallest of children. That presentation, at the then brand-new Carnegie Science Center's Buhl Planetarium. That program was a singular experience which I will never forget.
Very measured and brief, the program brought a unique gentle kindness and calm to both the tots and their parents; it was an awe-inspiring experience for those of us who attended the premiere as planetarium directors.
There was nothing to be afraid of at night, and we saw the stars. Next, we all pretended to be asleep and Mr. Rogers explained when it would be time to say "good morning" to each other when the Sun rose again to begin a new day.
At the end of the short program Mr. Rogers appeared at the front of the theater! He took all the time necessary to extend a gentle, calming hand on the shoulder of the terrified little one who screamed out "how did you get out of the television?"
Mr. Rogers was, up close and in person, exactly who you saw on the TV- a person of saintly disposition.
A couple of us had the honor and the privilege of sharing some quiet conversations with him during our planetarium conference; it was the sort of conversation that still brings tears to my eyes.
20
How we could use Mr Rogers in our society today. Kindness, acceptance and civility, what a wonderful way to live.
19
Mr. Rogers dedicated his life's work to helping children feel loved and accepted just the way they are. He specially reached out to the vulnerable and sensitive. It is a worthy and profound message, but let's not pretend it is the solution to all the world's problems. We are not all equally sensitive. Or equally vulnerable. And we don't all share common goals.
“If we can somehow rid ourselves of illusions,” he said. “The illusion that we are greater or lesser than we are. The illusion that we’re going to save the world. There are a lot of illusions that people walk around with.” - certain roles, such as being an elected official in high office, demand a certain amount of illusion - the fact is that the office does confer an importance greater than themselves, and to some extent it is their responsibility to make decisions that potentially save the world. In these roles, modeling virtue and goodness in one's personal interactions is not enough - that virtue must be incorporated into the fabric of legislation. I think it is fair to say that private virtue does not necessarily guarantee public virtue, and that modesty and modest gestures don't suit everyone or every time.
Yes the world would be infinitely better if everybody was as thoughtful and caring as Fred Rogers. But they are not.
8
@DebbieR maybe you are speaking more to his vision of creativity and envisioning what could be than of his thoughts on illusion? Illusion perhaps is more about deception?
Interesting to read about his attraction to detritus. A generational thing might have been at play there: like my father born in 1930, Fred was a child during the Great Depression. Back then, something of use, such as a grotty old bedsheet, was a treasure: bleached and cut up into pillowcases, or if too far gone, shredded and used as filling for seats, dolls, pincushions, etc.
10
I loved Mr. Rogers and only want to add that the fine Pittsburgh actress/singer/artist Josie Carey co-wrote 68 songs with him. Carey is often omitted from articles about Rogers but her contribution to his early career should not be overlooked. Carey and Rogers were a team on "The Children's Corner" which delighted Pittsburgh area children from 1955-1961. They were a dazzling team and a security blanket for my childhood.
16
My oldest son would come home from his first full-time job after college and turn on Mr. Rogers. He told me it did wonders for his disposition. Captain Kangaroo was my favorite when I was a kid. I think the reason these two shows lasted as long as they did was because there were no other children on the sets. We felt they were there just for us.
13
For the author, Ms. Laskas:
This is a great piece! As an employee of the National Programming Department at WQED during the era you describe, you bring back a lot of memories for me, especially of watching tapings (although in my case generally from the control room with Hugh Martin or Paul Lally directing, not from the floor of Studio A). One thing — I do believe the other puppeteer in the overhead photo looking down to be Sam Newbury. Thanks for writing this! You are special!!
16
delightful!
4
Pure zen, blocking out impeachment hearings and reading The Fred Rogers and Tom Hanks stories. Thank you NYT’s.
13
Mr. Rogers, well, he's MR. ROGERS. But, as much as I enjoyed this article, who remembers dialogue to this extent? Does it matter that the writer made up/filled in where possible? Yeah, well, does to me. Makes it fiction. Docudrama at best.
@Ken Bowling That thought crossed my mind as well, but then I read, "Some of the conversations and moments recalled here are from those early attempts to understand," and gave the author the benefit of the doubt.
6
More than 40 years ago, my toddler, who had just learned to walk a few months previously, was pulling his toy xylophone behind him when all of a sudden, he stopped: “ Mr. Obah! Mr. Obah!” he cried out in excitement.
And then it hit me: As he pulled the little toy, it sounded out
notes which must’ve triggered images of Mr. Rogers and his signature theme song, to him.
THAT’S how special Fred Rogers was— and continues to be —for so many of us.
15
Once a year we used to visit my grandparents from the UK for 3 weeks and one of the major highlights of this visit for me was watching Mr Rogers (and Sesame Street). Although we had programmes that were educational and tried to promote the same sort of values there was nothing quite like Mr Rogers, which made that short time I had to spend with him very magical, with my viewing continued well into adulthood.
What a treat to stumble across this excellent article and so much insight into what made Mr Rogers Mr Rogers. The back of this I watched Won't You Be My Neighbour last night. I watched it with my English husband who's never seen Mr Rogers and found it a very moving account.
14
Rogers lived in, " A world of simple words and deceptively simple concepts, and a slowness that allowed for silence, focus and joy"
I loved that passage.
I cannot seem to read enough about Rogers' legacy these days. I wish we could package his thoughtful grace and civility and deliver it to every doorstep in 2019.
Thank you NYT for another great article about this uniquely gifted man.
24
That graduation when he sang might have been mine, Carnegie-Mellon in 1975. At the time, classmates were embarrassed he sang that song. Also on the dias were George Ball, former secretary of state, and Bill Lear (Learjet and 8-track tapes). Few remember who spoke last year or even at their own graduation. But everyone remembers Mr. Rogers singing with Johnny Costa on piano. My granddaughter loves Daniel Tiger and my grandson’s nickname is “Tiger.” Thank you Mr. Rogers.
21
I watched the episodes, happily, with my children. His messages were incredible. They were balm to to the soul. I knew he'd been a Marine, and trained to be clergy, but seeing how he created so much for the program, leaves me in awe.
‘You know, you made this day a really special day. Just by being yourself. There’s only one person in the world like you. And I happen to like you just the way you are.’
His grandfather's words are a great treasure.
19
Mr. Rogers is one of the first "upstanding men" who hasn't disappointed. He was a big part of my childhood, but as awful as this is, am more surprised than not that he has not been called out as a terrible hypocrite or worse (I won't say it because he doesn't deserve it). Yes,I was raised Catholic.
Thank you for your integrity, Fred Rogers.
10
Life truly is unfair.
Wish I'd met the man (more importantly, had the good fortune of getting to know him).
Wish I'd had the sense to watch his show.
Way to go Fred. What an outlook and wisdom and action guide.
9
I was just a bit too old as a kid to be Mr. Rogers's target audience. Truthfully, his quietness and slow pace unnerved me. But I learned years later of this man's sincere desire to help children grow with a sense of acceptance and love. Who can argue with that. This article fleshes out the man in many ways, and you can feel his wounds, especially in the anecdote about the Bush fundraiser (I wasn't a GWB supporter, but I am neither a GWB hater). One cannot help but feel how torn he was. Having read this account of the man, I will now count myself a fan of Fred Rogers.
14
@Prudence I was also “too old” when his show first aired. After my first child was born, I rediscovered Mr Rodgers and realized what a great program he had. Instead of all the literal bells and whistles of most kids’ tv, he was calm and gentle. Often he just talked to small people. And his words were wise, for all of us.
9
Had the joy and privilege of watching, learning and being educated as a parent to a young child by our neighbor on television, Mr. Rogers. He turned out to be the best any parent could share with their children, along with Sesame Street in the 70s and 80s. Last year l watched his documentary in the movie theater with all adults. At the end, everyone was in tears. The quiet reverence was evident. Its 2019.. now our turn to be a good neighbor.
13
When Fred Rogers spoke at the 2003 graduation ceremony at Dartmouth College, where I worked, I got to meet him and David Newell. On the morning of the ceremony, with everyone dressed in academic regalia, I happened to be talking to Mr. Newell when Fred Rogers rushed over to us with a big smile on his face. “Great news!,” he said. “They say I don’t have to wear a hat!” He was free of the academic mortar board hat he apparently disliked intensely. That’s how I will always remember him. Completely genuine and guileless.
32
I recently read an article about Fred Rogers written by another friend of his, the man whose relationship with Mr. Rogers is the basis for the current film starring Tom Hanks. That article saddened me because it emphasized the deterioration in our public civility since Rogers death, particularly as evidenced by the worst aspects of social media, and implied that this is evidence that Mr. Rogers "lost." This article in the Times is the perfect antidote because it clarifies that Rogers wasn't naive about human nature and never thought he was going to transform the world. I suspect that his take on the current lack of kindness and respect for each other in the media, politics, and our daily lives would be that each of us needs to find a way to create change in our own small way. I can't imagine him giving into despair.
24
What a loving tribute to an extraordinary human being. My introduction to Mr. Rogers came late, when I was in my 20s and came to US to attend graduate school. Needless to say, I have not watched any of his programs fully - but will never forget the calming voice - can still here it and the gentle presence on the TV screen. Thank you for this fitting portrait. Makes me want to watch all his programs now, as I approach retirement.
10
I earned English from Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street.
12
Thanks to the author for helping me remember watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood with my children when they were young. He was a gentle, loving presence in our lives.
And thank you, Mr. Rogers !
10
I cried reading this article. I was afraid I would. This stuff goes deep! Mr. Rogers, a man I never met, paid more attention to me when I was growing up than my own father, an absent, preoccupied workaholic, did . . . yeah. "It's You I Like" is the one that gets me every time. That song will open a door in your heart that never closes if you are in a position to receive its message. Thank goodness I was. What a great article. Thank you for reminding us/educating us about the very real stuff - the good stuff - that went into Fred Rogers's thought and work.
49
Thank you for a wonderful article that provides a unique perspective on Mr. Rogers. What a unique and sublimely talented artist.
Being a child of the 1980's, I had my fill of both Sesame Street and Mister Rogers Neighborhood. I recall being drawn to the calming tone of the show, as I learned it was just as ok to feel sad as it was to feel happy. Part of his art was his ability to make you feel as if he was talking directly to you. I felt that as a child. (I also will never forget the excitement when he popped in that VHS tape behind the picture and I got to see how crayons are made).
Growing up in Pittsburgh (I was born and spent a good chunk of my childhood on the city's North Side), I remember feeling a profound sense of joy and pride when I learned that Mister Rogers was from the same city I was. To me, the tinkling piano of "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" as the camera pans over the miniature streets, and the message of love and compassion, is every bit Pittsburgh as the gritty, blue collar steel town.
14
@Jon
I have a limited view of Pittsburgh, having been there four or five times for 5 or so days each. It struck me as a city where everyone I met was kind and sincere. Walking in Frick Park one December day, others enjoying their outing spoke to us, made eye contact, smiled, and wished us a good day. I was very impressed that a city of that size was so friendly and affable.
“No Place For Hate
Squirrel Hill” inspired me to put the bumper sticker on my car here in Oregon. I can only imagine the same words would have been straight out of Mr. Rogers’s mouth.
2
I find it difficult to believe that so far the NYT Picks include not one comment on the role God played in Mr. Rogers’ life. As a Messianic Jew I can tell you what role he plays in mine. God fills that otherwise empty space in marriage and in my most private, inner life of LONELINESS. He makes my life worth living. As a scientist with an advanced degree I can tell you how this belief in God can be tested. Each of you, including the editorial board of the NYT, should take a close look at how, in many instances, loving Christ has CHANGED the lives, for the BETTER, of dear friends in the life God blessed you with. May God bless you everyone in this coming season.
5
@Curiouser ...I never use the NYT Picks letters but go directly to "All" as I don't trust the picking process, to tell you the truth.
8
@Curiouser
The article stated that Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister who was charged at his ordination with a mission to use his talents in the media (television). The entire article is imbued with how Mr. Rogers radiated the spirit of God .
13
I encountered Fred Rogers once when I was a corporate pilot. I had just stepped into the FBO at Washington National Airport and I happened to see him standing with a few colleagues by the window looking out toward the ramp. Instinctively, I walked over to shake his hand. He held on, stepped toward me and began talking to me as if I were an old friend.
Afterward, I walked away with one thought; "Mr. Rogers" is no act. This man is the real deal.
55
I did not watch Mr. Rogers when I was a child. As an adult watching along with my young daughter, Fred Rogers taught me so much on how to be a parent and how to be a better human.
12
Ms. Laskas,
What’s a beautiful article about Mr. Rogers. What a beautiful gift to readers. Thank you!
10
I feel the presence of Fred Rogers in this article, the same as when I watched him while a parent of small children.
12
My father Thomas Warner went to Rollins and lived across the hall from Fred during their freshman year. My father later transferred to Oberlin eventually becoming a professor of music at Bucknell. My father and Fred were not good friends but they kept tabs on each other and when I was 8 or so in the early 1970s my sister and I met Fred at his place in Nantucket. It was quite a thrill for my childhood self who used to sit in front of the tv saying "I love you Mr. Rogers"
19
I adored that show and watched it even when the kids didn't. His truth and sincerity made me cry more than once.
Ah, sincerity, always rare--is it gone?
19
I have absolutely no interest at all in seeing A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood just because it’s another Tim Hanks movie.
2
But yet, here you are, aren’t you? You could’ve decided to not read the article. Instead, you try to make it all about you. I wonder who you remind me of.
11
I still sing it to myself regularly ... "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood ... won't you be my neighbor."
A sentiment we should all recall and repeat - a mantra for our divisive times.
11
Today I learned that Mister Rogers and I share the same favorite quote.
L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
He was a man who obviously saw clearly with his heart.
12
Anyone know where I can get a full text of his commencement address at Carnegie Mellon?
8
@ppienkos
Try contacting the university archives at Carnegie Mellon, starting with their library.
1
I loved Mister Rogers and I loved this piece.
6
A soul of Jesus, a son of the Buddha, and a man of unconditional love as a radical act of transformation of the world.
14
I recently flew across the country during heavy turbulence. Luckily I had downloaded “Potato Bugs and Cows”, one of the many operas that took place in The Neighborhood of Make Believe. Calmed me right down.
There is a great verse in his song “What Do You Do With The Mad That You Feel?”.
I can stop if I want to, I can stop if I wish, I can stop any time.
What a glorious thought that WE have control of our anger.
21
Art with no pretense is so powerful.
11
As this article shows, there was so much more to Fred Rogers than meets they eye. He was gifted thinker and among the most persuasive people in American history. The first two links gives a list of his sayings. I have often used them to brighten the day of some around me or even to give myself a lift. The last shows a video of Fred Rogers at a Senate hearing in 1969. His speech at that hearing is considered one of the greatest ever given in the Senate Chamber.
Mr. Rogers would have been great at anything he did. By his work as an educator of young children on television, his influence is far more than one could have fathomed.
https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/45-quotes-from-mr-rogers-that-we-all-need-today.html
https://twentytwowords.com/incredibly-inspiring-mr-rogers-quotes-that-will-brighten-your-day/
https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fredrogerssenatetestimonypbs.htm
12
By any measure, the man was a saint. A shining example of American virtue.
5
One of my early memories is being told by mother to put my coat on, as it was time to leave for my afternoon preschool. I looked at the TV, where my friend Mr. Rogers was singing gently to me, and thought for a moment. Then I obediently reached and turned the knob to turn off the TV, thinking, "When I get home, I'll turn it back on and he'll be there to finish the song."
I was heartbroken to realize, after school that day, that he had gone. (He came back!)
13
I was too old for Mr. Rogers and never would have watched him, but I was also "in charge" of my youngest brother every day while Mom was making dinner. We would play with his toys, or I would read him a book, but when the sun was getting low he would start asking when "Mr. Rara" was coming on. And so, supposedly out of duty, I watched too. But I secretly loved Mr. Rogers and his neighborhood. My parents did great but had their hands full with four young kids and a family business, so Mr. Rogers's simple message of unconditional love, and most of all his steady presence, was like a tonic for me. This article brought that all back (than you Jeanne Marie!), and also contained a surprise: by gladly accepting who Mr. Rogers was and what he had to offer, I now learn that in his view I was giving to *him*. What a remarkable thought, that the love he felt from his audience sustained him the same way his love sustained many of us.
292
@Cal Prof
I was an adult before I saw Mr. Rogers. Decades ago, during a long bout of depression, I turned on my tv--which only got one channel--and there he was. I watched every day and, slowly, Fred Rogers taught me a new way of thinking and a new way of living.
And Bubbleland was the best.
82
@Cal Prof your experience so mirrors my own. I too was too old for Mr Rogers but we were a 1 TV household and my brother was 6 years younger than I and Mr Rogers was on every afternoon for him. I pretended to merely tolerate Mr Rogers because I wa an oh so sophisticated 10year old. But in fact the shows became the subjects of our first serious conversations and where my brother Bill and I met as equals. The fears of Henrietta Meow Meow Pussycat and the pomposity of King Friday were ways that we found to understand the fallibilities of our parents and other complications of the adult world. To this day I still depend on some of the lessons I learned from Mr Rogers and a grateful.
51
Mr. Rodgers died the year that I was born. While I was a child, there were few programs I enjoyed more than his. It’s interesting, because I’ve been looking back most especially at his older programs, and you can truly see how he was trying to be an artist, how he was truly trying to make his art for the audience of a child who needs a friend. I never forget to feed the goldfish. Thanks for being who you were, Mr. Rodgers.
12
What a balm to read this beautiful piece after being disheartened by all the other major news stories of the day. Thank you for sharing this part of Mr. Rogers with us.
16
When I have the ability to observe the current occupant of The White House and not simply react, I think about the child he once was. It seems clear that he had difficulties with impulse control and may have been a hard child to love. I imagine his Germanic parents being mighty tough on him. And, ultimately they sent him away to straighten him out.
What if he had been lauded for his gifts? What if he had been accepted for who he was? Would a loving upbringing have instilled compassion and kindness in him?
We need Mr. Rogers’ guidance in these troubled, angry times. I imagine he’d be doing what he was so good at - leading by example and focusing on the innate goodness that is in all of us. I miss him.
29
@Kathryn I thought of the prez when reading the quote in this article about how important it is for children to receive love. Seems likely that Trump didn't and, well, here we are.
1
I remember the episode where Mr. Rogers' fish died, and he gently used a net to scoop the fish out of the bowl. He went on to describe death in a way that wasn't scary, and even then, I knew it was special that a grown up was talking about it. Around a young child, death was only whispered about, but Fred Rogers brought it right out there. I was watching with my mother, and even she was surprised -- but we were both equally enchanted. That's the word that sums up my childhood with Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood...enchantment. He was kind and never judgmental, and his voice was so soothing. What a gift. Not going to lie, I cried a little reading this article. Thank you, Ms. Laskas, for a beautiful piece about a beautiful soul.
39
During my childhood in western Pennsylvania, I loved to spend weekends with my aunt, uncle and cousins in Latrobe, PA.
Sunday always included Sunday School at the Presbyterian
Church and that is where I first met Fred Rogers. I can still
see him wearing brown knickers, tall and thin. Later, after
I graduated from Pittsburgh Seminary, I got a note from him
asking why I was working in a library -"calls" for women being
scarce in Oregon and three kids in college. What a remarkable person he was even back in those Sunday
School days!
16
I read this wonderful article interspersed with watching the impeachment hearing going on. Mostly, I ignored the hearing and just allowed myself to enter into the world of Mr. Rogers.
I'm so grateful for the article and for the opportunity to move from a horrible reality to the possibility of a much more loving and caring place. For a while I felt as if I was actually in Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Such a peaceful, caring place to be.
Thank yo so much for this entry into an alternative world that actually, really exists if we just allow it to be.
23
Thank you for this article, Ms. Laskas.
I would like to learn from some of the timeless lessons Mister Rogers taught. I'm not a kid anymore, but there's a kid deep in my spirit that responds, even now.
15
I suggest that you find his programs on YouTube. Even older people like us still have more to learn.
5
It’s a shame that there are only a tiny number available. Most of them are in an archive in Pittsburgh and not easily accessible. It’s a great tragedy.
3
I watched Mister Rogers long past their target age. I regret nothing about it, and it has informed as much of my life as an adult as it did my childhood. Concision, patience, simplicity. Kindness, insight, focus on the important.
Can't thank him and his crew enough.
18
It's been a long time since I have watched Mr. Rogers but I did a lot with my one child. We especially loved the operas he would put on. She loved it. I loved it. Can't wait to see the movie.
9
On the occasions when I watched Mr. Rogers with my kids in the 1980's, I often worried that he wouldn't be able to finish changing sweater and shoes before his song ended. I suppose he had rehearsed that choreography so often that he knew exactly how quickly or slowly to tie his shoelaces, but I was always amazed that he never seemed to mistime his actions. I suppose he was supremely mindful as he muti-tasked, but I always expected to see a YouTube out-take in which he fumbled that sequence.
10
On the occasions when I watched Mr. Rogers with my kids in the 1980's, I often worried that he wouldn't be able to finish changing sweater and shoes before his song ended. I suppose he had rehearsed that choreography so often that he knew exactly how quickly or slowly to tie his shoelaces, but I was always amazed that he never seemed to mistime his actions. I suppose he was supremely mindful as he muti-tasked, but I always expected to see a YouTube out-take in which he fumbled that task. sequence!
1
I was a bit too old for his show, but I sometimes tuned it in anyway; He made any day better and was a person to behold. And I learned a lot on the way...
11
I was lucky enough to encounter him at the Nantucket airport in 1989. I was there as a cab driver picking up a fare and noticed someone looking at me, with the most uncommon and unexpected expression of total acceptance. I couldn’t stop to speak to him, but I still felt like I had met him and been seen by him. At a time when I was struggling with who I was, it was a little piece of kindness and encouragement that still resonates with me today, amplifying all I learned from watching his program as a kid.
56
I grew up on Mr. Rogers. He offered such calm love and understanding, couched in beautiful silent pauses that seeped into my four year old soul like rainwater. He taught me how to imagine, how to appreciate, how to visit a friend. He taught me how I can stop when I am angry and feel the immense power of exercising control. He said the space between the television and a child watching was “sacred ground” to him. I felt his devotion to me every moment I watched him. I am so grateful for the time we had together.
40
I can think of nothing negative to say about Mr. Rogers.
13
Well, I'm crying in my tea this morning. Thank you so much for this intimate story of a man we all know and love, but didn't really know how much work, effort, and artistry went into creating the neighborhood. I think the main take away for me was the St. Exupéry quote: "L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." Feeling with your heart instead of seeing with your eyes is good advice for today.
29
Jeanne, after reading your wonderful article, I did a quick review of some of my favorite quotes. Here's just one of them:
"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey."
Ken
PS Fred is quite quotable.
28
What a wonderful story.
11
In 1978 I was a college student working Christmas holidays at the old Joseph Horne Company department store in downtown Pittsburgh.
I'll never forget hearing a familiar voice ask me "will you help me?" and I looked up to see Mr. Fred Rogers standing right in front of me. He asked me to help him find a shirt (alas, not a sweater!) and we carefully looked at all the possibilities until he found just the right one. Then he produced his Horne's credit card with "Mr. Rogers" typed neatly in raised letters in the lower right corner.
He truly was the same in person as he was in the wonderful shows I grew up with. I miss him...
40
Fred Rogers was God with skin on. What a beautiful portrait of the best mankind, much less tv, has to offer.
23
I knew very little about Fred Rogers, before his second act in the public sphere made the sparkling soul of the man more apparent to all (the documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” is a must-see). I admit I made fun of his trippy show (I blame Eddie Murphy for that), but the truth is I have long distrusted anything that smacks of preaching. Having grown up Catholic, I associate such words with judgement. I get my guard up when anyone tells me how to live. Don’t you dare.
Clearly, I misinterpreted Fred Rogers’s life mission. He wanted to help others love and accept themselves. That’s not a lesson that was taught in my home. I was always poised for the knife in the back.
Tending the soil. Pause a moment to contemplate that.
Addressing the now and giving yourself fully to those around you is such a pure distillation of what Christianity should be! I know too many a Bible thumpers who happily trot off to exotic destinations to do “missionary work,” but they’ll cross the street to avoid the homeless people they see every day in their home towns. They’ll go on and on about he injustices at the border, yet underpay their undocumented gardeners and house cleaners. So much hypocrisy and posing.
Live your faith.
I loved the writer’s description of the Fred Rogers magic: “A world of simple words and deceptively simple concepts, and a slowness that allowed for silence, focus and joy.” Beautiful. This is how I strive to live now. It can be difficult. I’m trying.
26
@Passion for Peaches i OFTEN FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT MODERN CHRISTIANITY, HAVING JUST RE-FOUND MY FAITH i STRUGGLE DAILY WITH LIVING SIMPLY AND LOVING FULLY BUT IT IS A STRUGGLE i AM HAPPY TO TAKE ON. I FIND PEACE IN THE LITTLE THINGS AND I TRY AND RECOGNIZE GRACE AS IT IS AFFORDED TO ME IN THE SIMPLEST OF THINGS. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP ON THE TRUE MEANING OF OUR LORDS WORK, WHICH I THINK IS SIMPLY TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. FRED ROGERS WAS SUCH A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS. GOD LOVES YOU, AND SO DO I
8
Well, it appears that my primary comment didn’t make the cut. Perhaps this one will: thank you, Jeans Marie Laskas for your lovely piece. It was just what I needed to read today.
We should all be so lucky, to have a mentor like Fred Rogers.
12
When I was six years old I went with my father to WQED where he was to tape a segment as one of the Neighborhood guests. I walked through the darkened studio, past the Castle and X the Owl tree sets. I sat on the floor at the very edge of the living room set, which looked like it did on tv as they ran through some technical rehearsals. Everything was in darkness off the set, and when Mr Rogers came over to me, I couldn’t see his face until he knelt down to give me a glass of milk and a plate of cookies. Then he said to follow him so he could show me something, saying shhh as he held a finger to his lips. We approached a cardboard box in a corner. “Look inside”, he said.”He’s sleeping.” Inside the box, curled up, was Donkey Hodey- a donkey puppet not frequently seen. I will never ever forget that- it was a magical moment - and I think of how as an adult he was able to share that magic with children- not as a fellow child, but as one who knew that magic was real if you allowed for its possibility.
57
We wouldn't be dwelling so much on Fred Rogers is Trump wasn't President. We are at our own "have you no sense of decency, Sir" moment.
9
Check out Fred’s Commencement Address at Hobart and William Smith College in !985.
It was a Beautiful Day in our Neighborhood that day.
https://www2.hws.edu/when-you-wish-upon-a-star-when-mr-rogers-came-to-hws/
9
Thank you for this.
6
we need him now more than ever..
6
Oh my gosh this was lovely! I'm sitting at my desk at work crying because of all the wonderful Mister Rogers memories that have come flooding back. I turn 50 next month, and Mister Rogers on the television was my childhood companion. He has remained my lifelong moral compass.
Ms. Laskas was blessed to know him in person, and I am so thankful she decided to share him with us in this beautiful piece. Now if you'll excuse me while I go reapply my mascara before my next meeting ...
14
when i was raising my two boys in the late 80s and early 90s, we'd watch Mr. Rogers together... our favorite parts were when he visited interesting places. if you had asked as a grown up would i like to see trombones being made, or crayons or half a dozen other little visits i remember so clearly, i would have thought you were crazy. but when watching them, his simple pleasure in everything he saw and learned just transmitted itself to me and to my boys. i particularly treasure his visit to the central park zoo penguin house (one of my favorite creatures) and his sheer wonder and delight when a chinstrap penguin just jumped up on his knee. his face was transformed with almost a transcendent happiness. my boys are grown up now, but i treasure my memories of watching Mr. Rogers with them, and the look on Mr. Rogers' face when that penguin decided to like him -- just as he was.
26
This is so utterly beautiful and necessary. Thank you.
37
God bless Mr Rogers, how lucky that my children were able to watch and experience his grace and his love. One of my children was lucky enough to experience the gift of Mr Rogers every day. It was the calm that came on after the wonderful storm of Sesame Street. As a mother, I benefited from it as well.
Thank you Fred Rogers and NYT for this exceptional piece about an exceptional human being.
22
My youngest son's first word was "Rogers!" which to my amazement he exclaimed quite clearly as he came running into the kitchen one day, pointing at the small countertop TV, indicating he wanted to watch the show. No surprise to me that 32 years later, he's now a paramedic, or, as Mr. Rogers would put it, "one of the helpers". Our whole family loved watching Mr. Rogers.
58
When my kids were little I bought a book of Mister Rogers' songs. I was surprised by how challenging they were (for an admittedly out of practice amateur musician)-- the melodies, rhythms, and harmonies all have surprising, unexpected moments. They are more complex and interesting than typical children's music and that really changed my understanding of Mister Rogers. I wish he had had the chance to write that musical he was planning.
243
@Noah One of the illustrations for the article is the manuscript(?) score for what it says was Rogers' last opera. The pages flip so fast, but it's clear that the entire work is a lead sheet-- just the bare melody and lyrics. So I have to wonder whether those "surprising, unexpected" rhythms and harmonies are actually the work of his musical director, Johnny Costa. Or perhaps the illustration shows an early sketch, which Rogers would later realize with a full piano accompaniment containing all the harmony and rhythms?
No matter, though. The ultimate result is music and lyrics that are literate and articulate enough for adults to enjoy, but still immediately accessible to the intended audience of children. That was Fred Rogers' true gift.
14
I was a kid watching Mr. Rogers. WNET, channel 13 NYC.
Sesame Street had not yet quite hit the scene. Anyway, I was too old for that, I told my parents.
But there was Mr. Rogers, sandwiched between educational programs teaching high school algebra and the nightly news.
Of course, I was too old and sophisticated for Rogers. Same thing every day. Sweater and shoes. Silly simple songs.
X the Owl lived in a tree and the door on the tree was a simple slatted affair held together by a "Z" frame. I remember when they put in two additional pieces to turn the Z into an X.
I remember when Daniel the tiger ran away.
I was too old for this stuff. It was baby stuff and by then I was in 5th grade. Maybe 6th.
I remember when the Trolley needed to be fixed and I told my mother it was just a regular electric train like we had around the XMAS tree and I could fix it.
I remember he had an actual traffic light but I don't remember what made the lights change and I thought it would be great to have one in my bedroom.
I watched him every day at 4PM. WNET channel 13 NYC on a 15" B&W TV we had on a roll cart.
I finished my homework early so I could see him. Sometimes my baby brother and sisters were sick or with my grandmother, and I watched him anyway.
I never knew they were puppets.
622
@iceowl, your memory gave me goose bumps. What a beautiful and poignant piece of writing. Thank you for sharing. You really explained the appeal of Fred Rogers.
93
@John Leddy Thanks so much. I've been following these biopics on Rogers. It never occurred to me as an adult, all these decades past, what an impact he had on me. I always thought he was aiming toward kids littler than me.
But it was me. He was talking to me, and all my nightmares.
I can't tell you how many times over these decades that I've been stressed beyond reason by my work or a personal tragedy, and I can still hear him saying, "Look for the helpers."
How can you possibly measure that kind of impact? And what does it say about my own fatherhood and child rearing? Certainly, everything I did to raise my children had that kind of impact. But was it as thoughtful and encouraging and downright useful?
We are fortunate to have been in a time when he walked among us.
And here we are, reading these pages and others that describe the turmoil in our world. If ever there was a time we needed to remember it, it's now.
Look for the helpers.
181
@Iceowl, you need something, at that time, and you found it in his simple program. I think you just summed up exactly what Fred Rogers was aiming for.
49
Thank you for this article. It is the first article I have ever saved to reread from the NYT. I doubt I will ever "unsave" it. When I was a young adult during the Vietnam war years, and dating my husband, I met his minister who was also a backyard family friend. I remember loving to attend his Sunday service because of the good feelings I left with which was such a dichotomy to my own Catholic mass service. He was a lot like Fred Rogers in my mind. Alas, he also was taken too soon and I miss him to this day. Thank you again for reminding me of the genuine good that can exist in people.
21
I could read anecdotes about Mr. Rogers all day. Interesting that people close to him want to emphasize the hard work and intention that he put behind his way of being. This makes his philosophy more obtainable, not some kind of magic quality that only he had. It's hard not to think of him as a kind of super hero of kindness though.
464
@Mike I didn't want it to end either. :)
20
@Mike I've never watched Mr Rogers, but I heard from him the first time from my American (ex-)boyfriend who just started to beam when he spoke about Rogers. It made a huge impact, that much was clear. When I read last week that a film was made with Tom Hanks, who shares some of Rogers' qualities, and I read all his famous quotes on the internet, and all the stories, and everything I could find. And now I read this marvellous piece, and it is just so... true. I can hardly find the words. It moves me incredibly, and I can truly understand why my ex-boyfriend started to beam whenever he talked of mr Rogers. People felt as if seen by him. And even though they were watching (and thus seeing) hím, because the guy cannot watch all those children (people) at home, they felt seen by him, and accepted, and worthwhile. It's so essential.
31
@Renske
"People felt as if seen by him." Nicely said. And isn't that what we all want?
3
Thank you for another peek into the world of Mister Rogers.
He brought joy, wonder, curiosity and laughter into my young world and still makes me smile.
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood....
207
I was the kid who felt talked down to by Mr. Rogers, and that was me just being me. But I loved the puppets and the imaginary kingdom and the concept of cultivating loving relationships with neighbors, and that has shaped how I interact in the world. Still have little patience for slowness, and suspect people went a bit far with the “You are special” concept in the ‘80s.
3
Fred Rogers was not a saint in the accepted understanding of the word. But he showed us how to be fully human. Saints have attributes, and to that extent, Fred's attributes were his puppets and his cardigans. Children were his followers.
Thanks, Ms. Laskas, for reminding us what a wonderful saint (disguised as a man) he was.
9
Like the sweatshirt I saw at Target says, "It's cool to be kind," which Mr. Roger's showed us.
I remember his quiet voice, relaxed sweaters, and his tennis shoes. I grew up in a very gruff, machismo, blue collar neighborhood of cement workers. Many days, the only gentleness I experienced was watching Mr. Rogers.
For those of us who were bullied as children, wuth parents telling us to toughen up, Mr. Rogers was a reminder that it was ok to be kind and gentle; that not everyone was a bully.
Another program like this is what the world needs now. Desperately and more than ever.
39
I never saw "Mr. Rogers" - I am much too old and never had children in my life - but I don't feel that I missed anything. because his messages ring clearly to me now.
12
The song Rogers mentioned is “I Like to be Told”:
I like to be told
When you're going away,
When you're going to come back,
And how long you'll stay,
How long you will stay,
I like to be told.
I like to be told
If it's going to hurt,
If it's going to be hard,
If it's not going to hurt.
I like to be told.
I like to be told.
It helps me to get ready for all those things,
All those things that are new.
I trust you more and more
Each time that I'm
Finding those things to be true.
I like to be told
'Cause I'm trying to grow,
'Cause I'm trying to learn
And I'm trying to know.
I like to be told.
I like to be told.
65
Too bad Donald Trump didn't get to watch Mr Rogers when he was growing up.
I think he watched a different Fred and look what happened!
16
@Steamboat Willie, Fred Flinstone? Yabba dabba do.
That’s exactly what I thought while reading this. I wonder how different Trump would’ve turned out if he’d been allowed to watch the program. I said “allowed” because I feel that his whole upbringing was so structured that he was never given the opportunity to be a little boy. And that in itself is truly sad and heartbreaking.
2
@Cathy Moore Trumps father, Fred, was a real beast. Look at what he created----the most amoral excuse for a human being that one can imagine.
1
I was in the age group where both Mister Rogers Neighborhood and Sesame Street were brand new and they hold such a special place for me...15 years ago, I was given a lovely book called “What Would Mister Rogers Say” and I still tear up reading it today...and I’m in middle age...also, I still pronounce the word striped as “stri-PED” from Daniel Striped Tiger...I’ve never said that word any other way and it’s never occurred to me to say it any other way...I miss Mister Rogers so often and am thankful for YouTube footage...and I’d love a spray on sweater...it would make winter dressing much easier...thank you for such a lovely profile on one of my childhood “friends”...
12
I often wonder what a "great man" is, and in history there have been so many mentioned, Alexander, Caesar, Emperor Ching She Huang (one with terra cotta soldiers), and etc..
but now I understand:
A great person is an ordinary person who does great services to people and shares love to all...
nothing more, nothing less...just like Fred Rogers
39
@Paul -Usually if you have great after your name, you usually are not great, usually dictators, conquerers etc.
If you are great like Mr. Roberts putting great after his name would lessen his greatness.
2
This is one of the loveliest stories I've read in ages. One of the things Fred Rogers was is an antidote: to fear, anger, sadness.
21
“A lot of this — all of this — is just tending soil.”
Thanks to his patient, selfless gardening, the world is a much better place.
18
“When people help us to feel good about who we are, they are really helping us to love the meaning of what we create.”
Brilliant. Sublime. True.
Totally Rogerian.
11
This is an exceptionally beautiful piece, best thing by far written about Rogers.
How good it is for of us to think of what Rogers stood for in these rather dark times. Have hope, make art, and tend the soil indeed.
And, dare I say, I think Rogers would love Pete Buttigieg.
20
Thank you for reminding us how important Fred Rogers was in so many ways. If I could take one thing away from your column about him that is most poignant it is his statement, "...There are a lot of illusions that people walk around with. I would love to be able to be present in every moment I have.”
Being present is a present if one can achieve it in this information overloaded world we live in. Thank you, Fred, for the reminder.
157
I was one of the original staff members of the MisterRogers program. We all learned about Fred together and were constantly amused and amazed by his completely original personality. When Robert Kennedy was assassinated, taping was suspended for the day and Fred retreated to his office to write a short address to all the children of America. It was his effort to attempt to explain death and what had happened. I was in the darkened studio with the cameraman and Fred sitting on a stool as he spoke to his audience. It was quiet and electrifying at the same time. I have never forgotten that moment.
534
@David Peters Thank you for that remembrance. I had almost forgotten about it. I was in 8th grade in 1968 but I remember switching the channels on our tv, furtively looking for anything other than the RFK assassination coverage. I stumbled upon Mr Rogers and I was transfixed. If anyone had been around me I probably would not have continued watching - but I remember how comforting it was for me, at 13 years old.
87
@David Peters. Here’s a link to the program you remember. It’s still empathetic and powerful in its message and treatment.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_MRC0qu75TU#menu
59
@Charlie in NY @David Peters: decades later, this video clip (thank you) makes one weep; sadly, it's all too relevant in our present day, re the senseless gun violence and the fears and loss which too many children, young people (and people of all ages) and parents endure. Fred Rogers possessed such deep emotional intelligence, such quiet strength and eloquence. His heart and gentleness are balm, yet he didn't shy away from difficult truths. His work seems more important than ever in these benighted times.
27
Fred Rogers was a true artist. My takeaway from this gorgeous profile is that we are all artists. When we accept ourselves we live in the now and give ourselves permission to create for the joy it brings.
13
Thank you for the reminiscences and inspiration to just be. I loved all of this.
11
I am so happy to have read this piece today. It truly was soul nourishing. Thank you. It seems a world away from where we are presently, but having contacted it via your writing, perhaps obtainable once again.
23
I have read and seen a lot about Fred Rogers recently, and each article has been like an oasis in a desert.
Thank you so much for this one.
35
I had arrived in the US with my baby and for the first few months we were in a dark motel room, my baby unsettled and unable to sleep well, then I found Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood on the tv, and lo and behold my baby relaxed and loved watching the show with me. I too fell for Mr. Rogers’ soothing calm. I guess we lived in the moment through him.
61
@Emma Afzal, I think that it would have given Rogers great joy, to know that.
12
Thank you
2
A lovely piece about a profoundly simple man. I think this passage is the key to Fred Rogers and everything he stood for. The lesson is universal and timeless:
“'I think that how we were first loved — or not — has a great deal to do with what we create and how,' Fred once told me."
24
@John Collinge, it’s true that our earliest relationships inform (or poison) those we have later in life. But it’s not an original thought. It’s the basis for many modalities of therapy.
Thank you for the wonderful article, and the good little cry that followed it. I have spent my life thinking of Mr Rogers words and tone, imprinted on my heart, as a mother, as a preschool teacher, as an occasional artist and as a human being in a consistently more dark and dismal world. Mr Rogers helped form the internal world I chose to grow up in, despite failings and pain, sadness and confusion, and I am forever grateful for his being one of the lights that shone brightly bringing me into today.
25
What a moving and loving tribute to your friend. You done good, Jeanne Marie. I never had the honor of meeting Fred, but one of my fondest childhood memories, I was probably around 6 years old, is seeing Mr. Rogers at the airport on Nantucket. "That's Mr. Rogers!" I exclaimed to my parents. He was walking one direction and we were walking the other. My eyes and his met, and he recognized the wonderment in my eyes--"Mr. Rogers is REAL!" in the same sort of way a child might gaze upon Santa. Registering my amazement, he continued to look me in the eye, his eyes engaging and beaming, and shared a warm, generous smile as we passed. I will always treasure that brief encounter during which he shared his message directly with me without saying a word: You are special.
140
What a beautiful moment - thank you for sharing. Now, let my ugly cry commence.
15
@Chris
Despite your statement that you never met Mr. Rogers, it seems that you met him in the purest and most magical way possible. Thanks for sharing.
25
Thank you Mr Rogers for continuing to touch us through the generations, and thank you Jeanne for such a beautiful article. The pacing of it, the space to stretch out, is evocative of Fred himself.
He's not a saint, just a beautiful, ordinary man reaching out to the beautiful and ordinary in each of us.
30
"Like Fellini for preschoolers." My favorite line. A wonderful article!
34
@Louella Bryant, more like a pizza dream or acid trip, really. But sweet.
1
@Passion for Peaches
Your having felt compelled to reply to the prior commenter as you did is the antithesis of that which Fred Rogers embodied and conveyed.
How sad it is that you felt the need to reply :"Most like a pizza dream " in reply to the prior commenter having written that her favorite line was :" Like Fellini for toddlers ". You criticized that author in the process.
I'm trying to figure out what compelled you to reply as you did. What drives you to detract from the joy of another , and to burst someone else's bubble?
5
Fred Rodgers should not be considered a Saint...But he should be considered an unfailingly kind man.
Then we can aspire to be THAT.
38
Your article is beautiful, and reminds me of what is really important. Thank you.
20
very moved by this story and the man Monsieur Rogers.
He did so much with so little, He knew how to speak to children about everything, explain things even to the rest of us. He was real. No special effects needed. I liked him just the way he was.
30
"Imagination is the beginning of creation. We imagine what we desire, we will what we imagine and at last we create what we will." (George Bernard Shaw)
What a legacy of desire, imagination and ceaseless will, Mr. Rogers left for us all.
Thank you Ms. Laskas for this heartful tribute and fleshing out of an icon who was in fact so supremely human being.
8
I’m a therapist, working every day to help folks begin to tolerate—and then cultivate—who they *actually* are. The process becomes stuck and heavy a lot of the time; we’re all so deeply ashamed of the best parts of ourselves.
Thank you for reminding me of Fred’s unwavering focus: “It’s you I like.” I often tell folks this in similar words. All the fancy reframing and brilliant questions in the world don’t help as much as knowing that someone with clear vision likes us exactly as we are.
25
"I don't want to be an accuser." But so often we are.
"I don't think people change very much when all they have is a finger pointed at them. I think the only way people change is in relation to somebody who LOVES them."
Someone once told us to love our neighbor. There was no quibble about if they look like us or worship like us, it is enough that in this vast world neighborhood they are our neighbor.
Amen
26
how i wish we could bring fred rogers back--just for a day so that he could testify on capitol hill to remind all lawmakers about the richness of life, the joy in different people, the beauty of tolerance.
28
Just a beautiful article. Thank you.
10
If you haven't had the extraordinary opportunity to have grown up with "Mr. Rogers", PLEASE see the movie. If you have children, PLEASE play all the re-runs.
At this time, more than perhaps any other in the TV age, we need this. If we don't teach our children well, they may grow up like Trump.
18
Our society seems more coarse and harsher than it was when Fred Rogers was with us.
Whenever I see a program of his I am struck by his kind quiet voice. I think children are struck by it too. No yelling, no criticism just a sense that Mr. Rogers is talking to me, that I am special.
Mr. Rogers is gone. Replaced by no one. Children now watch WWF. Is it any wonder we, as a people seem different than we were when he was with us?
23
Thank you for about the best NYT article I've read in awhile. Such a light it brings in a rather dark time, the words of an enlightened person.
"I think there are many people who bring a whole lot of baggage from their past and a whole lot of anxiety about the future to the present moment. What’s so great is that people can be in relationship with each other for the now.”
Thank you, Fred.
32
So many of us, after reading this article, feel a terrible vacancy. Not only for the absence of Fred Rogers, but for our mutual daily despair whose source should not be mentioned here. What might Mr. Rogers say? Probably something like: : "Okay, then it's time to get to work."
21
Kind of sad that a fundamental belief that kids are people too is considered, by all of us, to be a “child development expert”.
I read the quotes in his voice. This was really lovely. Thank you. I’m crying like a baby, but thanks all the same.
5
I love reading the comments section as much as this article. Allow me to add an anecdote: I had workers at my home to perform a repair. My children, toddlers, at the time, were watching Mr. Rogers in the living room. One of the younger workers walked past them and commented that watching Mr. Rogers would make my children “gay”. I immediately told the foreman and asked him and his workers to leave. Since that time, I’ve read that “Officer Clemmons“ was asked to keep quiet about his identity as a gay man—not because Rogers was homophobic, but to avoid potentially alienating the program’s conservative viewers. A missed opportunity for Rogers...
8
If you've been reading the recent articles about Mr. Rogers and Tom Hanks acting as Mr. Rogers and haven't heard the Fresh Air interview of David Bianculli on his book The Platinum Age of Television where he has a segment of Mr. Rogers and congressional funding of public television as well as a Mr. Rogers program on the assassination of Robert Kennedy, I highly recommend that you search and find that. It is a real treat.
7
What a lovely tribute. It immediately made me flashback to when I met Mister Rogers in the late 1990s. He was the honored guest and keynote speaker at a major charity fundraiser. I was in charge of the pre-dinner photo opportunity with the media. During the set up, one of my public relations colleagues accidentally cracked his crystal Tiffany award that we were using in the photo and was to be given to him on stage later that night. I had to tell Mister Rogers that what had happened to his trophy...and that we would replace it and send him a new one in the coming weeks. He listened very intently without interrupting (of course) and then said to me, pointing at the cracked crystal obelisk, “Thank you for letting me know. That is my award, and if you send me another one, I will return it.“ He smiled gently. I wanted to hug him like crazy. It was an amazing Fred Rogers moment, and it made me realize that some people really are who they are, if that makes sense. I now run a local home care business and I keep a photo of Fred on the wall with his quote about always looking for the helpers in the time of crisis. Mister Rogers, we can continue to learn from your example every day.
77
I occasionally caught Mr. Rogers' show if my young son was watching it.
As another commenter, Amy, mentioned, his messages were not just for kids.
11
SUPER DUPER LOVED THIS ARTICLE VERY MUCH. I met him once when I was performing in Pgh. snd offered a tour of his set. We met, he rushed off to a rehearsal explaining that "less doesn't cut it around here." It was something new and taping was in 90 minutes. A true artist. Thank you for providing this gossamer insight.
4
This is a wonderful article. Thank you.
4
It's interesting, but disturbing, to contrast the caring, empathic and supportive emotional atmosphere created by Mr. Rogers with the sarcastic, derogating, deceptive, and competitive ambiance created by Mr. Trump. We inhabit a damaged American neighborhood where believers in American values fight to save the country from a selfish demagogue and his enablers who feed on racism, class warfare, and the false superiority of isolationism. Mr. Rogers would want us to pray but also to act to reverse this national malaise and restore our confidence in who we deeply are.
24
Yay!, Mr. Rogers. I always found him somewhat boring compared to the brilliant wit of Kermit, The Count and Oscar, Bert and Ernie of Sesame Street. But my 1,2, and then 3, 4 and 5 year old adored him, so I figured she knew something I didn't. In these years since he left us all, I have come to greatly appreciate his subtle gifts and wisdom. How I wish he was still around to speak truth. I am happy to say that I feel confident he will not ever show up on any #metoo lists. My daughter, now 51 years old agrees with me.
17
I have been struggling with carrying on relationships with members of my family that think it's OK to separate families and put children in cages. These words help:
"I really want to be an advocate for whatever I find is healthy or good. I think people don’t change very much when all they have is a finger pointed at them. I think the only way people change is in relation to somebody who loves them.”
21
Someone once asked Thomas Merton if he was a saint. He said, "What is a saint? First of all, a saint is someone who chooses to put down the impossibly heavy burden of judging others." Mr. Rogers was one of those people.
28
Happy to have grown up with watching this kindly children's entertainer. I can't believe some of the junk they have on TV for preschoolers now.
Don't believe the right wing talking points that Mr. Rogers was turning us into a nation of wimps, just because he encouraged little kids to develop their self esteem, and let them know their feelings are important.
13
We love to remember people like Fred Rogers during times of war and moral degradation of our culture, our institutions and government. He is the antithesis of the age of Trump.
He valued people, said what he meant and behaved with integrity throughout without pursuing self-aggrandizement. He believed in and modeled tolerance, and being concerned about all people being treated with fairness and kindness. He never left Pittsburgh, didn't make a lot of money, and helped others. He didn't have a gilded palace with his name on it. Donald would consider him a loser.
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If only we each could be just a little more like Mr. Rogers.
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If you’ve ever been that lonely and bullied kid then you know how saintly Mr. Rogers actually is to become a messenger of love and acceptance. No self-loathing or bitterness only empathy and kindness.
And I’m sure he worked hard at it.
We all can and should seek to create the “atmosphere” wherever we go.
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An amazing piece that says as much about the writer as it does the subject, a piece as warm and human as Fred Rogers himself appears to be. I liked that the article made the point that Fred Rogers was not a saint but a human being and an artist, that is important, when you claim someone is a saint or some sort of idealized vision of a person, you take away their humanity, and if there was only one thing he was, it was a human being:). It is kind of a sad testament to our times that Fred Rogers and his message seem to be so lost in a land of bullying and rudeness and "be the way I want you to be, dammit" seem to be the rule of the land. Seeing the way he practiced his faith, the way he saw it, is in glaring contrast to what is promoted as faith these days or belief, it is more like the dogmatic, rigid, beliefs the author was taught in Catholic school rather than the love and acceptance Mr. Rogers taught.
I liked Mr. Rogers as a kid, I loved the stories and the imagination, but when I became a parent, I really appreciated a place of quiet and peace in the noise that is often children's programming. I like to thing Mr. Rogers had an influence on my son, who is now a young man in his 20's, he is a musician/music student who is trying to share his joy of music with the world rather than trying to get ahead of other people or make a fortune; I can only hope Mr. Rogers would approve.
23
I only know Fred Rogers through the articles I've read, and the deeply grateful comments people have made about him and his life work. Never saw him on TV, but he's touching my life now, long after he passed.
Seems to me that he was truly a Priest, a Buddha, a Zen master. . or whatever spiritual word you prefer. His way was to show the way by example. A life well-lived.
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This is an amazing piece, so well written. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and memories of a lovely man. I too wish this world was more Fred Rogers like instead of the realities we face daily. The world lost a one of the truly great treasures that can never be replaced. We can at least remember what was and try to emulate the words, thoughts and actions of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. God Bless!
13
Thank you for this loving and lovely tribute to Fred Rogers. Mr. Rogers was an integral part of the lives of my 3 children - especially in that of my oldest, Jeffrey. Jeff had been diagnosed with leukemia in 1969 at a year & a half old. Back in those days, the average survival for children after that diagnosis was 24 months; Jeff survived for another 8 years, and Mr. Rogers was there for him every single day and made his life fuller and happier, no matter how rough things got. Jeff wrote letters to Fred and always got a warm and loving reply; when I wrote to tell Mr. Rogers that Jeff was gone, I got a wonderful letter back and still treasure it. I will never forget Fred Rogers; he brought light into the very darkest days.
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My condolences to you and your family. Thank you for sharing a beautiful memory of a man who embodied love.
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I feel fortunate to have stumbled across this beautifully written article about a beautiful icon in American culture. A man who achieved success by being himself and encouraging us to do the same. I read the Times every morning to keep up to date on the craziness in our world. But this morning I have decided to stop reading after this article and enjoy the rest of the day, contemplating this man and the lessons that he had to offer and and how he did so through his own example. Thank you Ms Laskas and thank you Fred Rogers
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Dear writer Jeanne Marie,
Thank you so much for writing this wonderful article. And thank to the NYTimes for publishing it. And thanks to all who participated, including dear Fred.
You all brought joy, humor and wisdom to this day.
Warm regards,
All of us
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If only everyone who loves the marvelous example of Fred Rogers would make a sincere attempt to call forth in ourselves what he so faithfully believed was inside each of us! That's what strikes me, reading the comments - there's a real disconnect going on here. We all miss Fred Rogers. He was an exceptional human being. But, instead of lamenting how unkind and coarse we've become without him, don't we owe it to him to try harder to be the people he believed us to be - the people he tried to show us we are, at our core, while he was here? It seems like, though we loved the teacher, we've rejected the lessons he taught. What would Fred Rogers think of the world today? He'd probably think it was more in need of love and understanding and healing and optimism than ever, and he'd get right down to trying to provide that. Perhaps we should, too.
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@Patricia
" But, instead of lamenting how unkind and coarse we've become without him, don't we owe it to him to try harder to be the people he believed us to be - the people he tried to show us we are, at our core, while he was here? It seems like, though we loved the teacher, we've rejected the lessons he taught."
"We " ?!!
If you feel that you have become unkind and coarse, and believe that you have rejected the lessons that Fred Rogers taught, you should refer to yourself as "I."
You don't speak for me. and for others.
@DJS Wow what an incredibly unkind post. I truly think you mistook her intent. She is using the universal 'we' here, to mean we humans. If you are somehow above us, and do not think of youself as a part of that universal 'we', you ight want to consider that
if you are so perfect you would not have written it.
read this again: What would Fred Rogers think of the world today? He'd probably think it was more in need of love and understanding and healing and optimism than ever, and he'd get right down to trying to provide that. Perhaps we should, too.
can you really disagree that you do not need that message right now and do not include yourself with those humans? Well then, I am dearly sorry, and hope others are kind to you today. Good luck to you.
1
In Alcoholics Anonymous, I was encouraged to find a higher power of my understanding. In my second month of sobriety, I chose Mr. Rogers. He has held me steady through the years, and I express here my profound gratitude to and for him.
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@Eggs & Oatmeal
I love it! Mr. Rogers is your higher power! So many people think the "higher power" in 12 step programs has to be a traditional image of God. Thank you!
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@Eggs & Oatmeal
What a fabulous choice! May you continue to be well.
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I look at the goodness of Mr. Rogers, who my children grew up watching with me sometimes sitting beside them, and one thought occupies my mind – how much better our country would be if our leaders had even a small part of his goodness and concern for others.
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I sat here and full out cried reading this beautiful article. I was an actual adult when I started watching the show in the 1980s. Born in 1952, I felt I was too old for him when the show first started on PBS in the 70s. But the 80s were a different story. Mr. Rogers's message of kindness & acceptance and being in the now are profound. I remember watching his PSA during the first Gulf War, the purpose of which was to calm children troubled by war. His words calmed 30 some year old me as well. Simon & Garfunkel wrote "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you". Long ago, I substituted Mr. Rogers's name. Oh, how we need his guidance and love. Thank you for this beautiful, loving article.
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Mr. Rogers was trying to have/live/give to others the childhood he himself was denied.
That's the psychological subtext that jumps out at me from this story, though it's never explicitly stated: He had a sickly childhood, rarely allowed out of his air-conditioned room. He must've imagined what a "normal" childhood would be like, and that's the world ---a magical, imagined world-- he tried to create on his show, to give to the kids who were his audience.
19
Fred Rogers was one of my childhood heroes. Somehow, he made me feel loved through the TV screen. He was a gift to all of us.
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You are a treasure in your own right, Jeanne Marie. Mr. Rogers would be very proud. Thank you for sharing this essential piece of you, with us, your online neighbors. Today is a very beautiful day indeed.
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I was just going to glance at this article, but became totally absorbed. Thank you for giving me a peaceful moment in a modern world that I'm sure Fred Rogers would never have thought would come to pass, yet I'm sure he would have found a way to help "children of all ages" navigate it.
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As a child, I wasn't a big fan.
However, LOL... At the end of my time in graduate school, I was completely stressed out - often to such a degree that I couldn't get myself to sit down and study. I was getting intense afternoon headaches that would drive me home from my office 2-3 times a week. I found that watching Mr. Rogers was very comforting. "I like you just the way you are." I understood the humor in the situation of a full grown adult watching Mr. Rogers, but I just let myself go along. So I frequently watched the program a few times a week. I might have been a late arrival, but I'm thankful to Rogers.
BTW, during this time, I purchased a big poster of Rogers in that sweater of his and put it up in my university office!
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@StatBoy That's a great story. My only comment is that what I learned from Fred is that there are no full grown adults. We never stop needing what he showed us how to offer and accept.
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@StatBoy
Were you getting a graduate degree in statistics (StatBoy)? That could push anyone close to the edge. I wish I had thought to watch Mr. Rogers in grad school. His program might have calmed me down. There's a line in Irving's "The World According to Garp" where Garp's little boy asks him what "gradual school" is. Garp replies that graduate school is where people who loved school all their lives go to find out that they don't love school any more.
9
I misread one of his quotes. He said, 'we're tending soil,' and I initially saw it as 'we're tending soul.' I think I was right the first time, in that meta kind of way...
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What a loving tribute to a wonderful, brilliant and humble spirit. I got a great dose of the beauty of humility by reading this, and so, thanks.
It's a more beautiful day in the neighborhood because of this piece, Jeanne.
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I happily remember my days of watching Mr. Roger's Neighborhood with my daughter. One of his many brilliant educational insights was that children's minds develop slowly and rapidly all at the same time.
How does this contradiction work? The rapid part is that children absorb from their environment at a rapid pace. The pre-school child's mind is rightfully described as like a sponge.
But translating all that information into cognition is a slow process and Mr. Rogers was perfectly designed to shepard that process along in the young mind.
He was repetitious in a way that allowed children to have information reinforced. He carefully paced the introduction of new information and did so with skill and creativity. And he taught simple but effective moral lessons that were essential to the child's social development.
He was in effect the antithesis to todays screen driven culture that overloads children's brains. He would have been appalled to see today's parents turn off his program so that their two year old could go to tutoring for the standardized test for a gifted and talented school program.
For Fred Rogers all children were gifted and talented. My daughter is now 36 and we often reminisce about her childhood years. Fred Rogers is a fond memory of those days for us both.
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This is beautiful: the story, the man, the message.
Just absurdly beautiful.
Thanks!
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What an inspiring man and such a wonderful soul. I often got lost in Mr Rogers Neighborhood as a child and I distinctly remember how peaceful and calming it was.
My initial thought was to bemoan the fact that the world is in such turmoil right now that we could all use a little more of Mr Rogers spirit in our lives. But as I sit here I realize that there has always been turmoil and what Mr Rogers true gift was the ability to rise above that and stay true to himself and his message of love and hope.
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I never watched Mr. Rogers when my children were young, only really discovering him with my granddaughter, now three. We sing the potty training song and the "Day is Done" song and we both feel so involved in the neighborhood and its inhabitants. She talks about them as real people and in many ways they are.
The simplicity of the stories reveal very profound messages and I'm always much more content after the program. I'm so glad she and I get to experience this together.
31
I interned at WQED radio in Pittsburgh in the 1980s, in the same building as the TV station where Mr. Rogers' show was produced. Indeed, I had to walk past the tree, the clock, the castle, and the Eiffel Tower - stored in the hallway outside Studio A - to get to work each day. It was a bit surreal, in the best possible way. One morning I came upon Mr. Rogers talking with the radio station's receptionist Pilar, and she was kind enough to introduce me to him. For just a moment or two, we chatted and he made me feel like the center of the universe, because, for that brief time I was the center of his universe and nothing was more important to him than getting to know a bit about me. I remember this encounter all these years later, not because he was famous, but because of the way he made me feel. I realize that I need to work harder in my life today to make others feel that good. Perhaps we all need to take a metaphorical walk through the Neighborhood of Make Believe each morning, as we start our days, and dedicate ourselves to finding the value in each individual we meet.
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@ET thank for your beautiful memory of Fred Rogers. It's no coincidence that this movie about him has been made now, during these difficult times we are living through. We need to listen to Mr. Roger's message of love and acceptance, and use it to make all our lives right here, right now, better.
6
Amazing man, resonant article. Thank you for this. It brought a flood of gratitude for Rogers' warm presence and message in my childhood. The information presented by Laskas and the insight gained from growing up makes me start to understand how prodigious was his gift.
29
This is a wonderfully written article that tugs at your heart. I grew up watching Mr Rodgers (we were not a sesame street family) and honestly I didn't like it. Since then I drink in every article / show on the man and continue to be fascinated.
21
Thank you so much for this wonderful article about a gentle, wonderful man. My four children and I watched Mr. Rogers for years, entering the gentle space as Mr. Rogers slowly and deliberately put on his shoes. He managed to let children and people know that it was okay to be human. Even now, I hear him saying, “It’s you I like.” And I try to let my grandchildren know that I like them just the way they are. We need him today more than ever.
41
What a lovely, thoughtful portrait. I have been drawn to Fred Rogers for years and read everything I could find about him. This is among the best. Fred Rogers truly was not a saint. He was just a man who made a choice and lived his life in accordance with that choice. Each of us could make that same choice. Today is a new day, so today I will try again.
136
We had a nine inch black and white TV which we rarely watched
We also had a one year old son who was entranced with Mr Rogers so we all watched Mr Rogers, we even saw him when he came to San Diego. Mr Roger provided pleasure and this article manages to recall that pleasure. Thank you
23
When Fred Rogers passed away in 2003 I was teaching at an extremely poor small Catholic school in Newark, NJ. Virtually all ages of our K-8 students welcomed the assignment to write what they remembered best about Fred Rogers and his show. One of my struggling, non- reading fourth graders came up to my desk shyly to tell me how she had written her story about Mr. Rogers THREE TIMES to make her handwriting perfect. Her sentence read " He never said "kids". He always said "children". Along with the standard- "I love you, Mr. Rogers".
141
Many winters ago, my husband was deployed for six months on an aircraft carrier. We lived in a rural farmhouse in Maine, and my children were preschoolers. If you have ever had sole charge of two preschoolers day in and day out in a cold snowy place you will understand. It was the hardest winter of my life. Five days a week, though, I put Mr. Rogers on the television (we got two channels on our rabbit ears antenna, and PBS was one). It's no exaggeration to say that Mr. Rogers telling me I was fine, just the way I was, and the other confidence builders, got me through that winter. I wish he'd had a chance to make his musical. His messages were not just for kids.
343
A wonderful tribute. I loved the author’s book of Obama letters. Thank you.
11
Fred Rogers "building bridges and bridges and bridges" - what a great way to remember the core of his being. Thank you.
40
I didn't think it was possible for yet another article about Mr. Rogers to increase my admiration for him still further. This one did.
“If we can somehow rid ourselves of illusions. The illusion that we are greater or lesser than we are. The illusion that we’re going to save the world. There are a lot of illusions that people walk around with. I would love to be able to be present in every moment I have.”
Deep truth here.
212
There is so much here that I am actually overwhelmed by the task of trying to communicate this to my friends. So much of what Mr Rogers did isn't necessarily unique(it was actually) but his demeanor and delivery were.
As much as I long for his way today I will try and adopt his maxim of being present.
Can't we just run the upcoming movie on a loop in the White House though?
28
What a wonderful sharing of Mr. Rodgers, Thank you! As a Middle School Teacher working with 8th graders for many years, the many kids and their families that obviously had spent time viewing PBS shows like Mr. Rodgers added to their own family character and structure with their time with Fred.
The kids seemed to be more authentic, supporting, and honest. With no grandkids in sight, I hope that rich and real human interactions and lessons shown in the various neighborhoods are yet around. Shows like Mr. Rodgers, Reading Rainbow, and Sesame Street and their current counterparts are needed now more than ever. These are special and wise investments.
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I’m trying to figure out what it says about where we are today that everyone seems on pins and needles praying that every story we read about Mr. Rogers or the movie won’t dash the universally wonderful memories we all have of him. Thank God for Mr. Rogers; I don’t think I can take one more disappointment.
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My kids grew up on a steady diet of Mr. Rogers. As a young parent I knew how to feed, and dress them but was clueless on other aspects of raising children. I relied heavily on Mr.Rogers show (nay, program) for their emotional growth. Thank you for the great article.
64
Thank you for this wonderful article. I always felt calm, content and safe when I watched his show as a middle schooler. Yes, I’ll admit it, middle school. He made me feel everything would be just fine during a confusing time in life.
113
Thank you for a wonderful blessing this morning for me, and reminding me that hope is a powerful force in an unsure world. Our greatest need in the world is compassion.
152
Thank you for this wonderful article. It was a beautiful way to start the day in my neighborhood!
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The thing is, when Mr. Rogers spoke, he spoke directly, personally to us, all as individuals. We could hear his words. We could feel his words. He touched us through our TV screens.
And he liked us just the way we are? No one else could ever make us believe that like Mr. Rogers.
We believed him, and our day was better, no matter how old or young.
Thing is, we liked him just the way he was, too. And we still do.
229
When my son was three or so, we'd watch "Mr. Rogers" every day. His programs were the calm in the middle of the day. Peace. My son mispronounced Fred Rogers, and, so, when we wrote to WQED, his letter was addressed to "Boof."
Two weeks later came a response: thanking my son for watching and caring. Signed "Boof."
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@PJW Thank you for that wonderful story. Thirty years ago, when my son was four, I helped him to write a letter to Mr. Rogers. Included was a collection of his latest drawings. A few weeks went by, and then we received a response from Mr. Rogers himself. He thanked my son for his letter, commented on what he had written, and complimented each of his drawings. He then noted parenthetically that my son was lucky to have a father who loved him and was able to help him to write the letter. “Please give him my regards,” he wrote.
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Our daughter has been a second grade teacher for 35 years. Just yesterday she shared a hand-written note from one of her past students. The little girl thanked her for being so nice and for helping her through difficult times when she was a second grader. It has been a rewarding career for our daughter. One of the nicest complements she has received was when a mother of one of her students said, “We call you a blond Mr. Rogers at our house.” Thank you, Ms. Laskas, for a very interesting and uplifting article. I’ve printed it and will share it with our family.
171
Thank you for this beautiful article and the one about Tom Hanks last week. Both pieces inspired me.
125
Fred truly was the shelter in a storm in children's and adults' lives. I sat with my children and we drank in his messages of love and acceptance. We need him now more than ever. Thank you sharing your visits with this most wonderful neighbor.
175
When did we lose this part of the American conscious? We have lost much of our quiet and civility. Mr. Roger's was exceptional, but he was given a place in our culture by people who appreciated what he represented.
I cannot see a new 'Mr. Roger's' breaking through in today's world.
248
I was thinking this very thing -- who would be today's Fred Rogers? And the very closest I could come was Lin-Manuel Miranda.
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@Seattle We can all be Mr. Rogers, everyday, with every person we meet.
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@MaryAnn Kushner
And his heritage is Puerto Rican.....go figure.
5