The beloved host of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood passed away due to stomach cancer on Thursday, February 27, 2003.

There have been several specials on American Radio and Television about the live of this great person. His grace and concern for the well being of children will always be admired. From some interviews on the radio, information from his humble beginnings was broadcasted over the radio. ¹

YOUTH

Fred Mcfeely Rogers, as a young boy was prone to sickness and caught "nearly every decease possible." His frequent stays at home allowed him to experiment with his imagination by playing with his toys as puppets and creating stories. Fred's role model during his youth was his grandfather Mcfeely. Fred and his mother carry the middle name Mcfeely. Recalling his visits to his grandfather, Fred mentioned that his grandfather was a care free person. When someone tried to stop Fred from walking on high ground or any other activity his grandfather would support him. Fred remembered with great esteem how whenever he was about to leave for home his grandfather would tell him that he had made that day a "special day" for him.

A CAREER

Mr. Rogers went into college to study music. The piano was Fred's companion for a long time as a single child, until approximately eight years later when his sister was born. Fred continued his studies and at the same time he began his journey towards becoming a Presbyterian priest. Later on he decided to use the new medium of television ² for educational purposes. He described himself as having seen very little television if any at all but that he didn't like what he saw. What struck him was that "they were hitting each other with pies" in a powerful medium that could be used for better purposes. His first job in the television industry was for the network NBC. Later on a small network called WQED which was not even on air at the time took him in and slowly he and a secretary made a small children’s television show. At the time "no-one wanted to do children’s educational television,” so Fred and the secretary were left to work for themselves. All of the props for the show were bought out of their pockets which they did not mind. Fred continued his journey towards becoming a priest while all of this was taking place ³. In the beginning the children's television show was going to be more of a musical oriented theme which nourished Fred’s passion for music. In the show he was supposed to show video tapes from many places but the tapes were not too reliable since they broke often during the show. Mr. Rogers was forced to improvise due to the interruptions with a small puppet that he had received as a gift. The puppet's name was Daniel named after Danielle whom gave the gift.

DETAILS

When asked about the sweaters he wore during the show Fred was happy to announce where he got them. His mother was a big time knitter and made a sweater per month. At the end of the year when Christmas arrived she would give him sweaters. He was glad to accept them and still has all of them. The sneakers he wore during the show had an additional purpose. During the show he had to run from one part of the set to the other and he did not want to make too much noise during his quick run. Throughout the first shows Fred recalls that he often ended having to wear his shoes half way. Luckily this problem was resolved once he got his sneakers. Fred also recalls how Michael Keaton played pranks during the show. Keaton operated the trolley and took care of the magic vision machine were tapes were put in. Once when Fred put the tape in, a scary voice came out. Also once when Fred opened the closet to put his sweater in, he found a blown up plastic doll. ⁴ Also as you probably already know by now, Mr. Mcfeely the mailman was named after Fred's grandfather. The puppet King Friday was taken from a child that mentioned that he was terrified of all Fridays the thirteen. King Friday's birthday is celebrated every Friday the thirteen and always says, "Friday is a fine day and don't let anyone tell you any better."

CLOSING

During the many interviews Mr. Rogers did not hesitate to do all of the voices of the puppets from the show. In an occasion the host became speechless which Fred found amusing. On another occasion the host resembled a little kid saying things like "oh that's pussycat, X the owl..." Mr. Rogers finally ended his show runs with a final episode that did not include a good bye because he did not want it that way. Fred thought of the collection of episodes, as covering most of the problems and questions that a child could encounter. Fred Rogers is and always will be a great guide for children and adults of all ages.