Spotlight on Mr. Rogers

Mister Rogers, born Frederick McFeely Rogers (1928–2003), hosted the nationally distributed children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1968 to 2001.   An ordained Presbyterian minister, Mister Rogers lived and worked in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area for most of his life and dedicated himself to the education and welfare of children.
 
Rogers began developing his ideas for children’s programming in the 1950’s. In 1954, after receiving a BA in music composition, he began working at WQED Pittsburgh as a puppeteer on a local children's television series, “The Children's Corner”. While working on “The Children’s Corner”, Rogers developed many of the puppets, characters and music that became know to so many, including, King Friday the XIII and the Curious X the Owl among others. Rogers famously admitted, "I got into television because I hated it so. And I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen."
 
 
In 1963, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ("CBC") asked him to develop a 15-minute children's television program called“Mister Rogers.”  After several years Rogers took the show to the United States where the first “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” aired in 1967 on WQED in Pittsburgh. A year later PBS picked it up and it continued to air nationally until 2001, making it the longest-running program ever.

Learn more about the TV show here.
 
While never outspoken about his vegetarianism, Rogers did find ways to teach children about healthy eating habits.  Here is an excerpt from one memorable episode:

6/25/01... I exercise and eat healthy foods.  I'll show you some of them.  These are all soy foods.  Soybeans--you need to boil those, cook them.  You can put sauce over them, like a tomato sauce.  There are vegetarian burgers.  It's all vegetables, no meat in that at all.  Of course, it's a soy food.  These soybeans are already cooked.  There's tofu.  I eat a lot of tofu… These are all soy drinks..  

Here's something I know you'll like.  I want to give you this. It's a pancake and waffle mix, but it's soy flour.  You can make pancakes out of this and put oranges or berries on top. It will be all healthy.

“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” won dozens of awards, including four Emmys. A cardigan sweater belonging to Rogers hangs in the Smithsonian. In 2002, Mr. Fred Rogers was awarded the USA’s highest civilian honor, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, for his "extraordinary public television program...his legendary commitment to young people...and a career that demonstrates the importance of kindness, compassion and learning."
 
He died from cancer a short time after his retirement at the age of 74

Previous Spotlights:
Mr. Rogers | Alicia Silverstone | Tobey Maguire | Natalie Portman | Russell Simmons | Joaquin Phoenix | Brendan Brazier | Carrie Underwood | Steve Vai | Prince Fielder| Chris Walla