Lasting lessons from Mister Rogers
Fred McFeely Rogers has been gone from our lives fifteen years already, having Meza succumbed to
cancer Feb. 27, 2003, at the age of 74. But America has never really lost its love for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, as evidenced both by a commemorative stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service on March 23 and by an upcoming documentary celebrating Mr. Rogers’ enthusiasm and positivity. It is entitled
Mr. Rogers’ welcome return to the news comes attached with a long list of cherished memories, life lessons and sage advice that instilled in my own life.
The beloved children’s television host created an educational afterschool television show built around his gentle, grandfatherly persona. He would often talk to his young viewers directly and share valuable life lessons that continue to be relevant. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood ran from 1968 to 2001. Rogers had often said the reason why he decided to get into television was due to the fact that he did not enjoy the programming he was watching.
“I got into television because I saw people throwing pies in each other’s faces, and that’s such demeaning behavior,” he said. “And if there’s anything that bothers me, it’s one person demeaning another.”
His show has captivated multiple generations, as both my mother and father grew up with the show and influenced me to watch it as well.
My first memories of the show was Mr. Rogers explaining the significance of his beloved cardigans, which he tended to wear on every show, and how they were so special to him because they came from his mother.
Every day it seemed there was something to take away from the show. It might have been something as small as remembering to always say please and thank you or something as significant as learning to appreciate the things that come from love.
These lessons and Rogers’ soothing demeanor help helped his show find an audience for more than three decades. Although an ordained Presbyterian minister, Rogers steered clear of preachiness and judgment on his program. Instead he would focus on the inherent value and worth of his viewers, advising them to feel special by “just being who you are” at the end of every single show.
Rogers was a man who knew the importance of his platform and how to use it for a greater good. Among the famous examples of this was selecting François Clemmons to play the role of series regular Officer Clemmons. Clemmons thus became the first African-American actor to have a recurring role on a children’s TV show. Rogers would also serve as a chairman of a White House Forum on Child Development, and the media often consulted him as an expert.
This soft-spoken man who talked to hand puppets on a low-budget set proved bigger isn’t always better. Sometimes simple goodness is more than enough.
generation a chance to feel the warmth that is Mister Rogers and the magic that is his Neighborhood.