Get to Know Fred Rogers from ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’

Lori Acken February 19, 7:00 am

Mister Rodgers — ©PBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

Love Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood? You can thank a flying pie. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood premiered on Feb. 17, 1968 and has been a beloved childhood classic since. Get to know more about Fred Rogers, the man who wanted to be everyone’s neighbor.

Born March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pa., Fred McFeely Rogers was a musically inclined college kid with his eye on a career in theology or diplomacy when he got his first look at TV. He admitted to NPR’s Terry Gross that he hated what he saw — “people throwing pies in each other’s faces and all sorts of demeaning behavior.” Instead of turning his back on the medium, though, Rogers decided to make his mark there.

The young newlywed learned the ropes working on variety shows at NBC in New York, then spent years crafting the nurturing children’s show he dreamed of at fledgling Pittsburgh public television station WQED and Canada’s CBC. The beloved Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood debuted across America in 1968 and ran for 31 seasons.

MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD, Fred Rogers (host), 1968-2001. ph:

PBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

Rogers credits his maternal grandfather, Fred McFeely, for fostering his respectful demeanor with even the littlest kids. “He was the kind of person who would really support your strivings for autonomy,” Rogers recalled of the man he immortalized via Neighborhood’s deliveryman, Mr. McFeely. Rogers also confessed to Gross that his own childhood fears of being all alone with no rescuers in the offing and leaving the security of home for his first days of school bolstered his aspiration to be a friend and confidant to every little one.

Fred Rogers personal life

The father of two sons with his wife Joanne, Rogers made his mark offscreen, too, serving as a tireless advocate for children’s welfare, public television funding and civility. The composer and lyricist of more than 200 songs, he also penned books about kindness, first experiences, parenting and more for children and for their adult mentors. And though the ordained Presbyterian minister was devout in his faith, religion was never part of his public message. “The last thing that I would want to do would be something that’s exclusive,” he explained. “I would hate to think that a child would feel excluded from the Neighborhood by something that I said or did.”

The recipient of more than 40 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities, Rogers was inducted into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame in 1999 and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom three years later.

He succumbed to stomach cancer on Feb 27, 2003. His wife Joanne died on Jan. 14, 2021. They are survived by their 2 sons, Jim and John.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood is streaming on Prime and still airs on PBS.