Personal Spotlight - Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor

So last night I was relaxing and reading out of a book my mom gave to me for I think my BD this last year. The book is "The World According To Mister Rogers" and it is a small quote book. I LOVE Fred Rogers. I loved his show when I was little and then I guess forgot about him until I was older but when I saw him again, I remembered. I remembered how he made me feel. Plus being older I realized what a big humanitarian he was and I like him now more than ever. Anyway I just wanted to share a few quotes I read last night that stuck out to me.

"People have said, "Don't cry" to other people for years and years, and all it has ever meant is, "I'm too uncomfortable when you show your feelings. Don't cry."

I'd rather have them say "Go ahead and cry. I'm here to be with you."

"Grandparents are both our past and our future. In some ways they are what has gone before, and in others they are what we will become."

I was so pleased to read this last one because I felt it was true and I absolutely adore my grandma Packard, and if I could be a tenth of the grandma she is, and has been, I would be a really great grandma. I love all my grandparents of course, but there's something about her, and I immediately thought of her while reading this.

Here are a few things I have learned about Fred Rogers myself

• He named the character Mr. McFeely after his grandpa Fred McFeely because he had a great relationship with him and spent a lot of time with him growing up. McFeely is also Fred's middle name.


• Died of stomach cancer in 2003.


• The show is the longest running show on PBS, from 1968-2001.


• The sweaters he wore on the show were hand knit by his mother.


• Rumors of Rogers having a wild or violent past are untrue, as are rumors that he served in the Military and has arms covered with tattoos are also untrue.


• Fred Rogers wrote and composed over 200 songs, including all the songs on his shows. He started playing the Piano at age 5 and he heavily influenced the idea of having his intro music be not simple and childlike, but a sophisticated sort of jazz piece.


• He was red-green color blind.


• His parents were foster parents to a Black boy named George who Fred considered his older brother. George later taught Fred to fly as he served in World War 2.


• Fred earned a BA in Music Composition in 1951.


• He was married, had 2 boys, and 3 grandchildren, the last born 12 days after his death.


• He was a vegetarian who swam every morning, and neither smoked nor drank.