Memorial Tribute to Mister Rogers
2. An Article from Presbyterians Today in 1998, by Eva Stimson
3. New release re: final arrangements & memorial contributions
5. Email article from "Greetings from Whittier Presbyterian Church, Mar. 4, 2003, in memory of Mister Rogers.
1.
Presbyterian Media
Mission Remembers TV's Fred Rogers February
27, 2003
PITTSBURGH
- TV's most beloved children's program host and producer was ordained in 1962 by
Pittsburgh Presbytery for The Rev. Fred Rogers to minister to children and their
families through the medium of television. He graduated from Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary in 1963. Fred
Rogers has served as a media advisor to Presbyterian Media Mission (PMM) for the
last 12 years.
The
"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" PBS television show made its national
debut on February 19, 1968. "He
not only served as a neighbor and friend to viewers but was held in great esteem
by many members of the Presbyterian Church and a variety of folks in the
television industry," said The Rev. Jim Mead, Pastor to Pittsburgh
Presbytery and PMM Board member.
In
1987, on Fred's anniversary of being ordained for 25 years, Pittsburgh
Presbytery honored him at their spring meeting with a certificate of
appreciation for his outstanding ministry to children and families.
Rogers
received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Emmys in 1998.
This was soon followed up by Fred being inducted into the Television Hall
of Fame by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
In
2000 Rogers was honored by the Religion Communicators Council who presented
Rogers a Lifetime Wilbur Award in supporting religious values in the public
media. The Rev. Dennis C. Benson
accepted on Fred's behalf the Wilbur Award with these words that capture the
essence of Mr. Roger's ministry . . .
"A
friend was recently walking down the street in Pittsburgh with Fred Rogers.
Fred suddenly stopped and picked up an infants pacifier on the sidewalk.
He said, 'Someone lost something very important.'
He walked up to a nearby house and knocked on the door.
When a woman answered the door, Fred asked, 'Did someone here lose this?'
She said, 'Why yes. Thank you.' So
on behalf of the children of America, and the child in each of us, thank you for
honoring Fred Rogers."
Executive
Director of Presbyterian Media Mission and friend of Mr. Rogers, Gregg Hartung,
said, "Fred would probably frown on the attention being given to his
farewell from this life to life eternal. This
is not keeping with Fred's quiet, understated, sincere style of life and
ministry."
Our
prayers are with Fred's wife Joanne, their two sons, and the grandchildren
during this time of grief. We
celebrate Fred's life and ministry that has been greatly appreciated by all of
us at Pittsburgh Presbytery/Presbyterian Media Mission and across the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
2. An Article from Presbyterians Today in 1998, by Eva Stimson
In
memorium: the Rev. Fred Rogers, 1928-2003 PCUSA
NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:
Editor's
note - The Rev. Fred Rogers - who taught generations of children the
quintessentially Christian but profoundly universal message "Love yourself,
love others" on his long-running television program "Mr. Rogers'
Neighborhood" - died Feb. 27 at the age of 74 of stomach cancer. In the
fall of 1997, Presbyterians Today editor Eva Stimson interviewed Fred Rogers in
his cramped office at WQED in Pittsburgh. Her story appeared in the March 1998
issue of the magazine. - Jerry L. Van Marter
The
Real "Mister Rogers" This
Presbyterian minister is as genuinely nice in person as he is on TV
by
Eva Stimson, Editor,
Presbyterians Today
Anyone
with kids and a television set knows Fred Rogers. Three generations of children
have grown up with "Mister Rogers" - the friendly
sweater-and-sneakers-clad grownup who talks frankly about feelings and invites
them to be part of his TV "neighborhood." What is less widely known is that Fred Rogers is a
Presbyterian minister, ordained in 1962 by Pittsburgh Presbytery.
Early
on a Monday afternoon America's best-loved neighbor is catching up on stacks of
correspondence in his office in downtown Pittsburgh, PA, following a quick trip
to Toronto. Just before a scheduled interview he squeezes in time for a carton
of yogurt. Then he appears, smiling
and relaxed, to ask, "What do you want to talk about?" For the next
hour his comments emerge thoughtfully, deliberately, graciously - just like on
TV.
It
is not hard to imagine this man giving up his lunch break for eight years to
take Bible and theology courses. "It's fairly unorthodox to go to seminary
on your lunch hour," he says. "Which is what I literally did."
That was back in the 1950s. Rogers had just begun working for WQED in
Pittsburgh, the nation's first community-supported public television station. He
had planned to go to seminary right after college - in fact had already been
accepted - but got sidetracked by a call to work in television.
A few years later seminary became a way of undergirding this call - to minister
to children and their families through the media.
"I
never in a million years thought that I'd be on TV - that that would be part of
what I was supposed to do," Rogers says with bemusement, sitting on a couch
surrounded by papers, cassette tapes and stuffed animals. His tiny office has no
desk or computer. He writes his TV scripts longhand on yellow legal pads.
His shelves and walls are full of mementos - from 69 years of living and
47 years of working in television. One of these, a framed sign, reads,
"Freddy, I like you just the way you are." The words are from Rogers'
grandfather, Fred Brooks McFeely. They are an accurate summation of the message
Rogers tries to communicate to children through his TV program, "Mister
Rogers' Neighborhood."
Rogers
grew up in the western Pennsylvania town of Latrobe, where he attended Latrobe
Presbyterian Church with his family. He was an only child until age 11, when his
parents adopted a baby girl. "Being an only child, he played by himself a
lot and made up activities," says Hedda Sharapan, an associate producer who
has worked with Rogers for close to three decades.
"There was always that play element that was cherished in his
childhood. That's what's so
marvelous about Fred's work - you can feel the creativity."
When
he was a senior majoring in music composition at Rollins College in Winter Park,
FL, Rogers had his first encounter with television. He describes his reaction in
the introduction to his book You Are Special: "I was appalled by what were
labeled 'children's programs' - pies in faces and slapstick! That's when I
decided to go into this field. Children deserve better. Children need
better." So instead of going
directly to seminary after graduating in 1951, he used his degree in music to
get a job in television. NBC in New York City hired him to work as floor manager
for its network music programs - "The Voice of Firestone," "The
Kate Smith Hour," "NBC Opera Theatre." A year later he married
Joanne Byrd, a pianist and fellow Rollins graduate.
In
1953 Rogers was invited by WQED in Pittsburgh to co-produce a daily program
called "The Children's Corner," hosted by Josie Carey. He never
appeared on screen but worked behind the scenes as the program's organist and
puppeteer. The experience convinced Rogers he had a future in children's
television. "I realized that's where my talents were," he says.
He began taking classes at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and graduate
courses in child development "to deepen what I could bring to
television."
In
the early 1960s, Rogers recalls, national media staff in the United Presbyterian
Church in the U.S.A. began talking to him about developing a children's TV
program as an outreach for the denomination. But then priorities shifted and
money for the project evaporated. Did the church miss a big opportunity?
"It's hard to say," comments Gregg Hartung, executive director
of Presbyterian Media Mission and a personal friend of Rogers'. "I'm not
sure a ministry like Fred's could be done within an institution." If a
church-Rogers partnership had come to fruition, the PCUSA might be known today
as a trailblazer in TV evangelism.
On
the other hand, the constraints of working within a church bureaucracy might
have had a stifling effect on Rogers' creativity. Or his programming might have
been buried in a "religious ghetto," reaching only a fraction of the
people whose lives have been affected by watching "Mister Rogers'
Neighborhood." As it turns
out, Rogers' principle tie to the Presbyterian Church is his unusual ordination
to the ministry. In 1962 Pittsburgh Presbytery ordained him with a charge to
continue his work with children and families through the media. He has never
served in the traditional role of pastor, but through television he brings his
simple message of affirmation and acceptance to a "congregation" of
millions.
"I've
seen it happen so often - what I present in faith somehow nourishes the
viewer," Rogers says. Before taping a TV show, he always prays to God:
"Let some word that is said be yours." He firmly believes in
"holy ground," which he describes as "the space between the
person who is offering his or her best and how the Holy Spirit can translate
that to help another person in need."
First
broadcast in 1968, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" celebrated its 30th
anniversary in February 1998 and is the longest-running program on public
television. Rogers writes all the scripts himself, discussing and refining them
with six staff members at Family Communications Inc., which produces the TV
program and other resources for children and families. "We make three
weeks' worth of new shows a year," Sharapan says.
Rogers also writes the words and music for songs featured in the series.
Each
program begins and ends in the living room of Rogers' "television
house." It then moves from a visit with someone who does interesting work
in a real "neighborhood" -factory, school, grocery store, etc. - to a
segment in the puppet kingdom known as the "Neighborhood of
Make-Believe." Reflecting the
personality of its creator, the show moves along slowly and deliberately - in
stark contrast to the quick-cut, MTV-style of other TV fare for children.
Producers
of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" say its leisurely pace best
accommodates the learning abilities of young children and teaches them patience
and self-control. Feelings - anger,
fear, sadness, love, satisfaction - are the centerpieces of the program. While
other children's shows focus on building cognitive ability, Rogers tries to
encourage children's healthy emotional development. Hartung remembers an instance when Rogers talked on TV about
his pet dog dying. Later a young woman whose husband had died recently contacted
Rogers to thank him for the show. She said her daughters had not been able to
talk about their father's death until hearing Rogers' frank discussion about
grief. "Because Fred was
willing to engage in a conversation about death, this family was able to open up
and talk about their tragedy," Hartung observes. "I hear so many stories like that." Which only
confirms his belief that Rogers has "a remarkable ministry."
On
TV and in person Rogers comes across as refreshingly genuine. His gracious
"Mister Rogers" persona is not an act, says Hartung. "It's
really, truly Fred." His affirmation of the goodness in people elicits
powerful responses from adults as well as children.
In
May of 1997 the Daytime Emmy Awards honored Rogers for lifetime achievement. His
acceptance speech, as he recalls it, followed a dreary sequence of insults and
off-color jokes by other awards ceremony participants. In contrast Rogers asked
his audience to take 10 seconds to think of "people who helped you become
who you are today." The roomful of TV stars and producers sat in silence
for 10 seconds, some of them with tears streaming down their faces. Looking back
on the incident, Rogers observes, "I think we don't realize how hungry
people are for what is honest and real."
Rogers
receives about 4,000 letters a year, many of them from children. All the letters
are filed and cataloged in a Pittsburgh warehouse. Besides commenting on his TV
program, the letter writers ask for
advice on everything from dealing with divorce to getting along with siblings.
Rogers answers as many of the letters as he has time for and reads and signs
replies to the others. "Viewers' input, reactions and letters are very
important to him," says David Newell, director of public relations for
Family Communications Inc. "He tries to make his responses as personal as
possible."
Being
a good listener is a vital part of ministry, especially ministry with children,
Rogers believes. He cultivates his own listening skills by integrating silence
into his life as a daily spiritual discipline. He says he has been profoundly
influenced by the devotional writings of the late Roman Catholic priest Henri
Nouwen, who was also a personal friend. "Silence is becoming more and more
of a luxury," he remarks. "I'd encourage everyone to have more quiet
time."
Rogers
gets up at 5 a.m. for his quiet time - seven days a week. At 7:30 he goes to a
local pool to swim laps. Apparently uninhibited by the presence of lifeguards
and other swimmers, he sings "Jubilate Deo," a round from the Taize
community in France, before climbing into the pool. "I don't sing it very
loud," he says. When he's in
town Rogers worships at Sixth Presbyterian Church, a 300-member congregation in
Pittsburgh. His wife, an ordained elder, sings in the choir and has chaired the
church's music committee. Their two sons grew up in this church, attending
confirmation classes and youth group there. Rogers has preached a few times,
says Sixth Presbyterian's pastor, John S. McCall. "But he's got to be
careful now because he's in such demand. I think one reason he likes this
congregation is that we treat him just like anyone else."
McCall
describes Rogers as "consistently supportive." One Sunday morning last
fall, for example, McCall slipped on the church steps and broke his arm. Rogers,
who was at the church early for church school, called the minister's family and
stopped by the hospital to check on him later. "In some ways Fred's been a
pastor to me," says McCall.
Nurturing
children in the Christian faith is a challenge in today's world, Rogers
acknowledges. "There are so many forces against it." He still is
appalled by many of the things kids are exposed to in the media.
Particularly annoying to him are situation comedies in which the lines
spoken by child actors "are invariably smart-aleck remarks and
put-downs." Rogers bases his
work with children on the maxim, "Attitudes are caught, not taught."
The best way to cultivate faith in children, he says, is to "share our own
enthusiasm about what we believe."
The
most important thing the church can offer children, he adds, is "a place
where they know it's OK to be a child." This means stocking church school
rooms with age-appropriate furniture and toys. It means allowing time in the
worship service to "appreciate what children might have to give."
Jesus welcomed children and so should the church, Rogers believes. In
fact, he says thoughtfully, flashing one of his trademark smiles, "I think
Jesus delighted in the presence of children."
3. New release re: final arrangements & memorial contributions
From:
PCUSA NEWS PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org February
28, 2003
Arrangements
for Fred Rogers by
Gregg Hartung, Presbyterian Media Mission
PITTSBURGH,
PA - Fred Rogers will be laid to rest following a small, private memorial
service for family members. Details
of a public memorial service will be announced at a later date.
The
Rogers family requests that memorial contributions be made to the "Fred
Rogers Fund" of Family Communications, the non-profit organization that
Fred Rogers founded and led for the past thirty-two years.
It is their wish that Family Communications carry on his philosophy,
vision and mission by continuing to produce materials to encourage the healthy
emotional, social and intellectual development of children, their families and
those who support them.
Send
contributions to: Family Communications, 4802 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh,
I’ve run across another wonderful article in the book “The Best Spiritual Writing, 1999” edited by Philip Zaleski, Harper, San Francisco, 1999. Its an article by Tom Junod, who is described as having grown up “…Catholic, but after meeting Mister Rogers he has been flirting—if only in his mind—with Presbyterianism.” Here is one story from his article entitled “Can You Say… ‘Hero’?” As I resort to doing for these emails, italics are converted to all caps, in order to be read by all browsers.
“Yes, at 70 years old and 143 pounds, Mister Rogers still fights, and indeed early this year, when television handed him its highest honor, he responded by telling television—gently, of course—to just SHUT UP for once, and television listened. He had already won his third Daytime Emmy, and now he went onstage to accept Emmy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and there, in front of all the soap opera stars and talk show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, “All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, TEN SECONDS to think of the people who have helped YOU become who you are…Ten seconds of silence.” And then he lifted his wrist, and looked at the audience, and looked at his watch, and said softly, “I’ll watch the time,” and there was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized the HE WASN’T KIDDING, that Mister Rogers was not some convenient eunuch but rather a MAN, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked…and so they did. One second, two seconds, three seconds… and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier, and mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said, “May God be with you” to all his vanquished children.”
I think that is just a wonderful story, bringing the real into the unreal. Who has helped YOU become who you are? Would you take just 10 seconds, along with me, to thank God for them?
Grace & peace
Geoff
In honor and memory of Rev. Fred (“Mister”) Rogers, another selection from Tom Junod’s fine article in the collection “The Best Spiritual Writing, 1999” edited by Philip Zaleski, Harper, San Francisco, 1999.
“Once upon a time, Mister Rogers went to New York City and got caught I the rain. He didn’t have an umbrella, and he couldn’t find a taxi, either, so he ducked with a friend into the subway and got n one of the trains. It was late in the day, and the train was crowded with children who were going home from school. Though of all races, the schoolchildren were mostly black and Latino, and they didn’t even approach Mister Rogers and ask him for his autograph. They just sang. They sang, all at once, all together, the song he sings at the start of his program, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and turned the clattering train into a single soft, runaway choir.”
Sounds like a Zion Train to me!
May you give thanks today for those great souls who have made a difference in the lives of children the world over.
Grace & peace
Geoff
