Mr. Rogers died today.

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MitchSchaft

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Just thought I would announce it since I didn't see anybody else announce it.

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=341A65CD-768C-4B40-A9C20D8A3F1B175A

Fred Rogers, host of the U.S. children's television show "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" for more than 30 years, has died of cancer. He was 74. A family spokesman says Mr. Rogers passed away early Thursday at his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He had been diagnosed with stomach cancer earlier this year.

Mr. Rogers was best known for the slow, soothing tone he used to speak to his audience during his daily half-hour children's television program. He began each show by singing a theme song - which he wrote - and putting on an old wool sweater. The garment now hangs in the Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

He created Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, in 1963 and hosted the program until his retirement in 2000.

Born and raised near Pittsburgh, Mr. Rogers attended college in Florida, where he earned a degree in music composition in 1951. He worked as a television producer in New York and returned to Pittsburgh in 1953 to co-host The Children's Corner, U.S. public television's first children's program.
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and before any of the moderators lock out this thread - it *is* relevant

because you see Fred Rogers was the last person in the mainstream media to acknowledge that being gentle and heterosexual were not incompatible, especially when dealing with children. Anymore, you run into someone who acted like he did, the first thing you think of is NOT a nice pastor who is simply trying to relate to children on their own level.

The death of Fred Rogers is the end a symbol of the age of innocence from which many of us over the age of 40 originated
 
I don't know why this would be off-topic - the guy was a big anti and lent his name and credibility to the cause.

I guess the the bad he did was canceled by the good he did with children.
 
I heard he served in Vietnam as a seal, can anyone confirm this ?
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False. I also heard he was a Marine which is not true either. I was told he wears those long sweaters to cover up his tats, lol.
 
Mister Rogers may have lent his name to the antis, but I really do not think that was his passion. I suspect he was not well informed and did not give it a lot of thought beyond helping children the best he knew how.

What he did do was tell children every day that they were unique and special and worthy people - just they way they are. For many kids, he was the only person telling them this.

He also taught about make believe and imagination and was a very positive male role model (in most aspects) in a world where we need more positive male role models.

Think about it - the value of the individual is the foundation of our way of life and certainly one of the under pinnings of our belief in the truth that is expressed in the second ammendment. He was a great promoter of this idea to children.

He was a very good and decent man who felt that children were precious and special and worth his time. I can forgive his mistakes on "our" issue. The world is a better place for him having been here and I will miss him.

God rest his gentle soul.
 
I agree with Pendragon. I think he did alot of good things and I think he was a genuinely good person. Not a phoney like so many celebrities. I didn't watch him when I was a little kid because I was a teenager when his show came to public television. We had Captain Kangaroo when I was a kid. My kids watched Mr. Rogers when they were little so I was exposed to his show that way. I never knew he was anti until it was brought up here just now. All in all, I think he made the world a better place for having been here.

There's alot of entertainers I like on those lists. If they are not too vocal about it, I can live with it. They can have their opinions. When they go around shooting their mouths off every 5 minutes like Rosie O'Donnel or Alec Baldwin, I have a problem and won't patronize them anymore. Frank Zappa is on one of those lists. I still like his music. I never heard him bad mouth guns. He may have signed a letter that nobody saw so I don't care. He was one of the best and most underrated guitar players and song writters that has come down the pike in awhile. Besides, he's been dead for a number of years.
 
Fred Rogers was a gentle person. As such he lent his name to organizations he might not have, had he been better informed. Pendragon is essentially correct in this matter, as is Russ. The problem is we've grown past the age where we can have gentle people in public, for a while. It's sad but that's how the latter stages of an empire are.

ah well...
 
Exactly. Guns probably never even figured much in his worldview, especially when he was dealing with kids.

Matter of fact, I have no real idea just what his politics were..... and I don't care.

He'll be missed.
 
Regardless of his politics,

I will dearly miss him. He was wonderful. I grew up with his television show, and it remains perhaps one of the best contributions television has ever made to the development of our children. This is America, anyone can believe whatever they want. I will not hate Fred Rogers. I may disagree with his politics and his stance on guns, but he was a class human being.

Bob
 
I agree with Pendragon, Russ, etc. He'll be missed.

It's a shame he had to go in the way that he did. Cancer is bad enough, but from what I hear stomach cancer can be particularly bad. I hope he was as comfortable as possible till the end. May he rest in peace.
 
Well said, Pendragon.

On TFL, I used the name "mister rogers" - as "mack" was already taken - I used that name because to me it represented - gentleness, integrity, honesty, and sticking to one's principles but in a respectful way. Funny how some of the strongest and most principled men I have known are also some the the gentlest and kindest, especially with children.

He will be missed.

God bless his gentle soul.
 
Mr. Rogers embodied the American Spirit. I still remember watching him when I was a kid. He will be sorely missed and I will hapily let my own son watch his old shows as he grows up. I very much doubt that he knew or cared much about guns and probably was deceitfully told that an anti-gun stance would keep kids from gaining access to firearms. His single-minded passion for helping children would have dictated that he support anything that would ensure the safety of kids (at least as knew the issue).
 
I grew up watching Mr. Roger's Neighborhood too, in fact, when I was 6 years old, I demanded (temporarily) that my name be changed to Fred! The kids at school, my teachers, parents, everyone had to call me Fred for about a month!

I always wanted to meet Mr. Rogers, now it's too late. :(
 
Charlie Rose had a little 15-min. retrospective of his interviews with Fred Rogers the other day. A truly awesome figure. One of those rare people that could dictate the tone of a room by his mere presence.

You could have airdropped Mr. Rogers into the middle of the LA riots and his calming presence would have ended them almost immediately. Who could riot with Mr. Rogers looking at them?

Also one of the last 'for the children' people when it really meant something. When Mr. Rogers said 'it's for the children' you believed him. What a shame that 'for the children' has been so prostituted as to be comical today.

- Gabe



As an aside, Russ, Frank was most definitely a pro-freedom cat. And guns were on his list of things a free people ought to have.

Frank produced Grand Funk's song "Don't Let 'em Take Your Gun", which was written in response to the formation of Handgun Control, inc.

lyrics:
Ohhh, people why don't you come in here and let me talk to you a while.
That's right, step right up and listen to a concerned citizen speak his piece.

I'll tell you a little something that my daddy told to me.
My basic fundamentals if you want to be free.
'Cause son, there's somthing wrong internally.
So, if you want your freedom son.
Don't want your country to be overrun.
You got to keep America number one.


(CHORUS)
My daddy told me "Son, don't let 'em take your gun.
That's what they tryin' to do.
Son, don't let 'em take your gun.
They're takin' your Bill of Rights away from you."
My daddy said "Son, don't let 'em take your gun.
That's what they tryin' to do.
Son, don't let 'em take your gun.
Don't let 'em take your gun away from you."


Ohhh, this year is our anniversary.
Two hundred years, people we've been free.
Won't be nobody takin' over our land.
If everybody's brother's got a gun in his hand.
I'm tellin' you we learned to fight for justice.
We're willing to die for freedom.
Hand in hand.
You got to understand.
We are American men.


Said they want your gun.
Said they want your gun.
Send 'em on the run.
Send 'em on the run.
Hip-hurray for fun.
Hip-hurray for fun.
If they do we're done.
If they do we're done.
 
Mr Rogers was a part of growning up , he was kind of a nerd but made alot of sense , I have a picture of him sitting in a corvette saying " want to eat dust mr Porsche??" if he were a true spokes person he could have done a program on kids and gun saftey , " hi boys and girls can you say hello to mr Sig Saur??" :D
 
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