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Mister Rogers

Fred Rogers
Fred Rogers, late 1960s.jpg
Fred Rogers, late 1960s
Born Fred McFeely Rogers
(1928-03-20)March 20, 1928
Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died February 27, 2003(2003-02-27) (aged 74)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Cause of death Stomach cancer
Other names Mister Rogers
Mr. Rogers
Alma mater Dartmouth College (attended)
Rollins College (B.A.)
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (M.Div.)
Occupation Television personality
Years active 1951–2001
Spouse(s) Sara Byrd
(m. 1952; his death 2003)
Children 2
Official name Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-2003)
Type Roadside
Designated June 11, 2016
Signature
FredRogersSignature.svg
External audio
Terry Gross and Fred Rogers, Fresh Air with Terry Gross

Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American television personality, famous for creating, hosting, and composing the theme music for the educational preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001), which featured his kind-hearted, gentle, soft-spoken personality, and directness to his audiences.

Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children and made an effort to change this when he began to write for and perform on local Pittsburgh-area shows dedicated to youth. WQED developed his own show in 1968 and it was distributed nationwide by Eastern Educational Television Network. Over the course of three decades on television, Fred Rogers became an icon of American children's entertainment and education. He was also known for his advocacy of various public causes. His testimony before a lower court in favor of fair use recording of television shows to play at another time (now known as time shifting) was cited in a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Betamax case, and he gave now-famous testimony to a U.S. Senate committee, advocating government funding for children's television.

Rogers received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, some forty honorary degrees, and a Peabody Award. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, was recognized by two Congressional resolutions, and was ranked No. 35 among TV Guide's Fifty Greatest TV Stars of All Time. Several buildings and artworks in Pennsylvania are dedicated to his memory, and the Smithsonian Institution displays one of his trademark sweaters as a "Treasure of American History".


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