Legacy of Fred Rogers

Here is what is so extraordinary about Fred Rogers’ achievements: He set the highest possible standards for his work – standards that were based on the most careful academic rigor regarding child development, combined with the strong universal values he understood – and then he reached and held a mass audience of millions in a popular market. This is almost unprecedented in broadcasting, a field that is sometimes characterized by pandering to the crassest instincts. And Fred was able to sustain both his standards and his mass audience for decades. He built great loyalty and complete trust among the families he served. He did this because he truly met the real developmental and educational needs of the children who watched the Neighborhood. They knew he was the genuine, authentic article. Fred had many opportunities to cash in on his fame and success. He never took them; he never allowed his work to be exploited commercially in ways that might be hurtful to the children.

This bedrock honesty ran throughout the man’s life. He treated everyone with the same respect and sensitivity that he knew had helped him as a child. And his strong moral code informed every aspect of his life, from how he lived to the community he chose for his family and work, even to what he ate. Fred was a vegetarian who told people, “I don’t want to eat anything that has a mother.” He was able to integrate all his interests and aptitudes – his music, his writing, his creativity, his faith, his sense of family and community, and his sense of service – all into a coherent whole that gave a special power to his life and his influence. Fred was careful not to use that influence carelessly or too often. He did not often endorse viewpoints or tell others how to live. Instead he led – as the best leaders do – through example.

Fred’s work as a champion for children extended far beyond – but always connected to – his work on the Neighborhood. His understanding of the challenges facing parents as they help their children to make sense of a sometimes confusing and frightening world led to the production of several publications for parents, as well as a series of television specials, Mister Rogers Talks With Parents. Fred’s commitment to child health included his early collaborations with the American Academy of Pediatrics and his longtime associations with Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Highmark Caring Foundation. And, in recognition of his leadership in early childhood education, Fred was named honorary chair of the 2001 Pennsylvania Governor’s Task Force on Early Care and Education.

The legacy of Fred Rogers is of great value and importance; not just to children, though it surely is to them, but to all of us. His thoughtful, sensitive, integrated approach can continue to be of great value to many future generations of children, through his programs and through the work of others who follow his example. His influence will benefit his country and generations of its children and their families in many ways. The Fred Rogers Center is dedicated to sustaining and developing this legacy, and to expanding Fred Rogers’ enduring influence on early learning and children’s media.