Mr.Rogers OT

[Maggie Evans]

mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnn..Mr.Rogers passed away today 
I can remember watching him as a child..he was a good calming man..I'll miss him (..when I grew up ..and my daughter watched him,I laughed at him alot)..but he was a great role model for kids..that's for sure.

[TERRY308]

Mr. Rogers certainly did!  My two daughters, my Granddaughter, my brother, even me, were in love with Mr. Rogers.  The thing about him was that he talked to children.  A nice quiet voice, and he taught them...everything.  But I'm sure he's up in heaven, with a nice quiet voice, playing with the children.

Mr. Rogers.... here's to you.  I will miss you.

[ClaudeNorth]

I LOVED watching MISTER ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD when I was young.  I loved his house and all of the neat objects in it (especially the miniatures of the Land of Make-Believe sets).

Does anyone else remember the newsletter, AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD?  My parents ordered a subscription in my name.  It was a behind-the-scenes look at the show, and the first issue came with a flexi-disc record.

Fred Rogers was a popular choice for commencement speaker at colleges around the country.  I think everyone who watched him started out loving him, then went through a "cool" period of making fun of him, but ultimately realized just how special he truly was.  Who better to send you off into the adult world than the man who helped you navigate those early years of childhood and encouraged you to think, feel, and imagine?

He will never be forgotten...

John

[CastleBee]

Mr. Rogers was a sweetheart of a guy that's for sure and I was really sad to hear that news too.  Unfortunately, he wasn't on TV in my town when I was growing up so I didn't experience his show at the proper age. (I was heavily into Captain Kangaroo myself - the Magic Drawing Board blew me away!    )  Sadly, I didn't see a Mr. Rogers show until sometime in my early teens and I was going through that unfortunate "cool"  period that John mentioned.  Once I got over myself  I realized that this was a guy very well suited to his role as the kindly, calm children's show host.  That kind of gentle influence for kids seems to be in shorter and shorter supply all the time.  (I think the Teletubbies are kind of sweet though.  )

Seriousness aside, can't you just see Fred Rogers visiting Collinwood? Walks in, hangs up his sweater in the foyer, changes his shoes and proceeds into the drawing room where, per usual, an argument is raging - this time between Barnabas and Quentin.  He shakes his head, walks between the two and calmly puts an arm around each one as he breaks out in song¢â‚¬¦"vampires are special on the inside, werewolves are special on the outside¢â‚¬¦"

(Please forgive - that was not intended to break the fan fiction rule  - I have these little brain fades all the time due to having seen too many SNL skits over the years - I think I need help  )

[Raineypark]

Watching "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" was a daily requirement when my daughter was little.  I scheduled naps and snacks around it, and let the answering machine pick up calls.  There was actually quite a bit of good children's programming at the time, but in my opinion nothing, not even Sesame Street, could compare for very small children.

He was masterful at expressing thoughts and feelings in a calm, quiet, loving manner.  In this culture, that was a unique and blessed gift.  Thank you, Fred Rogers.

raineypark   

[Birdie]

Mr. Rogers was a wonderful role model for children  Even those who did not enjoy his quiet mannerisms can appreciate his real concern and love for children.  My children watched him but not faithfully,

Myself like Castlebee was a Captain fan.  He was the best.

Birdie

[Cassandra Blair]

Seriousness aside, can't you just see Fred Rogers visiting Collinwood? Walks in, hangs up his sweater in the foyer, changes his shoes and proceeds into the drawing room where, per usual, an argument is raging - this time between Barnabas and Quentin.  He shakes his head, walks between the two and calmly puts an arm around each one as he breaks out in song¢â‚¬¦"vampires are special on the inside, werewolves are special on the outside¢â‚¬¦"

Castlebee, that was just too, too good! LOL

Thanks for the funny, since the news about Mr. Rogers is really almost too sad to bear.   

Loved him as a kid, went thru the 'cool' phase, but came back to loving him.  Now that all is said and done - I agree, his was a gentle, loving and understanding voice that taught children the power of imagination and that every person has value.  These are lessons we as adults can and should take to heart every day of our lives.  He'll be greatly missed.

[Julianka7]

My children and I watched Mr. Rogers
every week day morning when they were
small. He respected children and took a lot of care with making his show. He was a good
person. He'll be missed.
Julianka

[Bobubas]

Mr. Rogers was a sweetheart of a guy that’s for sure and I was really sad to hear that news too.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t on TV in my town when I was growing up so I didn’t experience his show at the proper age. (I was heavily into Captain Kangaroo myself - the Magic Drawing Board blew me away!     

The loss of Mr. Rogers is very sad. He certainly touched millions of lives in a very positive way.

CastleBee, I too  enjoyed watching Captain Kangaroo as a child. I recently visited the Chicago Cultural Center where the Museum of Broadcast Communications is housed.  There, they had several exhibits that focused on the 1960's children shows. Here in Chicago we also enjoyed The Ray Raynor Show, Bozo Circus(before it ever went national)and Garfield Goose and Friends. It really brought back a lot of happy memories seeing these nostalgic exhibits.  When I get some of my photos scanned I'll post them here for you to see 

                        Bob

[RingoCollins]

Yes, this was indeed a sad day, even though I am much more of 'The Captain's Crew' and never really was into Mr. Roger's, but did know of his 'think, feel, imagine' concept and the general positive vibes.  To little of that, anywhere.

[Luciaphile]

Something I found particularly moving:

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=87106

[onyx_treasure]

     Thanks for the link, Luciaphil.  The quote from Mr. Rogers good-bye song was very touching.

[Minja]

Thank You Luciaphil for the link to that very moving article.  What is sooo spooky is the same feeling came over me when I heard the into to the story on the news.  As soon as the newscaster spoke his name, before he announced he had died, I was thinking..."oh, S***, he died."  My heart fell right then, and then fell even further when he finished the sentence, announcing his passing. He was the best friend a lot of small chidren ever had!

The article also list some other children's show the writer enjoyed as a kid and The Electric Company was mentioned.  A DS connection here, since Denise Nickerson was once a member of The Short Circus, the youthful musical group on The Electric Company.  And a Buffy connection, of sorts, since Buffy creator Joss Whedon's father Tom was a writer on Electric Company.

Rest well Mr. Rogers!  Heaven's neighborhood has a new best friend!

Always, Minja

[Cassandra]

Something I found particularly moving:
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=87106

Thanks for the link Luciaphil. Reading this bought back so many fond memories of how my girls and I would sit by the TV to watch Mr Rogers TV show.  He really was a good influence on the kids and he taught them so many good things.  I remember how he would teach the kids how to tie their shoes, he had such a calm voice and so much patience! Alot of us parents were just so grateful to have someone like him on TV that our kids could learn from.
He is surely going to be missed.

Cassandra

[Miss_Winthrop]

There have been exactly three times in my life where the death of a 'Celebrity' if you will has moved me to tears.  Fred Rogers death is one of them.  Mr. Rogers to me was like the man I would have had for a father.  My children were very young when he first started and it was a special time for the three of us when his show was on. I remember how upset I would get when people poked fun at him. My daughter has told me that my grandson's TV viewing time will definitely include Mr. Rogers when he gets older.  He's only 8 months old now but I hope the reruns will be on for a long time.  Unfortunately today's kid's programs are so slick, rough and 'in-your face' shows with attitude. It's truly very sad.