Fred Rogers, creator and host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," the popular children's television program, died of stomach cancer Thursday in his home. He was 74.
He leaves behind more than just a family and a legacy of children's television programming. His messages of love and caring should resonate for years to come.
Rogers taught children how to share, deal with anger and even why they shouldn't fear the bathtub by assuring them they'll never go down the drain, the Associated Press reported. He no doubt touched the lives of many Ball State students.
Comedian Eddie Murphy parodied Rogers on "Saturday Night Live" in the 1980s. Rogers found the jokes affectionate.
It's easy to make jokes about Fred Rogers and be cynical about the world in which we live, but Rogers took a different road, with unfaltering optimism, childlike energy and vivid imagination.
In life, as on his television show, he confronted problems and offered solutions that helped countless children and parents for more than 30 years.
During the Gulf War, Rogers' message adapted. He assured youngsters that "all children shall be well taken care of in this neighborhood and beyond -- in times of war and in times of peace." He asked parents to promise their children they would always be safe.
He could articulate what many parents still can't.
Although the last original episode of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" aired Aug. 31, 2001, Rogers came out of retirement in 2002 to record public service announcements telling parents how to help children deal with the Sept. 11 anniversary.
"If they see the tragedy replayed on television, they might think it's happening at that moment," he said.
His concern was unwavering.
"'We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility," he said in 1994. "It's easy to say 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.' Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes."
Just as Bob Ross' "The Joy of Painting" program has gained popularity and continued years after Ross' death in 1995, Fred Rogers' legacy should continue through the ages and through all neighborhoods.
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