Findings

Congress finds that— (1)born in 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Fred McFeely Rogers, was raised in an environment where education was highly valued, and which fostered an active imagination; (2)Fred Rogers earned his bachelor's degree in music composition at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida in 1951; (3)upon graduation, he was hired by NBC television in New York as an assistant producer for The Voice of Firestone, and later as floor director for The Lucky Strike Hit Parade, The Kate Smith Hour, and the NBC Opera Theatre; (4)Fred Rogers later studied child development at the University of Pittsburgh, attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister; (5)in 1953, Fred Rogers began production of the television program The Children's Corner, one of his first efforts as a producer, which was a live, daily, hour-long variety show that incorporated his talents as a musician and puppeteer; (6)in 1955, The Children's Corner won the Sylvania Award for the best locally produced children's program in the country; (7)it was on this program that Fred Rogers developed and first introduced us to his puppet characters, such as King Friday XIII, Daniel Striped Tiger, X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, and Lady Elaine Fairchilde; (8)Fred Rogers produced Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and hosted the show on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) from 1968 until the airing of the final episode in 2001; (9)it was through Mister Rogers' Neighborhood that Fred Rogers invited both grownups and children alike to actively engage their imaginations, and through the use of stories, songs, and puppets, Fred Rogers infused laughter and life lessons into each episode; (10)time spent in Mr. Rogers' home taught children about being a good neighbor, sharing, and expressing thoughts and emotions; (11)transported by the famous trolley to the Land of Make Believe, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood allowed children to escape to a safe place that creatively encouraged them to use their imaginations and showed them the benefits of being a friendly neighbor; (12)Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was the longest-running program on PBS, and was created and filmed in Fred Rogers' hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; (13)Fred Rogers' caring, genuine spirit reflected the values shared by the people of southwestern Pennsylvania and by so many neighborhoods throughout the country; (14)Mister Rogers' Neighborhood continues to air as a nurturing, educational program for children, emphasizing the value of every individual and helping children understand how they fit into their families, communities, and country; (15)each episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was carefully crafted by Fred Rogers to convey wholesome, uplifting messages for the children who watched; (16)Fred Rogers was appointed Chairman of the Forum on Mass Media and Child Development of the White House Conference on Youth in 1968; (17)winning 4 Emmy Awards, Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the TV Critics Association, and 2 George Foster Peabody Awards, Fred Rogers won every major award in television for which he was eligible, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999; (18)President George W. Bush awarded Fred Rogers the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2002, and throughout his lifetime, Fred Rogers was presented with over 40 honorary degrees from colleges and universities; and (19)in a country where children face neglect and may live without the benefit of loving parents, Fred McFeely Rogers succeeded, through his simple television program, in connecting with children on an intellectual and emotional level, while teaching them to value themselves and others.