For interview highlights from this show, click here.
It’s been fifteen years since the death of Fred Rogers -- a man who, for decades, served as the cardigan-donning host and creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Rogers’ life is now the focus of a new Maxwell King biography -- aptly titled The Good Neighbor. This hour, we sit down with King for a special preview of the book.
We hear details of Rogers’ upbringing in western Pennsylvania and talk about his legacy as a trailblazer in early children’s television.
Do you have memories of watching Mister Rogers as a child -- of being transported into his neighborhood? We want to hear from you, too.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
GUEST:
- Maxwell King - President and CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation, former president of Heinz Endowments, and author of the forthcoming book The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers
READING LIST:
The Atlantic: Mr. Rogers Had a Simple Set of Rules for Talking to Children - "As Arthur Greenwald, a former producer of the show, put it to me, 'There were no accidents on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.' He took great pains not to mislead or confuse children, and his team of writers joked that his on-air manner of speaking amounted to a distinct language they called 'Freddish.'"
Smithsonian: Mister Rogers Pioneered Speaking to Kids About Gun Violence- "Fred Rogers died in 2003, at age 74, but we still reach for his words. After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, after the Florida International University bridge collapse, after the Austin bombings, after each tragedy, Mister Rogers reappears as a social media meme."
Catie Talarski contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 31, 2018.