My Top 10 People – 10. Fred Rogers

10. Fred Rogers (Better known as Mister Rogers)

The song, “it’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood” ring throughout my childhood. The ting tings of the trolley coming through his living room, and always wondering why he always took off his shoes.

Rogers was to many the neighbor they never had on the other side of the TV screen. He was abundantly tolerant and loving to all he met and not one person that didn’t know that man personally disliked him.

His life is overshadowed by his TV career on Mister Rogers neighborhood, but he was much more than a guy in a sweater on PBS Saturday mornings. This ordained Presbyterian Pastor was exactly that, a pastor; but not in the traditional sense of the word.

He pastored everyone, everywhere he went, and everybody he knew.

His loving and compassionate attitude towards society made other people think about why they were alive and what exactly was there purpose. A news story was published about a car being stolen at the PBS TV studios, and it was Rogers car. When the burglars found out it was his they returned it with a note saying, “Sorry, If we knew it was yours we wouldn’t have taken it”.

His colorblind(literally colorblind) attitude towards life made him a mighty force for compassion among his encounters. Throughout his career on TV he faced topics from War to ABC’s.

There is so much more I could say about this man. He shows how to love. He shows us that God loves us just the way we are, so why shouldn’t we love each-other and ourselves.

Some people get it. Fred Rogers did. “Won’t you be my neighbor?”