A man whose smile was recognized by millions of toddlers for at least two generations, Fred (Mr.) Rogers used his reassuring voice to bring simple and heartfelt music to young children across America. Rogers used his public televsion series, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, as a venue for his soothing and sometimes humorous songs, and had an equally successful career with books and recordings for children.
Fred McFeely Rogers was born in 1928 in LaTrobe, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Rollins College in Florida with a degree in music, but soon turned his attention to television. In 1953, he was hired by WQED in Pittsburgh, the nation's first public TV station, to produce and star in a local production called The Children's Corner. During his spare time, Rogers attended the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and became a Presbyterian minister in 1962.
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