"I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you."

In Memoriam: Fred McFeely Rogers 
March 20, 1928 - February 27, 2003
by Valerie Sweeney

With the passing of Fred Rogers, there's a little less light brightening our world, and I can't help feeling that some of the good is gone forever. You'd think, as an adult, perhaps I'd be a little less sensitive, but I cried the morning of February 27 when I heard the news. I've read so many articles and tributes about the man and his life in the past weeks, and every time I end up weeping like a child; I'm not alone, either. And everyone seems to have a Mr. Rogers story. I once shared an elevator with him (and several other people) at WQED; I didn't - couldn't -  speak to him, I was too starstruck. I just basked in his presence, happy to know  that I was sharing the same space as Mr. Rogers for that 20-second elevator ride. He was short, and wearing his little cardigan, and I probably acted like an imbecile, but I was in the presence of greatness, and I knew it.
In these times of turmoil, fear, and hate, Mr. Rogers was all about love and kindness and compassion and acceptance. He epitomized the traits that we (both as individuals and as a society) need now, more than ever; you could not ask for a better role model.
My two-year-old son is just beginning to discover the magic of Mr. Rogers and his Neighborhood, and I feel blessed and grateful that another generation will experience the goodness of Fred Rogers.

It's you I like,
It's not the things you wear,
It's not the way you do your hair--
But it's you I like
The way you are right now,
The way down deep inside you--
Not the things that hide you,
Not your toys--
They're just beside you.

But it's you I like--
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you'll remember
Even when you're feeling blue
That it's you I like,
It's you yourself,
It's you, it's you I like.

© 1971, Fred Rogers
http://pbskids.org/rogers/

For more Mr. Rogers reminiscences, check out the following links:
http://www.sis.pitt.edu/updates/rogers.html
http://pbskids.org/rogers/
http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/20030228rogersindexae1p9.asp