HR 9139 2003
1	House Resolution
2	A resolution honoring Fred "Mister" Rogers.
3
4	WHEREAS, Fred McFeely Rogers was born on March 20, 1928, in
5	Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and earned a bachelors degree in music
6	composition in 1951 from Rollins College in Winter Park,
7	Florida, where he found inspiration in a plaque that reads "Life
8	is for service," and
9	WHEREAS, in 1952, Mister Rogers married Joanne Byrd, a
10	concert pianist and fellow Rollins College graduate, and
11	returned to Pennsylvania in 1953, where he began his career in
12	children's television, producing the show, "the Children's
13	Corner," and
14	WHEREAS, Mister Rogers graduated from Pittsburgh
15	Theological Seminary and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister
16	in 1963, with a charge to continue his work with children and
17	families through the mass media, and
18	WHEREAS, in 1968 the popular program "Mister Rogers'
19	Neighborhood" debuted and went on to become the longest-running
20	children's program on public television, producing about 1,000
21	episodes before the final show was taped in 2001, and
22	WHEREAS, Mister Rogers was the composer and lyricist of
23	over 200 songs and the author of numerous books for children and
24	adults, and
25	WHEREAS, Mister Rogers received over 40 honorary degrees
26	from colleges and universities, including his alma mater,
27	Rollins College, and received two Peabody Awards, four Emmys,
28	Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Academy of
29	Television Arts and Sciences and the Television Critics
30	Association, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well
31	as every major award in television for which he was eligible,
32	and in 1999 was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, and
33	WHEREAS, in 2002, President George W. Bush presented Mister
34	Rogers with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's
35	highest civilian honor, recognizing his contribution to the
36	well-being of children and his career in public television that
37	demonstrates the importance of kindness, compassion, and
38	learning, and
39	WHEREAS, after 40 years of America's children eagerly
40	awaiting his daily visits into their homes, Mister Rogers died
41	at his home on February 27, 2003, and today generations join his
42	wife, two sons, and two grandsons in mourning the passing of a
43	very dear friend, NOW, THEREFORE,
44
45	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
46	Florida:
47
48	That the House of Representatives salutes Fred McFeely
49	Rogers, one of America's consummate role models and educator of
50	children and adults alike.
51	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
52	presented to Joanne Rogers as a tangible token of the sentiments
53	expressed herein.
54