Fred Rogers

Nearly every morning of his life, Mister Rogers has gone swimming, and now, here he is, standing in a locker room, seventy years old and as white as the Easter Bunny, rimed with frost wherever he has hair, gnawed pink in the spots where his dry skin has gone to flaking, slightly wattled at the neck, slightly stooped at the shoulder, slightly sunken in the chest, slightly curvy at the hips, slightly pigeoned at the toes, slightly aswing at the fine bobbing nest of himself... and yet when he speaks, it is in that voice, his voice, the famous one, the unmistakable one, the televised one, the voice dressed in sweater and sneakers, the soft one, the reassuring one, the curious and expository one, the sly voice that sounds adult to the ears of children and childish to the ears of adults, and what he says, in the midst of all his bobbing-nudity, is as understated as it is obvious: "Well, Tom, I guess you've already gotten a deeper glimpse into my daily routine than most people have."

ONCE UPON A TIME, a long time ago, a man took off his jacket and put on a sweater. Then he took off his shoes and put on a pair of sneakers. His name was Fred Rogers. He was starting a television program, aimed at children, called Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He had been on television before, but only as the voices and movements of puppets, on a program called The Children's Corner. Now he was stepping in front of the camera as Mister Rogers, and he wanted to do things right, and whatever he did right, he wanted to repeat. And so, once upon a time, Fred Rogers took off his jacket and put on a sweater his mother had made him, a cardigan with a zipper. Then he took off his shoes and put on a pair of navy-blue canvas boating sneakers. He did the same thing the next day, and then the next... until he had done the same things, those things, 865 times, at the beginning of 865 television programs, over a span of thirty-one years. The first time I met Mister Rogers, he told me a story of how deeply his simple gestures had been felt, and received. He had just come back from visiting Koko, the gorilla who has learned--or who has been taught--American Sign Language. Koko watches television. Koko watches Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and when Mister Rogers, in his sweater and sneakers, entered the place where she lives, Koko immediately folded him in her long, black arms, as though he were a child, and then... "She took my shoes off, Tom," Mister Rogers said.

Koko was much bigger than Mister Rogers. She weighed 280 pounds, and Mister Rogers weighed 143. Koko weighed 280 pounds because she is a gorilla, and Mister Rogers weighed 143 pounds because he has weighed 143 pounds as long as he has been Mister Rogers, because once upon a time, around thirty-one years ago, Mister Rogers stepped on a scale, and the scale told him that Mister Rogers weighs 143 pounds. No, not that he weighed 143 pounds, but that he weighs 143 pounds.... And so, every day, Mister Rogers refuses to do anything that would make his weight change--he neither drinks, nor smokes, nor eats flesh of any kind, nor goes to bed late at night, nor sleeps late in the morning, nor even watches television--and every morning, when he swims, he steps on a scale in his bathing suit and his bathing cap and his goggles, and the scale tells him he weighs 143 pounds. This has happened so many times that Mister Rogers has come to see that number as a gift, as a destiny fulfilled, because, as he says, "the number 143 means `I love you.' It takes one letter to say 'I' and four letters to say `love' and three letters to say `you.' One hundred and forty-three. `I love you.' Isn't that wonderful?"

THE FIRST TIME I CALLED MISTER ROGERS on the telephone, I woke him up from his nap. He takes a nap every day in the late afternoon--just as he wakes up every morning at five-thirty to read and study and write and pray for the legions who have requested his prayers; just as he goes to bed at nine-thirty at night and sleeps eight hours without interruption.

Esquire, November 1998 (via sampasumb, he replied)

Comments

[Sylvia]

He was a beautiful man. :)

[Jason]

I didn't realize he was a vegetarian. Very cool. And staying at 143 pounds for at least 31 straight years? Strange and incredible.

[sparkle shortz]

"The bobbing nest of himself"? Go to hell, Esquire.

[Bill Peschel]

I read up on him after he died. He was truly an amazing man, and I can't say that about many people. He's the closest I've come to having a hero.

[Carole]

What a cool blog. I'm so glad I stumbled across it.

I hated the show, even as a kid. My kid didn't like the show. But you can't fault what he stood for.

Except, the extremes are not necessary. He didn't live longer because he didn't eat meat or stayed too thin. Moderation and balance will serve you well.

I think that's why more people are afraid to try to live healthy - they think they have to take it to these kinds of extremems. You don't.

[Chris Blake]

I don't want to be Mr. Rogers but I sure wish I was more like him.

[Benjamin]

Great article on Mister Rogers, one of the best. Like Mr. Junod, I was thrilled to find Mister Rogers exactly in person as he was on television. What an inspiration.

[Rose]

I've been watching Mr. Rogers since I was 2 years old and cried when he passed away. What a wonderful article to describe him :)

[paige]

I am doing a bio on him in school, & he seems like really really sweet guy, he actually was also a minister too. He even wrote books & songs too!!! I wish I wached his! what a sweet guy!!!

:)

[mackalla]

he is sooo sweet i wish i watched is shows too!

[BEEJAY]

Thanks goodness for the "vast wasteland" of television. Mister Rogers is still alive and well. Maybe someday they will be able to find someone else to call after a disaster like Mister Rogers, but he was one of a kind.

[Heidi McGlothlin]

I miss watching his shows, I was 3 when I seen the first one. Such a great man, full of life. We miss you.

[True Fan]

Mr. Rogers utilized his platform in such a commendable and admirable manner. He is truly missed. His show gave children hope and showed them a good example of how humanity should be.