When you
hear the name “Mister Rogers” up pops an image
of a really nice adult that
talks to children. His show “Mister
Rogers Neighborhood” ran for 33years on public television. It’s
theme of music,
stories, guests, and characters all designed to
deliver a message to both
adults and children was his gift to
many. His message was one of universal.
What can his birth
order tell us about the man, Fred Rogers.
Childhood
Fred was
born March 20, 1928 in Latrobe Pennsylvania to
James and Nancy Rodgers. James
was an accountant- banker
and Nancy a stay at home mom. He was their firstborn
and
Only child until they adopted a daughter 11 years later. Her
name was Elaine Crozier and he loved her
dearly. Fred
recounts that he was a sickly child and spent a lot of time at
home. His maternal grandfather also lived with the family
and like his mother, played
the piano. They taught Fred to
play the piano at an early age. While recuperating from
his
many illnesses, Fred found entertainment in music and the
use of puppets to make up stories. Only children can be
their own best friend.
The Only Child
All
firstborns are Only children until the next sibling arrives.
The Only child grows up in an adult world. Adults are his
peers. He tends to follow in the footsteps of adults
not his
own generation. In Fred’s case
it was his grandfather that
had an enormous influence on his life. Retired from
the
railroad but living in the same house he became Fred’s
friend and teacher. Parents
of Only children are very
protective. As
an adult his mother made all of his cardigan
sweaters that he wore on the show.
Only children are also
an amalgam of their parent’s birth orders and that is
why no
two Only children are alike. In
the movie “Willy Wonka:
The Chocolate Factory,” we saw two types of Only
children.
One, very adult like and
responsible and the others spoiled
children. Fred was the responsible type who
felt no fear of
being dethroned by his younger sibling. His adult role as a
father figure to millions fits right in with his birth order.
The Only/One Birth Order
Raised as an
Only child for 11 years before the family adopted
his sister makes Fred an
Only/One Double birth order. He is
more
an Only child than a Firstborn as the eleven years makes
a difference. He never felt threatened by his younger
sister
and instead was supportive of her, more like a parent. With
such a secure position in the family he
could be gentle and
caring and not feel threatened. In real life, it is said, he was
the same person that the kids saw on screen.
Education/Career
After high
school Fred got his Bachelor’s degree in music
composition from Rollins College
in 1951 and a divinity
degree from the Pittsburgh theological Seminary in 1962.
His special mission was to keep doing what he was doing
on television to reach
as many children as possible with his
message of tolerance and love. His show
premiered on
February 19, 1968 and ran until August 31, 2001. He had
been displeased at the way television
addressed children and
wanted to make a change. This was his calling as a
Presbyterian minister. He was a progressive pacifist all his
life and it
showed.
Married
Fred and
Joanne Byrd married in 1952. They met at
college where she was a music major and became a
professional pianist. They had
two sons James and
John and three grandsons. They were married 50 years
until
his death in 2003.
Controversy
There have
been only a few times that Mr. Rogers had
to speak up about his image. In 1985 Burger
King used
an actor to impersonate Mister Rogers calling him Mister
Rodney. Fred
contacted the Senior Vice President and
he pulled the ad. Johnny Carson did a
parody skit called,
“Mister Rambo’s Neighborhood.” Fred complained and
Johnny
publicly apologized. He had no trouble with the
parody done by Eddie Murphy on
Saturday Night Live
“Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood”. He found it funny
and
affectionate. The fact that it was aired around midnight
when his viewers would
be in bed was another reason he
ok’d it. In 1998 he filled suit against a Texas store
using
his likeness on T-shirts which contained a handgun and the
slogan Welcome
to my “hood”. He got the Tee Shirts
removed and destroyed. He is also credited
with saving the
VCR in his testimony for the Supreme Court that he
thought it
beneficial that children could tape his program.
Last, the rumor that he was a
Navy Seal or Marine sniper
is false. He
never served in the military.
His Legacy
Fred died of
stomach cancer February 27, 2003. He leaves
behind several generations of
children that learned so much
from his program. He was truly the parental
figure that
portrayed the best in parenting.
We will all
remember that, “It’s a Beautiful Day in
the
Neighborhood”
and “You made this a special day just by being Yourself.”
For more
information about birth orders and double birth
orders you can find it in my
book Life’s Fingerprint: How
Birth Order Affects Your Path Throughout Life by
Dr.
Robert V. V. Hurst. Visit my website
audio version of the book.
