Letters that Shaped A Generation: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

Letters that Shaped A Generation: “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” It is a quote that is synonymous with the beloved legacy of Fred Rogers. When people think about the legacy of Fred Rogers, they think of Mister Rogers Neighborhood and the simple lessons that taught children the importance of friendship, patience, and listening. Throughout his career, Fred dedicated his time to learning how to better connect with his audiences and produce a show that families can take with them, something to look forward to. However, the legacy that Fred Rogers built exists beyond the screen and through written fan mail that still exists in the archives today. In a publication called “Dear Mister Rogers: Letters to Mister Rogers” written by Fred, himself, he goes on to say that “I can’t know each person who’s responding to the invitation to be my ‘television neighbor’. That’s probably why I’ve come to treasure the mail so much”. Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to visit the Fred Rogers Institute at Saint Vincent College and had the chance to read through some of the mail that was sent to Fred by families that watched the show. Seeing the original fan letters reminded me of the written exchanges that reveal how he touched the lives of those who saw him as a neighbor.

“I like you because you help people” was a sentence that a little girl told Fred in one of the letters. Her words were simple but capture the belief of why so many children enjoyed Mister Rogers’s Neighborhood. They saw him as someone who genuinely cared, a source of comfort, and stability. In the letters preserved at the institute, young viewers sent photos, maps, drawings, and heartfelt letters about a lesson that they learned while watching his show. In another letter, a little boy explains that because he does not have cable at his house, he travels all the way to his grandmother’s house to make it in time to watch the show.

It wasn’t only children that wrote to Fred, but often adults, teachers, and parents would write to Fred sharing their own worries, hopes, and appreciation for the comfort that Mister Rogers’s Neighborhood brought into their houses. In 1972, a viewer wrote to Fred about how they often watched his show to unwind from their frustrations after facing unemployment. They expressed that they greatly appreciated that he valued creativity and madness, which was often displayed in his operas or adventures in the land of make-believe. Another person from Greensburg wrote about how he would leave his meetings early to watch the show with his 4-year-old and 5-year-old at home. Even teachers wrote to Fred expressing that he showed them the drive that they needed to have when working with kids.

Standing in the Archive and reading through the letters, I realized that Fred Rogers’s true neighborhood was much larger than the one shown on television. It was made up of children, parents, teachers, and others that felt safe enough to share pieces of their life with Fred beyond the show. Whether it was parents that appreciated the lessons that Fred taught to their children or teachers gaining ideas of what to incorporate in the classroom; the stories that made up the fan letters were endless and heartfelt. The letters prove that Fred Rogers’s legacy is not only remembered, but it is still felt, preserved, and cherished. To the children that grew up, the children that watched, and the generations that Fred reached, the legacy still remains with the question: Won’t you be my neighbor?