On This Day In 2003 The Lights Went Out In Our Neighborhood.........We lost our best friend..

On this day in 2003...we lost an American Treasure...and it was a sad day in the neighborhood when we were told......Mr. Rogers had passed away....

The children, on this day of his passing, who were his most recent audience and who enoyed his warm easy going nature, still had not grasped the meaning of or understood what this meant....BUT to those millions of adults who grew up in front of the TV as young "neighborhood fans" it was a day of true loss.....The loss of a close friend. The legacy of "our Mr. Rogers" will live on. There is no doubt about that.

Mr Fred McFeely Rogers now rests in peace at the Unity Cemetery in Latrobe, Pa....

I'm so glad he was my neighbor.

For those wanting more...."google" his name and his wonderful world will unfold before your eyes...

Let's help you start the journey...here...(be sure and scroll down for our video tributes and history of Fred Rogers)

The following is From Wikipedia

Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, author, and television host. Rogers was most famous for creating and hosting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001), which featured his gentle, soft-spoken personality and directness to his audiences.

Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children and made an effort to change this when he began to write for and perform on local Pittsburgh-area shows dedicated to youth. WQED developed his own show in 1968 and it was distributed nationwide by Eastern Educational Television Network. Over the course of three decades on television, Fred Rogers became an indelible American icon of children's entertainment and education, as well as a symbol of compassion, patience, and morality.

He was also known for his advocacy of various public causes. His testimony before a lower court in favor of fair use recording of television shows to play at another time (now known as time shifting) was cited in a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Betamax case, and he gave now-famous testimony to a U.S. Senate committee, advocating government funding for children's television.

Rogers received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, some forty honorary degrees, and a Peabody Award. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, was recognized by two Congressional resolutions, and was ranked No. 35 among TV Guide's Fifty Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Several buildings and artworks in Pennsylvania are dedicated to his memory, and the Smithsonian Institution displays one of his trademark sweaters as a "Treasure of American History".

Mr. Rogers was asked "How would you like to be remembered?"......

R.I.P. Mr. Rogers.........For those who just can' t get enough of this American treasure......enjoy these video tributes and neat facts about our favorite neighbor...