Frederick "Fred" McFeely Rogers

 Frederick "Fred" McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003)

He was a 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. 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. Rogers was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2002, not long after his retirement. He underwent surgery on January 6, 2003, which was unsuccessful. Rogers died on the morning of February 27, 2003, at his home with his wife by his side, less than a month before he would have turned 75.

His death was such a significant event in Pittsburgh that the entire front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published the next day devoted its coverage to him. Fred Rogers is interred at Unity Cemetery in Latrobe, PA.