Past Honorees
Comments made by Robert Miller, President
of Hyperion, at the induction of Fred Rogers into the Hall of Fame.
Joanne Rogers says that Fred carried the following
quote around in his wallet: "There isn't anyone you couldn't
love once you've heard their story." So first, here's Fred's
story: (video clip from PBS)
Fred once said, "It's not the honors and the
prizes and the fancy outsides of life that ultimately nourish our
souls," so it's ironic that we're here to give him an award.
But more than anything, Fred was an educator, so I'm sure that he
would have found great meaning in the award you are giving him today.
I'll never forget the first time I met Fred Rogers,
almost twenty years ago. I had just become a father, and I had corresponded
with Fred about doing a book of parenting advice. He came to visit
me in my office, which was in the Flatiron building then. The great
thing about the Flatiron building is that it's so narrow, even the
most junior editor has a window office. And as Fred and I were talking,
he noticed the Goodyear blimp floating though the sky behind me.
He said, "Look Bob, there's the Goodyear blimp. I hope that
means that you're going to have a good year."
I knew at that moment that Fred cared about me whether
we did the book together or not. And I knew that Fred's message
of compassion for the individual spirit was not only a message that
children needed to hear, it was a message all of us need to hear.
Once when Fred was speaking at a meeting about children
and television at the White House, he asked the audience to spend
one minute thinking of someone who'd made a difference in the person
they'd become. If you were to spend one minute thinking about such
a person today, and then maybe even found some way to thank them,
you would be doing Fred an enormous honor.
I know that I'm not alone when I say that Fred Rogers
was someone who made that difference to me. So it's with special
pleasure that I present the Association of Educational Publishers
Hall of Fame Award to Joanne Rogers, in memory of Fred Rogers—a
great educator, a great listener, and a great friend.
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