It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

We all grew up watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood on Public Television. But did you know that Latrobe, Pennsylvania was the real Mr. Rogers' very first neighborhood?

A native of Latrobe, which also is home to Saint Vincent College, Fred Rogers did pioneer work as writer, composer, host, puppeteer and performer in children's television for nearly 50 years, including more than three decades with the most popular children's program of all time.

Before Fred Rogers died in 2003, he chose Saint Vincent College as the place to house his priceless archives and further his pioneering influence on children's media. His long-time friendship with Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, O.S.B., and Saint Vincent alum Bill Isler, made SVC a natural, if not surprising, choice. His parents, James Hillis Rogers and Nancy McFeely Rogers, his beloved wife Joanne, and the McFeely-Rogers Foundation, have played important roles in the life of our College community for more than 40 years.

The college is now collaborating with early learning and children's media experts from all over the country in building a $14 million Center at the entrance to campus which, in Fred's name, will serve as a resource for educators, researchers and others interested in this important topic. The Center will promote early learning, the primacy of caring relationships between children and adults, and responsible uses of media.

In the face of growing challenges to children for their safety, health, emotional security and intellectual development, the need for effective models of caring for and teaching young children is great. Through his many roles as children's television host, writer, producer, author, and lecturer, Fred Rogers grasped the vast power of the communications media to help address this need in a meaningful and responsible way. His emphasis on education for the heart as well as the mind not only drew from but also influenced research on affective learning, imagination and creative play, and many related areas of study in child development and early learning.

Saint Vincent College's goal for The Fred M. Rogers Center is to create an environment that supports and encourages such good and important work on behalf of children and families. It will make certain that Fred Rogers continues to be a friend for future generations of children.