It was a beautiful day in this neighborhood as the Fred M. Rogers Center, a $14 million “green” building on the campus of Saint Vincent College, officially opened with an Issues Briefing, dedication ceremony, blessing and reception attended by hundreds of friends of the College.

The Center is named in honor of the late Fred Rogers, a native of Latrobe, who was the internationally popular host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS and a lifelong friend of Saint Vincent College.

The Center is a two-story, 36,500 square foot, ultramodern building which houses the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media, the Fred Rogers Archive, the Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery, the Conference Center at Saint Vincent College, an Interactive Exhibit about Fred Rogers’ life and work, and WIM -- the Upsidedown Mural by Roman Verostko.

The Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media was established by Saint Vincent College in September 2003 to serve as a national and international resource for addressing emerging issues affecting children and families. Staying true to the vision of Fred Rogers, and emulating the guiding principles of his life’s work, the Center’s mission is to advance the state of early learning and children’s media by acting as a catalyst for communication, collaboration, and creative change across both fields.

Issues Briefing

The Rogers Center National Advisory Council heard an Issues Briefing earlier in the day on Youth-Created Media in the Digital Age. Among the experts in this new field who spoke were Steve Goodman, Founding Director and Executive Director, Educational Video Center; Michael Rich, M.D., MPH, Mediatrician and Executive Director, Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health; Dr. Illah Nourbakhsh, Associate Professor, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University; Maxwell King, Executive Director, Fred Rogers Center; and Milton Chen, Executive Director, George Lucas Educational Foundation.

Dedication Ceremony and Blessing

After a one-hour invitational reception, the formal grand opening dedication ceremony and blessing took place at 7 p.m. with speakers including Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., Chancellor; Max King, Executive Director of the Fred Rogers Center; Wayne Godwin, chief operating officer of the Public Broadcasting System; Joanne Rogers, Honorary Chair of the Fred Rogers Center Advisory Board; and Ralph Smith, Executive Vice President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Chairman of the Board of the Council on Foundations, keynote speaker.

Michael Moricz Plays Fred Rogers’ Piano

Music was provided by Michael Moricz, former music director of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, who performed on a Steinway D grand piano that was recently given to the Center by Joanne Rogers. The piano, made in 1920, was purchased at a Pittsburgh department store for Fred Rogers in 1941 and was the instrument on which he composed many of the songs that he performed on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. It was completely restored by Steinway prior to its installation at the Rogers Center. Mr. Moricz was accompanied by Katy Shackleton Williams, soprano, and Jeanne Tupper, cellist.

Donors to the Fred M. Rogers Center

Donors to the Rogers Center project were recognized for their contributions to carry forward the legacy of Fred Rogers. Major leadership support came from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Richard King Mellon Foundation, and The Heinz Endowments.

Foster and Muriel McCarl and Family were recognized for their gift of the Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Collection and the McCarl Coverlet Gallery where the collection will be displayed.

Donors recognized as Groundbreakers were the Benedictine Community of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Suzy and Jim Broadhurst, The Buhl Foundation, DSF Charitable Foundation, Eat 'n Park Hospitality Group, Inc., Eden Hall Foundation, Grable Foundation, Hillman Foundation, Massaro Corporation, McFeely-Rogers Foundation, The Pittsburgh Foundation, The PNC Foundation, and the Scaife Family Foundation. F

ounding Friends and Families include Cordelia Scaife May, Dianne and Regis P. McKenna, D.I.A., C 61, D’86, Marie and Arthur Miltenberger, and Dr. Joanne Rogers, D.M.A., D’00.

Fellows-level support came from Federated Investors, Inc., Caroline H. Graper, Mary and Donald Haile, C'63, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, Lauren and Ronald Raimondo, Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education.

Dozens of other “Neighbors” and “Supporters” donors were listed in the dedication program.

History of the Rogers Center

Even the youngest children spend many hours a day using media. Cable and satellite television, videos, computers, interactive games, talking books, and other media hold a staggering capacity for positive or negative influence on learning and behavior.

More than 50 years ago, Fred Rogers, creator and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, recognized the immense potential of television for educating young children in ways that support their social and emotional development.

In 2000, he began to collaborate with Saint Vincent College to lay the groundwork for promoting the importance of applying child development principles to all media for children. Working with leaders from Saint Vincent and a team of nationally recognized advisors, Fred started to develop his vision for a center that would bring together the top experts in early learning and children’s media. He invited two colleagues in these fields, Milton Chen, Ph.D., Executive Director of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, and Ellen Galinsky, President of Families and Work Institute, to write planning papers that began to set the agenda for the Rogers Center.

After Fred’s death in February 2003, these planning efforts led to the establishment of the Fred Rogers Center. The Center offers an unprecedented opportunity to continue Fred’s commitment to building bridges between early learning and children’s media.

Building Architect and General Contractor

The building was designed by Kevin Gannon and architects from FortyEighty Architecture (formerly dggp) of Pittsburgh, following a national design competition. General contractor was Massaro Corporation of Pittsburgh.

Green Building with LEED Certification

The Fred M. Rogers Center was conceived and executed as a “green” building that was constructed with numerous sustainability features. While national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification has not yet been received, the College is optimistic that it will receive “gold certification” because of its variety of design features for sustainability including site design, building placement and orientation, water conservation, use of natural lighting, energy efficiency, use of recycled materials, and durability. The structure is located between the historic Saint Vincent Basilica and the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, at the entrance to the Saint Vincent campus.

Fred Rogers Exhibit

The Fred Rogers Exhibit is the centerpiece of the building. The McFeely-Rogers Foundation funded the design of the public exhibit. The interactive exhibit pays tribute to Fred Rogers’ contributions to early learning and children’s media while also providing “teachable moments” for adults and children. Displays featuring Fred’s sweaters, tennis shoes, puppets and other artifacts are part of the exhibit.

Custom Walnut Hardwoods Featured

Another impressive feature of the Fred M. Rogers Center is the extensive application of solid walnut hardwoods in doors, paneling, stair rails and other custom-made and finished cabinetry. The wood is indigenous to the region and was harvested on the Chestnut Ridge more than a hundred years ago and stored at Saint Vincent Archabbey.

Fred Rogers Archive

The Archive preserves the work of Fred Rogers, provides guidance and direction to inspire the next pioneers in early learning and children’s media, and advances the Rogers Center as a regional and national resource in these fields.

The important collection representing Fred Rogers’ life and work includes physical and digital versions of a wide range of materials: video of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, The Children’s Corner and other programs produced by Fred Rogers; musical scores for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and other programs; recordings of Fred Rogers’ music; manuscripts of speeches, articles and other writings; audiotapes; and photographs and other artifacts. The conversion of archival materials to digital format will enable the Rogers Center to provide electronic, web-based access to many of these resources for further study and new applications in education and media.

The Conference Center at Saint Vincent College

The Conference Center at Saint Vincent College enhances Saint Vincent College’s mission and its service to the region by providing facilities for the academic programs of the College; outreach programs serving K-12 teachers and students, entrepreneurs, business leaders and local residents; as well as seminars conducted by the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media, and other affiliated centers. Its proximity to the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government makes the Conference Center an important resource for the McKenna School. In keeping with the public service component of the College’s mission, the facility is also used as a venue for meetings for local community organizations.

Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery

The Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Collection is the largest and most prestigious collection of early American coverlets in the world. The McCarls’ love of American history led them to begin this collection which they donated to Saint Vincent College in 2005. The collection is featured in American Coverlets and the Weavers: Coverlets from the Collection of Foster and Muriel McCarl by Clarita Anderson. The Collection is displayed in the spacious McCarl Coverlet Gallery on the first floor of the Fred M. Rogers Center.

WIM, the Upsidedown Mural

Greeting visitors to the Rogers Center is the Upsidedown Mural by Roman Verostko, internationally known for his algorithmic pen and ink drawings. The Mural is dedicated to Fred Rogers, who noted, “The child is in me still and sometimes not so still.” These whimsical drawings were originally drawn with pen and ink in the early 1970s for an upsidedown children’s book. Roman created them to nurture the playful side of the human spirit. They belong to a series of works he exhibited as “Images of the Unseen” and were meant for children of all ages including “the child within us” in our golden years.

Music by Michael Moricz

Michael Moricz became music director for Mister Rogers Neighborhood in 1996. He is the former resident composer and assistant conductor for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre where his orchestral ballet scores included The Mighty Casey, Amazing Grace, and The Great Gatsby. Since 1991 he has created special arrangements for the Pittsburgh Symphony for such artists as Thomas Hampson, Kevin Glavin, David Budway, Demareus Cooper, Teddy Pendergrass and others. The PSO also premiered his compositions Mememto and the Hymn of Welcome movement from the multi-composer commission Mozaika.

In 1996 Mr. Moricz succeeded Johnny Costa as the music director of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS and has also composed original music for productions on the Fox, Disney, Showtime, PBS and Discovery Networks. He has arranged and produced recordings for Opie Bellas, Daphne Alderson, Kevin Glavin and the acclaimed children’s album Time To Sing. Since 2001 Mr. Moricz has been in New York where he’s worked as arranger or accompanist for Chita Rivera, Kander and Ebb, Linda Lavin, Tony Roberts, Bebe Neuwirth, the American Ballet Theatre, the Mark Morris Dance Group and others. He has collaborated several times with Broadway director/choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett, most recently on the ballet The Ugly Duckling, which he dedicated to the memory of Fred Rogers when it premiered last year by the Carolina Ballet and the North Carolina Symphony. Mr. Moricz conducts CLO’s annual Gene Kelly Awards, Houston’s Tommy Tune Awards and has conducted numerous dance performances not only with the Benedum Center Orchestra but with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, the Pennsylvania Orchestra in Philadelphia and the Kennedy Center Orchestra at Wolf Trap.

Speaker Wayne Godwin

The first speaker at the dedication was Wayne Godwin, chief operating officer of the Public Broadcasting System.

As chief operating offier, Mr. Godwin works closely with the PBS president and chief executive officer to develop PBS strategic and operational business goals and targeted financial results. Mr. Godwin also serves as the chief executive officer of PBS Enterprises, the for-profit arm of PBS, and as a member of the board for its primary operating unit, PBS National Datacast.

Mr. Godwin joined PBS in 2000 as the executive vice president, member affairs. He was promoted to his current position in 2002. With more than 40 years of experience in public broadcasting, Mr. Godwin’s distinguished career includes service on the PBS board of directors from 1993 to 1999. He was professional vice chair from 1998 to 1999.

Mr. Godwin earned a bachelor of arts degree in communications from Florida State University and worked at public television and radio stations in Tallahassee and Jacksonville before joining PBS for the first time in 1977.

Throughout his career, Mr. Godwin has played a leadership role in numerous public broadcasting and community service organizations. Among his many affiliations are service as president of the Ohio Educational Television Stations, chairman of the Southern Educational Communications Association, president of the Cincinnatus Association, and chair of the Memphis Rotary Club. A native of Georgia, Mr. Godwin and his wife, Donna, have two grown children.

Keynote Speaker Ralph Smith of Annie Casey Foundation

Keynote speaker Ralph Smith is the Executive Vice President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private philanthropy dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children in the United States. Since 2004, Mr. Smith has served on the board of directors of Nobel Learning Communities, Inc., a non-sectarian, for-profit provider of education and educational pre-elementary through 12th grade market, and serves as a member of their Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. He is also a member of the board of directors of Philanthropy Partners, a non-profit philanthropic investment organization serving the National Capital Region, and a member of the board of directors of the Center for Responsible Lending, a non-profit research and policy organization protecting home ownership and family wealth. From 1975 to 1997, Mr. Smith was a member of the faculty of the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania, teaching corporate law, securities regulations, and education law policy. Mr. Smith also has held a number of senior leadership positions for the School District of Philadelphia, including chief of staff and special counsel. Mr. Smith received his undergraduate education from Loyola University of Los Angeles, a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and served as a Teaching Fellow and L.L.M./S.J.D. candidate at Harvard University.

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