r/interestingasfuck • u/Wild-vine16 • 6h ago
Last photo of Mister Rogers, taken on the 1st of January, 2003
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u/danexperiment 5h ago
When Mr. Rogers passed away in February of 2003, I was stationed on a ship headed towards the Persian Gulf for the invasion of Iraq. Anyway, every morning my division would gather for a morning meeting. It was basically a "this is what you're doing today" coupled with any news and notes from back home.
The person in charge of the meeting at some point told us that Mr. Rogers had passed away. At the end of the meeting, he then said we were going to bow our heads in a moment of silence. He was dead serious, and nobody questioned it. Grown men and women, on their way to a combat zone, holding a moment of silence for Mr. Rogers. I still tear up a little when I think about it 23 years later.
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u/Sean2401 5h ago
What ship? I caught a ride over on the Bataan.
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u/danexperiment 5h ago
That's the exact one! I was in Deck Department at the time, but finished out my time in the navy as a Signalman. If you were one of the Marines who was on board, I probably bummed you a cigarette!
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u/Sean2401 5h ago
Hell yeah brother, thanks for the ride. Of all the ships we were on the Bataan was easily my favorite.
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u/danexperiment 5h ago
Yeah, I'll say out of all the ships I could have been stationed on I'm kinda happy that's where the navy put me. Their MWR people were always on point, that ship's store was like walking into a little slice of home every time, and the food in the galley was bordering on pleasant. We always loved when you Marines came on board, because your cooks came with you and the food improved drastically.
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u/loveengineer 3h ago
Hi, just wanna ask if that Bataan ship is named after the place in the Philippines 😁
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u/ChainsawVisionMan 3h ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bataan_(LHD-5)
Named after the WW2 battle that took place there, so kinda.
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u/cruiserflyer 5h ago
I was on Tarawa, but got out in 1999, this is so wholesome. Thanks for sharing.
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u/Radiant-Concern-3682 5h ago
Was going to ask the same question. I was on the Saipan. Same 2nd MEB.
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u/danexperiment 5h ago
Yeah, you Marines were always a great bunch. I remember I got to talking to one on the smoke deck one day about MRE's and how much I hated the damn chow lines(I would much rather spend that 90 minutes taking a nap in one of the Conflag stations), and dude just started hooking me up with MRE's. For a pack of smokes I would get like four or six of them depending on the day. Lasted about two months until the day came they did a command bunk and locker inspection; and the MA's saw the stash of MRE's and were like "yeah, you're not supposed to have those!"
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u/Readman31 4h ago
Contraband! Your weekend pass is revoked
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u/danexperiment 4h ago
Lol....Worst thing they did was take them from me. We were about halfway through a four month underway period so there wasn't any pass to take away. I think if I remember right the MA said something like there's no rule against me having them but i probably shouldn't have them.
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u/fkenned1 2h ago
Ya man. It's because we are so far away from the genuine kindness, thoughtfulness, realness, and love of this man. I've watched the show recently with my son. The principals he taught are so heartbreakingly far from what I see projected in the news from our leaders today. It's actually gross. I have had the thought many times, if only the people could sit and learn a little from this man, the world would no doubt be better. We need more Fred Rogers in the world, especially right now.
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u/404_No_User_Found_2 2h ago
The man absolutely deserved it
We will never see someone quite like him again I don't think
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u/the_bartolonomicron 2h ago
To me that's the only way you can react when you lose a true American Hero like him. Even if there will never be another one as great as Mr Rogers, we all owe it to each other to try our best anyways.
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u/doug-demuro-is-daddy 6h ago
I cannot imagine how disappointed he would be at the state of the world today. I am sure, however, that he would remain positive and a beacon of hope and kindness as he always was.
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u/Monday_Jeff 4h ago
According to his wife in that documentary, when they asked him to make a public statement for kids after 9/11 he didn't want to and she had to talk him into doing it because he felt like he hadn't had any positive effect on the world and that people were worse to each other than ever.
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u/Any_Ad2581 4h ago
The sentiment that Mr. Rogers would be horrified by today's world assumes that the world he lived in was somehow less cruel.
If anything, I wouldn't want Mr.Rogers to see me and my complacency in it.
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u/remotectrl 3h ago
I don’t think it’s nostalgia glasses to say that the world is more cruel than it was when he retired. The past was awful in different, less grotesque ways.
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u/Scrat-Scrobbler 3h ago
mr rogers was born in 1928. he'd be old enough to remember WW2. the reason things seem so cruel today is because it is much more common to strive for equality among racial, sex and class lines than it was for all of his life. which sounds contradictory but it means we're aware of it. like if you're a working class white man in the reagan era things don't seem cruel because you don't even think about the people who are brought down by the system you're in, and there's no internet and the media is controlled through narrow avenues. even in 2003 a lot of that was true, don't forget that's the year the US entered Iraq based on racism and lies and it was extremely widely accepted at the time.
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u/remotectrl 2h ago
And until fairly recently, circa 2017, it seemed like we were making improvements on many of those fronts. We have regressed.
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u/Any_Ad2581 3h ago
How do you measure cruelty?
My comment wasn't really arguing that the world is less cruel today. It was challenging the assumption that Mr. Rogers would find modern cruelty uniquely horrifying.
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u/Murrdox 1h ago
Mr. Rogers never said people had to be perfect. He certainly never judged anyone (that I can recall) for complacency.
One of the things he was most famous for was about telling us it was OK to feel the things we were feeling. like it's OK to be angry sometimes. Everyone gets angry. But then it was about learning from that. What makes you angry? Can you use that to feel better about yourself? What makes you feel better when you're angry?
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u/swizzle213 4h ago
The beautiful thing is, he would find a way to see the good through all the darkness
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u/Cooking_with_MREs 3h ago
I think he would be so proud that people like you care about the world and the people around them. Even with so many bad things you are still trying to help and put good in the world. I hope the things you do for your neighbors can give you a good feeling about yourself.
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u/L-Ron-Hooover 6h ago
Imagine being able to clone Mr Rogers and have him serve every political office worldwide
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u/morbie5 5h ago
I remember when there was a documentary coming out about him I was like "please don't have anything bad come out about him please please'
Thankfully I think he was an all around good person
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u/CatOfGrey 4h ago
My recall is that he was 'difficult to work with'. You might see articles that show how detailed he was - he would exhaustively write and re-write his text for very specific perspectives that would work for children - this was the opposite of a lot of children's television in the 1960's and 70's, which was usually low-budget rushed crap.
But it was a commitment to excellence, not an abusive management situation (like Ellen Degeneres, for example).
My favorite memory of Fred Rogers; He actually composed a lot of his music for the show! He was a very talented musician! I'll leave it to someone else to say whether or not his use of jazz was supporting Sesame Street, in exposing kids to different kinds of music, especially Black culture.
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u/DerthOFdata 1h ago
He was "difficult to work with" in the sense that he spent so much time asking interviewers about their families and lives they didn't get much time to do the same of him instead. Those interviewers would often get personalized scrapbooks made by Mr. Rogers weeks later and would get birthday cards or calls for years afterwards.
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u/remotectrl 3h ago
You can find similar complaints about Bob Ross being a perfectionist and at times a diva about it.
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u/CatOfGrey 3h ago
I can see this.
I've met a handful of very successful painters, and although part of the personality is creative and artistic, I see some of the same tension and drive that I see in the class-action litigation attorneys that I regularly work with.
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u/Goldfing 1h ago
In the documentary (Won't You Be My Neighbor, which I liked even more than the movie) they interview his staff. They all spoke very highly of him and the poster story is pretty funny too.
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u/eepos96 4h ago
I googled his opinion gays
"Totally cool with him"
One of his co workers was gay and he himself admited to "on scale to 1 to 10, 1 being men and 10 being women, I stand in the middle" so he was mostlikely bisexual or biromantic.
Unfortunaltely he asked his staff and himself to stay closeted. He was running a childrenshow and unfortunately if he or his coworkers came out, it would have killed the show. And we must understand the pressure was different, especially for highly aclaimed children show.
And unlike back in 1800s when "slavery was just the norm, and racism was just the norm" I can 100% understand that coming out would kill your livelyhood and jobs of hundreds of your friends and co workers. So stayin hidden was best choise.
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u/z-vap 2h ago
For clarity: an openly gay friend of Mr Rogers, Dr. William Hirsch, recounted a conversation they had about human sexuality. Rogers told Hirsch: "Well, you know, I must be right smack in the middle. Because I have found women attractive, and I have found men attractive."
Fred Rogers was married to his wife, Joanne, from 1952 until his death in 2003. While he never publicly labeled himself or publicly adopted terms like "bisexual" during his lifetime, he viewed attraction openly and without judgment.
François Clemmons, an openly gay actor who portrayed Officer Clemmons on Mr Rogers' show, said that although he dissuaded Clemmons from coming out as gay, Rogers accepted Clemmons as a gay man.
Clemmons praised Rogers for educating children compassion and kindness.
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u/Version_Two 6h ago
But what if it's an evil clone named Mr. Sregor who encourages children to cross the road with their eyes closed
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u/MoiraBrownsMoleRats 5h ago
"There's nothin' special about you, an interchangable cog in an unfeeling machine, just one in millions."
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u/Version_Two 5h ago
"It's a treacherous day on these streets. You see those smiling faces? The moment they can use you, they will. But not if you win first."
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u/SmartAlec105 35m ago
"TIL Mr Sregor had a blind fan that was concerned about if he was feeding his fish. From then on, Mr Sregor made it a point to tell her to fuck off every episode"
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u/Salanmander 4h ago
I imagine he would hate that. I can just see him putting out a statement like "I may think I have the best ideas for how to run the world, but if we only have my ideas, we're much worse off. The world is richer, and fuller, and better when we listen to many people with many different backgrounds. That is much better than following any one person, no matter how good that person may be.", and then immediately instituting a process for getting other people into those roles.
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u/asdf_lord 6h ago
He had surgery on his stomach 5 days after this photo and died about 2 months later of stomach cancer.
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u/Mr_Tottles 6h ago
I am glad he’s not here to see the way things are now. But maybe he would have had an impact on things
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u/Expensive-Froyo8687 4h ago
THIS is the standard of masculinity that we should esteem in the US. Anyone can be a toxic ally masculine 'alpha' by acting like a spoiled toddler. Selfishness is easy.
Empathy, centering others, and de-escalation are what is hard. What a wonderful human who left an amazing act to follow.
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u/Brunt-FCA-285 2h ago
If we could reincarnate him for just one day, I’d hope that he’d go up to the likes of Andrew Tate and say to him, “Andrew, I’m very disappointed in the person that you’ve become. Know that my disappointment stems from how special I know that you are and from seeing you hurt so many people instead of being a helper. Please know that despite how you’ve treated other people, I forgive you, and I love you.” Rinse and repeat for any other far right wingers or anyone in the manosphere.
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u/TheRedIguana 5h ago
Remember his statement after 9/11. He knew how much it would mean to all of us that grew up with him.
I still look for the helpers in a tragedy. That is the real beauty of humanity. When we give to each other without expecting anything in return. Sorry, that was kinda gay.
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u/hazardous_twinky 1h ago
We all miss him dearly, but i truly am glad he didnt have to see what this world became, how much worse its gotten...
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u/CameronIsSenpai 1h ago
Unfortunately the world wasn't the best either during his time. He broke boundaries and taught love rather than hate. He was a amazing person.
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u/hazardous_twinky 1h ago
The world has never been in a good state really, always in times of war (or cold wars) and casually accepted humanitarian neglect, people like him should be our idols, not the idols/ideals we are "force fed" to accept today.... than maybe things can get better :(
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u/adrippingcock 44m ago
And by "the world" you mean the USA, right?
It's certainly gone to shit.
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u/hazardous_twinky 24m ago
No, i mean the world, just seems to be the usa's time currently to be the leaders of evil, and happen to be building relationships with some truly horrid leaders while pushing away old friends, just like many others have done
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u/RootaBagel 4h ago
Remember the story of his car getting stolen? The thief returned it once he knew whose car it was.
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u/UpstartCrow88 5h ago
As someone who grew up in an abusive home with cruel parents, Mr Rogers was the first example I had that adults can be kind and empathetic if they choose to be. I jokingly credit him with why I turned out to not be a psychopath.
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u/otherwisepandemonium 6h ago
There were only 21 days between Mr. Rogers' death and the US invasion of Iraq. Coincidence?
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u/EnjoyTheIcing 4h ago
The word gets tossed around way too much and is so over used but he really is the GOAT
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u/ABeeBitMyBottom1 5h ago
Mister Rogers and Julia Child are the only celebrity deaths I cried over.
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u/Mom_who_drinks 5h ago
I cried at those and Marcella Hazan. I also cried when I saw Julia’s kitchen in the Smithsonian. I’m glad I’m not the only one who cries for cookbook authors.
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u/IndigoBroker 4h ago
Probably one of the best human beings to ever walk the face of the earth. Yes, there are plenty more, but he was one of them.
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u/Bingzhong 3h ago
I was 9 years old when the news broke out, and I remember that was the first time experiencing loss in some degree. I was sad, and felt like I lost someone I knew my entire 9 years since I watched him every day growing up. It was his show I learned to be a genuine person. I don't think anyone could ever take his place or teach the lessons he taught all of us.
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u/Additional_Bread_861 5h ago
I’m always torn between wishing he were still around, to being relieved that he never had to see how we’re treating children today. Few humans have left behind such a pure, loving legacy.
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u/OGMikeGyver 4h ago
I wonder what he would think of people having romantic relationships with ChatGPT.
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u/Wild-vine16 4h ago
Wait what?
I dont use chatgpt but i have it downloaded, people actually do that?
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u/AgentCendol 4h ago
Boy oh boy...just wait till you hear about the people that have quit their jobs and become some sort of mystic because chatgpt told them to...
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u/OGMikeGyver 4h ago
Enjoy that rabbit hole!
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u/Wild-vine16 4h ago
Actually i remember seeing on moistcritikals channel a dude leaving his wife for ai iirc
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u/Ok-Nothing8682 6h ago
I remember wondering how someone that was a war veteran could become so loving and caring. Was raised in a military family too and it just didn't make sense. Then I saw my uncle and dad changed after they quit the military. I never qualified to join but had to live homeless for a while in a horrible city and saw probably just as much death. And I understand it now. Anyways, that's usually the first thought I have when I see this beautiful person.
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u/zorbiburst 5h ago
Mr. Rogers wasn't a war veteran. He registered for the draft after high school, but didn't make it past the physical. He went on to seminary after that, which is probably more meaningful - he's one of those people who truly internalized the positive aspects of church teaching and wanted to use that mindset to benefit his neighbors rather than serve himself.
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u/Davegrave 5h ago
It’s a crazy common urban legend that Mr Roger’s was a sniper for the marines and the reason he wore the cardigans was to cover his arms full of military tattoos. I feel like I hear this from people still a few times a year that whole heartedly believe it. Having all the knowledge in recorded history constantly at our fingertips has not really helped us overall.
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u/eepos96 4h ago
To his gay coworker.
"Francis, if you are gay, please know it is 100 % okey with me"
It is true Rogers asked him to not come out in order to protect the show. But that 100% was the reality of the time and according to Francis it was not out of malice. They were making most popular tv show for children, the amount of shit they would have had to swim through would have been too much and most likely forced the show to close, causing öayoffs and ruined careers.
But as times luckily changed. They could be more open and open.
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u/feickus 5h ago edited 5h ago
He wasn't a war veteran. Official records confirm he was medically disqualified from military service. https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/celebrating-mr-rogers-at-the-national-archives
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u/starmartyr 5h ago
He wasn't a veteran. He registered for the draft but never had to serve. He got a bachelor's degree in music and started working in television almost immediately after graduating.
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u/Nein-Toed 5h ago
You might be thinking of Bob Ross? He was a veteran, but I dunno if he went to war
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u/briank3387 5h ago
Bob Ross was a Training Instructor in the Air Force. He did not serve in combat.
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u/DJ_Mixto 1h ago
The world MISSES you Mister Fred Rogers.
I wish the world was chock full of this person.
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u/Sacapuntos 5h ago
"Look for the helpers" has helped me deal with extraordinary circumstances more than once in my life. I am forever grateful to Mr Rogers for showing me a better way.
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u/hihohe3 4h ago
If he was catholic, he wouldve been the Patron Saint of Childrens Television
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u/Monday_Jeff 4h ago
Remember when Republicans tried to publicly insinuate that he was a pedophile and it was one of the few times that both right and left people came together to vilify them for it? Those were the days...
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u/GrouchyCustard4 2h ago
What's up with his right hand in this pic?
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u/sean1oo1 2h ago
Nothing? He’s mid grasp of something and his middle finger is pointing outwards as the ring and pinkie cup inward.
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u/RebelScum249 2h ago
Did you miss the part where it said this was the last photo taken before he died, and old people don't tend to look like super models before death.
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u/Wrong-Ad-733 3h ago
A beautiful man. My 3 yr old son gets very limited TV time, but this is one of the things we occasionally let him watch.
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u/Dangerous-Reward5060 32m ago
Is it just me or does he look like a young person in old people makeup? There's something strangely youthful about the way he looks...
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u/Nailz1115 5h ago
He kinda looks like Fred Armisen playing Mr Rogers in a sketch
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u/trionfo 5h ago
I've got the Funko Pop of Mister Rogers and Mister T on my writing desk.
They are the angels on my shoulders.
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u/iameveryoneelse 5h ago
He’d be so disappointed in all of us now. And would smile and tell us we’re special, anyways.
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u/The_Hairy_Herald 5h ago
I don't think he would be. I think he'd remind us that there is darkness in the world, but the darkness is not inevitable. It's a choice.
A choice that we make, you and me. To be kind or to be evil. And he'd gently urge us to be kind instead.
We're going to be okay, kind internet stranger. Things are scary right now, and people are getting hurt. I'm not trying to tell you anything else. Your fears are rooted in reality.
But just as your fears are rooted in reality, your hope can be rooted in reality too. Never give up on being kind, wherever you are, however you can be. You are worthy.
I really hope you have a good day, get to eat some tasty food, and you find your favorite movie or show and have the time to watch it before bed tonight.
From my neighborhood to yours- won't you be my neighbor?
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u/Exact_Patience_9767 5h ago
Fred Rogers is an American icon. Would of love to see him with a podcast, today if he was still alive. I'd listen to him, just I used to watch him as a kid.
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u/_Piratical_ 5h ago
Fred Rogers was my guide to how to be a good person growing up. He was for so very many people. We could use more of his love and caring now. I’m so glad I was shown his type of caring and kindness. It’s stayed with me my whole life.
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u/kipribley28 5h ago
He was supposed to speak at my Sisters graduation, but it turned out to be a beautiful celebration of the students and Mr Rogers.
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u/hobo_chili 3h ago
This man helped raise me and make me who I am today. I am eternally grateful for him.
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u/AiDigitalPlayland 2h ago
He was the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade on that day and a few days later he flipped the coin for the Rose Bowl which also happened to be the National Championship game.
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u/Thewallmachine 2h ago
Oh my, I will love that man and LaVar Burton to the day I die. They have done so much good in the world.
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u/404_No_User_Found_2 2h ago
Maybe this was when the timeline split and Harambe had nothing to do with it
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u/zanillamilla 2h ago
This is when he was the grand marshal at the Rose Parade. I was there and took pictures of him too (but more from the distance) on this same day.
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u/Malbosiiq 2h ago
He'll always be right in my book. When the klan tried to use his likeness to spread hate, he shut that down fast. Honest to a fault, he addressed real world hardships in a way children could understand. A bastion of equality, love, and understanding.
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u/RoyalFalse 1h ago
Just watched "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" and it's as close to therapy without paying for therapy.
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u/KenMantle 1h ago
I wish he and Mr. Dressup had done a crossover show near the end of their careers.
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u/thedudefromnc 27m ago
"I got guns, hoes, money, dro / Cars, boats, you should know / Dogs, bros, squad goals / Hold up, whoa / You name it"
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u/ZootSuitBanana 25m ago
I saw him in person this exact day. My OU Sooners were in the Rose bowl and he was the Grand Marshal of the Parade and gave the opening coin toss. Didn't realize until just now that was his last public appearance.
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u/KayakingATLien 6h ago
It hasn’t been a beautiful day in the neighborhood ever since 😢