Hyperion to Publish New Book by Fred Rogers

Posted on May 28, 2003

Hyperion has announced plans to publish a collection of inspirational sayings, advice, and anecdotes from Fred Rogers. To be entitled The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember, it will be a collection of speeches, letters, and interviews. Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister and his thoughts on God will also be published in book form for the first time. The announcement was made by Hyperion president Bob Miller and Bill Isler of Family Communications, Inc.

Fred Rogers was the creator and host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for over 30 years. He earned a bachelor's degree in music composition and was a floor manager at NBC on their earliest shows. He went on to study child development at the graduate level at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and then graduated from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with a master's degree in Divinity.

He was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1963, with the specific charge to continue his work with children and families through mass media. Fred Rogers received every major award in television for which he was eligible and was inducted to the Television Hall of Fame. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002, the nation's highest civilian award. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and three grandsons.

Family Communications, Inc. is the company Fred Rogers founded in Pittsburgh, PA over thirty years ago. They will be putting t ogether the material for the book. The proceeds earned will be donated to the Fred Rogers Fund, which continues Fred Rogers' work around the country to strengthen the relationship between children, their parents, and their communities.

Bob Miller and Bill Isler at Family Communications, Inc negotiated the deal. The editor for the book will be senior editor Mary Ellen O'Neill. Hyperion retains world, serial, and audio rights.