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Sisters and brothers, I am so happy to be here with you today. The beloved Children's Show, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, premiered in 1968.

It ran for 31 seasons and remains unique in its commitment to addressing the real concerns and

feelings of children in real ways. The show's host, Fred

Rogers, didn't play a character. He would just be himself and he let generations

of children know that they could just be themselves too.

I was one of those children who was raised believing that Mr. Rogers had always wanted

to have a neighbor just like me.

A close look is at his iconic opening song reveals what Mr. Rogers means by a neighbor.

Certainly he is building on the literal definition of the word which comes from the old English, Naya or Nai Gabor,

dweller.

So Naya Gabor means near dweller, or someone who lives near someone else. For Mr. Rogers, however, there are some additional

meanings to the word. The first verse sets up that it is a beautiful day in the neighborhood,

a beautiful day for a neighbor.

In this opening the song moves from describing the weather to describing the relationship.

It's a beautiful nay not just because the sun is shining or the clouds are puffy, but because our involvement with those nears us makes the day beautiful.

Then in a charming linguistic reversal he underscores this point. It's a

neighborly day in this beauty wood, a neighborly day for a beauty. Being neighborly is not just what makes the day beautiful. It turns us

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