"The greatest gift you can give to a person is your honest self."
-Fred Rogers
I am sad to see today the passing of Fred Rogers, host of the PBS show Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Despite trends for flashier programming, and despite the idea that only a purple dinosaur could talk to kids about their developing conscious, Mr. Rogers dealt with young folks in a decent and reasoned way. It seems to me he dedicated his life for the good of his viewers.
Still, and sadly, I don't think I would have recognized that his work would have been so clearly wonderful had I not heard the episode of "This American Life" to which I've linked below. Scroll down to the May 11, 2001 episode, called "Neighbors," click the realaudio icon and listen for awhile.
Its really beautiful. And, now, the most appropriate memorial I can suggest.

From WBEZ in Chicago | This American Life