MISTER ROGERS : In His Neighborhood, W Is for Wonderful

Regarding “Can You Say, ‘Icon’?” by Lynne Heffley (Jan. 17):

I’d like to add my own Mister Rogers story to the evidence that this guy is for real. I’m a free-lance journalist, and two years ago I was given a lucrative but rush-rush magazine assignment for which some quotes from Mister Rogers were mandatory.

Unfortunately, it was the first week of the Persian Gulf War. In addition to his usual production schedule, Fred Rogers was frantically putting together public service announcements to reassure kids who were scared about the war. Every time I called, Rogers was “in production.” Finally, just hours before my deadline, I got him on the phone--the PR director literally pulled Rogers into his office as he was rushing down the hall to his next taping. To my dismay, my 2-year-old picked that moment to toddle into my home office, wailing at the top of her lungs and ignoring my desperate but silent attempts to shut her up.

Rogers paused in his answer to my question about children and play. “Is that your child?” he asked. “Why don’t you put down the phone for a minute and give her a hug? Go ahead, I’ll wait.” And he did. We finished the interview with my

now quiet daughter nestled in my lap.

I wish Fred Rogers would run for office.

JACQUELINE SHANNON

La Mesa