Chicago/Mr Rogers/Blue Peter

[GulPlum <plumeski@yahoo.com>]

Torsten wrote:

<snip>

> *shy request* Will someone tell me who both Mr Rogers and Valerie 
> Singleton are? 

"Mr Rogers" is (or rather, was, considering he died this morning), as 
I have found out today, a major figure in children's TV in North 
America (just for a change, that actually means USA + Canada, rather 
than just one of them). I found out a lot of stuff on the CNN website 
(www.cnn.com) including separate articles on him as a person, TV 
personality and about the history of his TV show. I'm sure that the 
Americans around here might have some better links to propose, but I 
found the CNN site told me as much as I needed to know to get a feel 
for what he was like, and what he and his show represented.

Although I'd never heard of him until a few hours ago, it seems like 
the term "good person" has rarely been more deserved, and I can 
understand why several generations of North Americans are so sad 
today. My condolences to you all.

Changing tack completely, Valerie Singleton was one of the presenters 
of the BBC kids' magazine show "Blue Peter" (hence the subject title) 
which has been running for years and years. Just as a generation of 
North Americans cannot imagine their childhoods without Mr. Rogers, I 
for one cannot imagine mine without "Val" (who did Blue Peter between 
1962 and 1972, but has done a few special appearances on the show 
since then). 

Certainly for my generation, Val was our second mother on the TV - if 
she said something, we *knew* it was true,and we *knew* she had our 
best interests at heart. (I've had the pleasure of meeting her at a 
couple of informal social functions; she really is a very nice person 
and anyone who's worked with her seems to think so too.)

The difference between Val and Mr. Rogers is that she started in TV 
as a "proper" journalist and fell into kids' TV as an accident. After 
Blue Peter, she returned to journalism (though still for the BBC), 
has since presented all kinds of factual programmes on BBC TV and 
Radio, and does a HUGE amount of charity work, especially in 
connection with kids. She was given an OBE (one of the highest 
Britich civilian honours) a few years ago, as I notice Mr. Rogers was 
given a Presidential Honour as well. 

It's because I get the impression that North Americans have the same 
kind of feeling for Mr. Rogers that I and my generation have for 
Valerie Singleton that I chose to use her as an example. I certainly 
know how I'll feel the day we lose Val (which I hope is a long way 
away), regardless of whether she's still in the public eye.