I too watched him in my otherwise misspent youth.

Several years ago, he received some sort of lifetime achievement award, or an appreciation of his work. He spoke about violence on television and how it affects children, how important it was to put decency back into television.* He was given a standing ovation by the actors, directors, producers, and media-types there. Did they listen to him? If one were to look at the current spate of reality television so-called, one would have to say no. But it was a beautiful speech, filled with the passion that fills people who know what power they have, understand the responsibility that power puts upon them, and want that responsibility to fulfilled in a meaningful way. He knew that television could change the world, and he was one of the primary forces for making a small corner of broadcast airwaves a force for bettering mankind.

Fred Rogers, you will be missed.

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