Jan 25, 2024 3 min read

By Brad Hundt

Staff writer

bhundt@observer-reporter.com

Fred Rogers died more than 20 years ago, but the work to which he dedicated his life is thriving.

“The company is still strong,” said Bill Isler, who led the Fred Rogers Company for 29 years before retiring in 2016. “The company is still driven by Fred’s mission.”

That mission includes helping toddlers and preschoolers develop life skills and curiosity and have fun learning. It carries this out nowadays through “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” a hit animated series carried by most PBS stations, as well as “Donkey Hodie,” which debuted in 2021 and is inspired by puppets from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

And, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” has not disappeared either. It is still being shown on some PBS stations and is available to stream on some outlets.

Testifying before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications in 1969, the Latrobe born-and-raised Rogers explained, “I give an expression of care each day to a child.”

Isler discussed his long tenure working alongside Rogers and how his ideas continue to resonate during a talk held Jan. 11 at South Fayette High School. Isler was appearing as part of the school district’s speaker series.

“I’m blown away by the people I work with in education, who are committed to a quality education,” said Isler.

Isler’s own background in education is extensive.

A graduate of Saint Vincent College – where the Fred Rogers Institute is now housed – Isler taught in fourth- and sixth-grade classrooms, was a director of pre-kindergarten services and held several jobs in the Pennsylvania Department of Education, including senior adviser for early education. Isler led the Fred Rogers Company starting in 1987. He also served on the Pittsburgh Public School Board.

“I really wanted to pursue a field where I wanted to make a difference, that I enjoy,” Isler told students, faculty and community members.

He added, “I’m inspired by people who work through challenges. I’ve lived a charmed life. I haven’t had a lot of the challenges that other people have had.”

Isler also said people should cultivate their child-like qualities, including creativity, and “not your childish ways.”

“It’s exploring,” Isler said. “It’s never being afraid to explore, and I think that’s what education can do.”

The next speaker scheduled in the 2023-24 South Fayette Speaker Series is Joseph Yun, an expert on artificial intelligence. He is set to appear Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in the South Fayette High School Studio.

Information is available at southfayette.org.