ABSTRACT
When Fred Rogers retired in 2001, no one could have taken over as host of the show; as the show's writer, the voice of many of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe's puppets, and composer of much of the show's music, Rogers' departure left a gap that could not be filled. In 1967, before his program became broadcast nationally, Rogers was already a celebrity and the subject of the documentary Creative Person: Fred Rogers made by MatchGame Productions. Besides testifying before Congress in 1969, Rogers also testified again during the court case Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. Rogers' main interest was education, and his lifelong fascination with the sky and astronomy led him to obtain a pilot's license while still in high school; he later developed a planetarium show, The Sky above Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which is still shown in planetariums.
