If you take the first letter in each word of the title of this blog, it spells out F R I E N D. That's exactly what Fred Rogers was to everyone. A true friend. I still can't believe that I had the terrific opportunity of being great buddies with my boyhood hero. Do you remember back in school when you got the writing assignment, IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO HAVE DINNER WITH ANY REMARKABLE PERSON IN HISTORY, WHO WOULD IT BE? I remember in grade school, my fellow students writing about dining with historical figures of importance and of impact, beloved artists, writers and musicians and well known saints. I had all of them wrapped into one, and he only lived down the road in Pittsbugh; Fred Rogers. And when I ended up having dinner with Fred, a handful of times, I always recalled that paper I wrote way back in my elementary school days. It's been 4 years since his passing, which has been the most difficult for me ever to overcome. I found this beautiful montage of Fred as a tribute and thought you'd like to see how great he really was. His smile could brighten any room, his embraces were 100% genuine and he had an incredible sense of humor. ( FYI on the freeze frame photo of Fred and Jeff, the boy in the wheelchair...I met him at Fred's memorial service, I'll try to find the footage of that scene from that episode, they both sang IT'S YOU I LIKE..it's a joyful tear jerker)