OnQ; 3034

WQED only one is a member. Now we have a chance to stretch your pledge dollars even further with the member challenge campaign. You may receive a letter or phone call from us explaining how saying yes to the WQED member challenge can double your pledge. This is an excellent way to stretch your contribution and encourage others to contribute. So watch for this opportunity and I urge you to participate. And thanks for supporting WQED Pittsburgh. We're here for you and because of you. So thank you members. Tonight on q a one on one conversation with Mr. Rogers. He was recently honored for his commitment to community and to children. And tonight we talk with Mr. Rogers about his life his work and what the future holds for this American icon. Also tonight find out how a local conference

on higher education aims to help African-American students and faculty achieve success. And the final games that pits Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on cue was there. Join us live at 7:30 tonight on cue. Good evening and welcome to On Q magazine. I'm Stacey Smith. The Friday forum is going to be along tomorrow evening but the seeming one on one chat with the conversation with television legend Fred Rogers last Thursday Mr. Rogers and former first lady Barbara Bush were honored with the LCA awards for community service. Well that night Mr. Rogers met with on cue correspondent Michael Barclay. Their conversation is part of tonight's cover story.

It didn't take the humble Fred Rogers very long after a mere few minutes in the limelight amidst flash bulbs and the adoring crowd Mr Rogers quickly returned to the quiet of an office where we planned to talk. He admittedly shies away from public attention inside the privacy of this office. He met up with an old friend Ginny Thornburg the wife of former Governor Dick Thornburgh the Thornburg son Peter was there to Peter's suffered permanent brain damage in a car accident when he was a boy and so characteristic of Fred Rogers. He turned the attention to the Thornburg

asking us to talk to Ginny Thornburg first because she has spent her life caring for and working on behalf of people with disabilities. Ginny took the time to talk about how Fred Rogers has made her son Peter and everyone else feel special. He ministers to us all of us at the very deepest place. He reminds us that we are but LOVED THAT ASS we are we are loved and we are accepted. We don't have to be something other than love. I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like maybe Fred Rogers tells us to be ourselves because Fred Rogers is always himself. Let's make them on camera and off camera the same guy can sister and what he says and what he does. I was a bachelor for oh about a year and a half. I mean I got married when I was a year and a half.

But I mean you know for some 50 years Mr. Rogers has taught us to be ourselves. Treat our neighbors as gifts no matter who they are what they look like. And even on a night when he was honored he wants the spotlight for someone like Jimmy Thornburgh continuing to teach us how to treat others. Oh my God. Isn't it just wonderful how somebody can be so inspired by somebody else. I mean to to have a shild given to you who then gives your identity something that goes way beyond you what you would have ever expected in your life. I mean Cheney Thornburg has gone throughout this country and helped people. But I understand the joy that can come from me living with

somebody who may have what's called a disability. I mean it how can I say to you what it means to have someone in your life who is considered powerless who has enormous power in this world because that person can bring out the very best in you that that person can and can take all of the fluff of life away and give you an existence that is so much more elevated than you would've ever been able to have in your life. I mean. Don't you know people

who aren't famous and aren't rich and aren't talented who can come up to you and say hi you're wonderful. I guess now isn't that a if and to be able to walk through life and find the gift that is in your neighbor is one of the greatest blessings that I know and that gift has been the centerpiece of Fred Rogers work for television neighbor. He was born in 1928 Fred McFeely Rogers grew up in Latrobe in the early 50s. He worked as co-producer musician writer and puppet tier of the children's corner. And it was on February 19th 1968 Mr. Rogers

Neighborhood debuted and for more than 30 years provided a foundation for children and adults to be a good neighbor. I just think that the greatest gift that you can give to anybody is your honest self. And if you walk through life doing that it's the only really unique gift that we have is the gift of our self. And so that's the gift I try to give those who are with me at the moment than the person who happens to be with you at the moment. Is is the person who is your neighbor Mr. Rogers has received some 37 honorary degrees countless awards and commendations. Mr. Rogers neighborhood has become a lasting television institution welcoming guests from musicians to athletes from actors to artists and plenty of others in between. If you're able to talk about and help other people

who might have the kind of thing you know that. That ended 1991 while being inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Fred Rogers brought Hollywood powerbrokers and stars to tears. He was

reunited with Jeff early who appeared in Mr. Rogers neighborhood as a boy. It was was a failure before I knew that I had to have this great gift tonight. Fame is a four letter word. And like tape or zoom or face or pain or life or love. When all to Muttley matters is what we do with it. I feel that those of us in television are choosing to be servants. It doesn't matter what our particular job we are chosen to help meet the deeper needs of those who walked and listen day and night and all the time.

Tragedy of 9/11 Fred Rogers worried about America's children and so on his family communications website and in public. Rogers talks to parents about how to handle frightened children. What do they need to know. I think children need to know that adults are in charge and that they will do everything that they can to keep their children safe because parents or children use whole world and whatever they happen to be feeling and saying at the moment I'll be the most important thing that the children can hear to our children now have a good future. Do things worry you. Well the media worries me because we show that mine is a percentage of what human beings do.

There are millions and millions of people doing wonderful things all over the world and they're generally not the ones who are touted in the news. You've spent your whole life here. Where do you see Pittsburgh going for it. Wasn't it just a little while ago that President Bush said we should call it the knowledge town. I think that that we have been having an identity crisis and that that it will take awhile for us to know who we really are and cities go through all kinds of metamorphosis through the years that it's happened in every city known to man and woman. And we'll find out. And I think we can be a good patient and live here and love here and work here

and hopefully care about those who decide to live with us. You've enjoyed Pittsburgh haven't you. I love Pittsburgh. It's the it's really home for us. You know both of our sons were born here. We're we went away for a while to be in television and Toronto but then came back and I was able to go to the seminary here and. Have lots of wonderful friends and and I'm close enough to my original roots in Latrobe Pennsylvania that it's easy for me to go out there and visit my sister and her family. Rogers credits people like Elsie Helmund for making Pittsburgh special for

caring about improving our city. And despite shying away from the attention Roger sees the L series as special and what a blessing to live long enough to be able to meet people who can somehow reflect on you and the majesty of love. Are you uncomfortable with getting attention like tonight. Yeah. That has never been the something. That I've looked forward to. I want to be a gracious receiver as well as a as a generous giver. And that's something I have to work at. But there are people who who are so comfortable

and in offering words of encouragement that I want to be comfortable in receiving them. I'm really honored by this award and what it represents. I'm honored to share with Fred Rogers who taught several generations of young Americans to be good neighbors and certainly better citizens. And when it was time for Fred Rogers to accept his LCA award you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium because again came that consistency in being real in teaching love for neighbor. Almost 40 years ago in a Birmingham City Jail. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote these words. We must use time creatively and

for ever realize that the time is always right for doing right. Like all great people Dr. King reminded us of the deep and the simple which often the world forgets at its own peril. Whether speaking to an international audience or one on one whether speaking to the powerful or Joe Pittsburgh Fred Rogers message stays constant and a message one can expect will last for further generations to come. Everybody longs to know that he or she is lovable. Just exactly as we are. And so we're all the same for these 50 very special years.

It's such a good feeling to know that we're friends. Thank you very much for the. Want to talk about that next. Well although he is no longer taping new episodes of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood the program is still on the air. And Mr. Rogers continues to lead his company family communications incorporated. Coming up next a local conference on higher education helps African-American students and faculty achieve success. Chris Moore has that continue. You're watching because these are not local programming to help the rich. The Pittsburgh foundation the Henry foundation the Jewish Health

Care Foundation and we couldn't deliver them to the Pennsylvania black conference on higher education aims to help African-American students and faculty achieve success. Dr. Richard Arnall is the vice president and president elect Welcome to our program. You're meeting here in Pittsburgh right now. Yes we are. What are your goals aims and history. Well I'm into a lot about the organization to give you some idea about where we are where we've come from and what we're doing. The black conference started 32 years ago. This is our 30 second year in existence the black conference was the brainchild of then a young legislator. Legislator in the name of the Honorable Keith Leroy Ervin as we know him well. Right. He came here his idea was to build a support system for persons of color. And way back then and this is back in 1970 there were a few persons of color in the field of education.

So Representative Erebus had a vision that yes he did and that vision is being LIVE TODAY. That is true. Back in 1900 he called the Summit of all African-Americans and higher education. Now I'm just guessing I wasn't there but I kind of a feeling that could've probably been held in a telephone booth or with a view back then. But now since that time we've grown to over two hundred fifty members. So we're a very strong viable organization. What sort of things do you do to help educators move into position such as yours. Well you have Vice President of a major university one of the things that we do is we have job referral services I run a job referral that I send information out on positions to individuals. Also we have of the Institute for educational management and leadership which we just conducted earlier this week. Now that leadership institute that gives tools to young aspiring minorities that want to go into the field of administration. And we had a very very successful one this week.

And so when you are able to equip people with those kinds of tools then they can move through the university culture with more effectiveness is this correct. This is very true. And right now I would say that of our membership probably and the number is still too too few. I would say probably about 45 are administrative persons of color. But we want to increase those numbers. What we'd really like to do is have those people that are out there that are interested in going into education. We'd like to help them. We'd like to help them with access and equity in the field of higher education. OK you're doing that tonight and the conference here. You have a dinner to Molly's head right. Right we had some happening there the dinner will be tomorrow at the Western convention center. We would invite members of the public you'd like to attend to attend. We have a small fee for the dinner and a $50 fee that covers all of the expenses for the dinner but we'd like to see people really take part in the conference.

One of the things that we'll be doing over the coming year is in my administration when I take over as president which will be tomorrow we're going to do things more things in the community want the community to become more involved not just the Pittsburgh community but all of Pennsylvania. We're talking about Philadelphia we're talking about Erie we're talking about Harrisburg. The idea for us is to create a very expansive opportunity for individuals to participate in higher education. As we talked earlier the conference rotates between Pittsburgh Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Next year will be in Harrisburg the following year will be and Philadelphia then will be back to Pittsburgh. The idea is for maximum exposure we want to expose the state to the conference using the organization grow and prosper. You're going to be here in Pittsburgh at the William Weston pin for the next couple of days and you invite the public to come and attend any of the sessions is that right. Yes there is a slight membership fee but we can negotiate them.

All right well we thank you very much starting on from being here. We appreciate your work and high education. Thank you very much. Well thank you very much Chris. Up next the Pitt Panthers get ready to play their final game at Fitzgeralds field house on Tuesday even Dave are there next to no more about on cue magazine's recent stories a coming gaffe on q community calendar. And of course give us feedback. It's on our website. WQED or just follow the links on cue. But the Panthers are gearing up to play their last basketball game at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse control onto contributors Dave and Dave went on campus to find out how the Panthers successful season is wrapping up. It's a sports story made in Pittsburgh. Hey this is David David tonight. We're on the floor of the vitriol field house in the heart of Oakland for Pitt

basketball know that after 50 years this is the last year for Pitt basketball in this building. That's right Dave and we're here tonight to catch one final game before they close the doors in this place for good. So how long have you been coming to the field house. Oh and I tell my boss I've been coming to fill the house ever since it was built by 50 some years ago. I'm probably 35 36 years of the 50 which you know I was seven when I started here about twenty seven years here at the field. Twenty nine years prior to last 18 or 19 years so it's been a good while. I've been coming to them and they're going to miss most about the building. I guess the closeness because once you move into a facility that seats 12 5 he'd no longer have that intimacy that you have here. Let's face it this is an

oversized Quonset hut and it's intimate. I don't like basketball talk that working is going I just think it's unique I love the place. I'm almost what it seeks. Cheerleaders a good luck on what we do. Yeah no wonder. How was that take to do. I take about 10 minutes to do. What's your least favorite thing about this building. My least favorite is I guess when it gets knocked by everybody does it through after the last game you can pretty much take your seat home with you and rip out a bleacher or anything like you know how things are going. Where's the best place to feel not so much. Is it hard spelling the letters kind of in a mere backward Yeah I know. I had it backward one had to go redo it when I came back here people said I had it backwards. So I had to go back and redo it. Now before you get ready for a game we know there's a track that sort of goes around the outside here do you do any laps or anything to get warmed up. No I'm afraid not.

A long long time ago how many years ago I don't really remember it might have been 35 40 years ago I saw it get play up here in basketball. That's going to be not very often I have to ask. Well I'll tell you what. Under the basket Nobody came close nobody. How about the PIT fans. What do you say about that. To refer to high level green energy you can do it. Knowledgeable. So there's been a great fan friendly place in terms of you right there almost all the polls. Do you know who the Fitzgerald is and Fitzgerald Fieldhouse. I cannot answer that question I really don't know who to Fitzgerald right now. 23 years has never come up. Sure I think Mr. Rove could give you an answer on that. But he told us you would know you told us you would know. Well you know there's there are a lot of trivial things that I'm aware of and shouldn't be and that's probably one of them probably somebody who wants to

head the Mantle used to leave the school. He might have been present I'm not sure but the thing about is if he has the relative days of beer night to clear out his stuff up no idea no idea whatsoever he guessed probably somebody with a lot of money. He must be a heavy cunt to Bude acted up in terror. Well that's a made up name to some us some alumni donated it. I noted that Rufus Fitzgerald was a chance to use or should pitch but named after him. Now when he was here I don't know but that's all I know. But everybody it's always been in the field house. How far is a steam going to go this year. I'm hoping they are going to make the Final Four into the championship Philippe good people will have a group of fans but they can go very far depend upon the

sea they give the tournament office you can do that if they are real good figures for there's a pity for I think they can get it they can make the final for the right thing. The more I see the more I believe and I've said maybe a month or so ago I thought this team was cared for going to the Sweet 16 and again after that who knows because they have played so very very well and so unselfishly played solid defense. That gives you a chance to win at any given point. Magical totally unexpected I thought they were going up to be in the middle of the pack and perhaps go to the NIC again. Little did I know that they be up in the 20s this early in the season with a chance to get a hit. We were now David de Ville appear tonight on PCN sees night talk 9pm and the pit men's and women's basketball teams move to their new home. The Petersen event center next year but the Fitzgerald field house is not closing its doors wrestling volleyball

and other universities sports will still be played there. Now here's a look at what's coming up tomorrow on q Friday form returns tomorrow night. Join regulars Fred Hans Berger Alan Cox and Ruthann Baker for a look back at the News of the week tomorrow on cue and we hope to see you back here live at 7:30 tomorrow night. Good night. You're watching on Q magazine because these foundations are not about local programming to

help you during the Howard Hunt him down with the Everly nation the Richard P. Nolan foundation McCune the foundation the Pittsburgh foundation the Henry L.. Coleman Foundation the Jewish Health Care Foundation.