Welcome back, friend, to my Wall of Fame, the little space upstairs where I celebrate cool people I admire with collages I make. They’re not perfect people by any means, but just seeing their faces lights me up! So far you’ve met Abe, Dolly, Mary, Josephine, and Vincent, and this week it’s my joy to introduce you to Mystery Person #6.

It’s not Tom Hanks. No, he’s just your first clue. Tom and MP #6 are distant cousins. Very distant. So distant that our MP never even knew that they were related.

Ready for Clue #2?

Here he is, Michael Keaton!

Back in the 1970’s, our MP hired Michael to be a stagehand for his TV series. Once Michael got started putting up and taking down scenery, our MP gave him another responsibility, sort of a technical one. (More on that later.) By the end of their time together, Michael was acting on camera. Our MP knew a star when he saw one. He was great at recognizing people’s gifts.

So now it’s clear. Our Mystery Person worked in television.

That wasn’t his goal at first, though. He went to Rollins College to get a music degree and it served him well. During his series work, he wrote more than 200 songs and 13 operas. I know! That’s a lot!

Musical expertise wasn’t the only thing Rollins gave him. That’s where he met and fell in love with Sara McFeely. Oh, he treated her like a queen, and the college sweethearts soon got married. (Maybe on a Saturday?)

Eventually they had two boys of their own, James and John.

Hmm. Bible names. No surprise there, since he, like Vincent, felt called to a ministry of his own. In fact, after a little TV work, he went to seminary and became an ordained Presbyterian minister. But the weird thing was, he didn’t meet his congregation at church.

No, he had to make use of one of these.

Hmm. That one’s a little too big.

Guessed yet?

Okay, so if he didn’t head to church to do his ministry work, where did he go?

He went straight into their homes! He called the space between his viewers and their TV sets holy ground. Being one of his adoring fans, I’ve felt it! Have you?

Or maybe you’re still a little lost. Let’s see, what other hints can I give you?

Maybe we should talk with his coworkers.

Probably not this guy though. He fancies himself royalty, and you should hear him talk! The big words! Ask him to sing Row Row Row Your Boat and he’ll belt out, Propel, Propel, Propel Your Craft. Did this bother our MP? No. If you rolled your eyes about the guy in the crown, he’d softly whisper that he’s just trying to feel important. Then our MP might invite his wife and son over, knowing that they always help him feel loved and appreciated.

Our Mystery Person is so good at knowing what people need down deep inside. During the thirty years of his long running series, all 895 episodes, he worked with a psychologist to make sure he served his viewers’ emotional needs.

That’s right, thirty years! His series ran from 1968 to 2001, the third longest running show in PBS history.

Okay, so back to his coworkers…who’s up next?

We could always try the lady in the red dress. I love Elaine. She can be a terrible troublemaker, but I’m a sucker for a girl who runs a museum.

Hey, what’s that in her hand?

Oh no! It’s her Boomerang Toomerang, Soomerang! Come on, before she turns the whole Neighborhood upside down!

 

 

Let’s go ask that guy with the watch. People say that of all the characters, he’s the one who’s actually our Mystery Person in puppet form.

Yep, our mystery guy loves puppets. He started playing with them when he was a little boy. He was bullied a lot as a child, and he didn’t have any siblings until he was around eleven years old, so he got really good at playing by himself.

Don’t worry. By the time he started high school, everybody in the neighborhood loved him, probably because he was so kind.

Speaking of his neighborhood, does it look familiar to you?

Maybe you’re like me and as soon as you see those miniature houses, you hear the piano playing and you know exactly what’s going to happen next. First we’ll see his blinking stoplight over by Picture Picture, and then our Mystery Person will come in the door, singing, It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…and while he’s singing, he’ll trade his blazer for a sweater…

Yeah! One like that!

He’ll change into his sneakers, finish his song, and say that he’s so glad we’re together again. And we’ll believe him.

 

 

 

 

Yes! It’s Fred Rogers! A hero to me and maybe to you, too. Click on the photo for a better look, if you like.

Before I wish you a snappy new day, I should close the loop about the first two stars I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

First, how funny it must have been for Tom Hanks to find out in 2019, just before the release of his film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, that the two men share a common fifth-great-grandfather, making them sixth cousins! It’s too bad that Fred passed away in 2003 and they couldn’t celebrate their connection.

As for Michael Keaton, yes, he was a member of the production crew on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood in the mid 1970’s. Fred also gave Michael the responsibility of operating the trolley and Picture Picture. Michael even played the character of Purple Panda, who showed up thanks to Lady Elaine’s mischief! Michael later hosted several PBS tribute specials honoring Mr. Rogers.

Anyway, I hope this post gives you a good feeling! See you next Thursday with another amazing Mystery Person!

🙂 Becky