Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Thursday, March 06, 2003 Page: 3A
OPINION
For a few months that lasted forever, I got up at 5:30 a.m. to write
obituaries for an afternoon newspaper. I referred to it as covering the “dead
beat.”
At first, it bothered me when babies died, young parents perished, or
someone suffered “a long illness” before their demise.
The fax machine sounded like a death bell in the empty newsroom, signalling
another life story ready to be written.
But soon, it was simply boring. And that was a grave concern. Creativity
wasn’t part of the job description, but unerring accuracy was.
Nothing will add to a family’s suffering more, I was warned, than an “A”
where a “B” should be in an obituary. They’ll act like the error was the
cause of death.
And morticians, those kindly souls who give you a tissue and attend to the
details in your time of need, have absolutely no tolerance for obit writers
who make mistakes. In fact, they have the managing editor’s phone number on
their speed dial.
Writers who spend more than a month on the obit beat become callous toward
death. And every once in awhile, when someone they’re acquainted with dies,
they have to resist the urge to be truthful.
“Jack Daniels, 60, a miserable old cuss from Lynchburg, drank himself to
death Saturday. He enjoyed gambling, loose women and beating his wife.”
That may be true, but Mrs. Daniels, bruised and battered though she may be,
would sue and win.
Entertainers, however, are open game, dead or alive.
Some day we’ll be reminded that Ozzie ate bats, Keith Richards did heroin
and Michael Jackson had a thing for his plastic surgeon.
But there was nothing negative written about Mr. Rogers. Let me be the
first.
One hundred percent real
Fred Rogers, 74, creator of the children’s television show “Mr. Rogers’
Neighborhood,” died last week.
An estimated 100 million children watched the show during a 34-year run on
public television, an institution Rogers helped create. And they’ll keep on
broadcasting Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood until the tapes wear out.
But the truth is, and nobody’s saying it, Mr. Rogers was a lousy actor, and
a worse singer. Really bad.
In fact, Mr. Rogers didn’t even try. He could have taken lessons, but he
decided that he was already special, and it was OK to just be himself. After
all, that was the message he wanted to send to kids. And that was the secret
to his success.
Fred Rogers was a kind, gentle, understanding man who realized early on
that he could connect with kids, so he did. When he spoke, it felt like he was
talking just to you.
I watched an episode this week for the first time in years. Mr. Rogers wore
a wig, so little kids wouldn’t freak out if Mom got a new hairdo. Only Mr.
Rogers would think of that.
It was reality TV at its best. Mr. Rogers was being Mr. Rogers.
There’s got to be another Fred Rogers out there. Someone without skeletons
in his closet.
“TV show host wanted. Must be honest, gentle and capable of making kids
feel special. Nice neighborhood. Actors need not apply.”
Call Jones at 829-7215 or e-mail caseyj@leader.net.