In his new seventh floor office overlooking the city’s South Side, Bill Isler leans back to tell a story, one that illustrates all he has espoused in a four-decade career as educator, child advocate, and keeper of the legacy of Mister Rogers.
As the story goes, Bill was running late to an awards ceremony for a Pittsburgh teenager who was named the Boys and Girls Clubs national Youth of the Year. He found himself in the back of the room standing next to Congressman Mike Doyle.
Bill recalls Congressman Doyle telling him, “Wait ‘til you hear this kid speak. I heard him in Washington; I knew he would be the winner.”
And so Bill listened.
The teen spoke of a childhood in Boston marred by domestic violence, a broken home, parental abandonment and erratic foster care before he was adopted at the age of eight by a Pittsburgh couple and brought to the city to live. It was a modern tale of the tragic, not likely to have a happy ending.
But in a home filled with love and patience and kindness – a home created by a lesbian couple – this child whose future seemed so uncertain just a decade earlier grew into a young adult setting a standard for his peers in scholastics, athletics and community service.
“At the end he said, ‘I can’t thank my two moms enough,’” Bill recalled, a wave of emotion sweeping across his face.
As he tells this story on a bright autumn day, Bill is in schoolteacher mode sharing it as a lesson in the powerful yet simple message often lost in the heated debate about gay rights, gay marriage and the modern family.
Every person’s desire – certainly every child’s desire – is to be loved and accepted.
It is a philosophy taught to three generations of youngsters by the late Fred Rogers, whose groundbreaking work in children’s television continues today through The Fred Rogers Company where Bill serves as President and Chief Executive Officer.
“Everyone is uniquely different. Fred’s message was that all children want to be loved and know they can love.”
For children in general and Pittsburgh children in particular, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was the make-believe world where it was safe to explore real life situations literally from birth to death. Without a doubt Fred Rogers was the show’s heart and soul, but it is behind-the-scenes players like Bill who today strive to keep his message alive not just for children, but for adults who have lost touch with their inner child.
“Those qualities that are childlike, for some reason, adults have let that go.”
Truth be told, Bill is media shy, and despite numerous public accolades, he has always preferred to work quietly and without fanfare on behalf of children and Fred Rogers’ legacy. But his dual role – at The Fred Rogers’ Company and as a member of the Pittsburgh School Board – puts him in the center of the city’s business and political circles, so it is only natural that people are curious about what he thinks about issues such as gay rights and diversity.
“I’m not out front on these issues. But I have tremendous respect for Gary Van Horn and what the Delta Foundation does for the city. They’ve been able to work with elected officials; they’ve been able to work with business leaders; they’ve been able to work with the community; and they have been able to talk about justice and equality.
It is, as Bill sees it, a conversation in which people can learn from each other if they put aside childish behavior for a childlike curiosity to learn, explore and understand.
“We have come a long way, and we still have a long way to go. Equality and justice for all people have to be there if we are to be a civilized democracy. Exclusion is wrong.”
In the grown-up world in which we live, such concepts can be heady considering today’s discussions about such matters occur in august venues like the United States Supreme Court and state legislatures across the country. The oft times heated debate is usually wrapped in the mantle of legalese or religious fervor much of which is too complex for children.
But Bill’s work is a reminder to all that the basic global message isn’t any different from the one delivered by the soft-spoken, sweater-clad Fred Rogers. Preschoolers sitting cross-legged in front of black and white televisions were enamored with this gentle man in sneakers who assured them they were special.
“Fred used the media to let children know that everyone can be accepted as a unique person. At the heart of it, everybody has the desire to be accepted.”
That message is one that is worth sharing, and in this modern media world, Bill now spends his days finding ways to deliver it to the next generation of children through new programming and on ever-changing, high-tech devices.
Still, Bill is a man who appreciates simplicity, and his business card is a reminder that low-tech can deliver the Fred Rogers’ message quite well to adults who need a gentle reminder. While the front of his card has all the important information required of a corporate executive, the back of his card is where one finds a list of life lessons taught by Mister Rogers that are a relevant today as they ever were.
Wonder about things.
Accept people as they are.
Look and listen carefully.
We all have feelings.
Ask a lot of questions.
Haircuts don’t hurt.
Teach by example.
Feed the fish.
Be yourself.
Share. Play. Love.
