There were giggles, tears and a shirt that read "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" as Joanne Rogers took the stage to speak about her late husband's legacy yesterday afternoon.

Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, was honored by about 100 people who came to Foster Auditorium to hear Joanne Rogers speak.

"I don't know if I've known a brighter person in my life," she said.

Joanne Rogers' speech was based on a new book, The World According to Mister Rogers, which highlights anecdotes and short stories from Fred Rogers' writing.

"It's a great honor for her to be here," Paul Pat (graduate-nonfiction writing and creative writing) said. "[Fred Rogers] left a great legacy for literacy and education."

William Isler, president of Family Communications, the producers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, said Fred Rogers' messages about life appeal to young and old alike.

"I think that there are messages for people of all ages about being true to yourself," Isler said. "What we should be doing as people, what we should be doing as neighbors."

Fred Rogers, who died of cancer in 2003, visited Penn State in 2002 to speak in celebration of the 50th anniversary of public broadcasting.

Isler said Fred Rogers enjoyed visiting college campuses because many students grew up watching his show.

"I think his favorite was [visiting] college campuses," Isler said to the crowd. "He was able to see generations of his work."

Elizabeth Hoorneman (graduate-art history) said she came to see Joanne Rogers speak because she remembered watching the show as a child.

"Mister Rogers [Neighborhood] was my favorite children's program when growing up," Hoorneman said. "I felt that I knew him. I always wanted to meet him, and this was the closest I could get."

Erika Ridout (graduate-agricultural economics) said she wanted to learn more about the Fred Rogers that most people do not know.

"I really wanted to hear the personal story about his life, off camera," she said.

Ridout said she thought Joanne Rogers' speech was moving.

"Everything was really emotional," Ridout said. "It brought tears to my eyes."

Fran Grandinetti, superintendent for the Ridgway School District, about an hour and a half north of Penn State, stood and commended the work of Fred Rogers during a question-and-answer period.

He thanked Joanne Rogers for her husband's continuing contribution to education.

"He did more for teachers," Grandinetti said. "He gave us a model. He set the example."

April Berger (senior-elementary education) said, as an education major, she realizes the impact Fred Rogers had on teaching.

"A lot of the philosophies he was teaching about, you still want to teach to kids," Berger said.

Joanne Rogers said her husband's memory lives on.

"We laughed about him, we cried about him and we still do," she said.