1-4-3 DAY: Pennsylvania officials have named this Thursday — the 143rd day of the year — a day to spread kindness in honor of children’s television host Fred Rogers.
The holiday is called 1-4-3 Day, as Mr. Rogers used the numbers to represent the phrase “I love you.” Each number signifies the sum of the letters in each word.
For this day, Pennsylvanians are being encouraged to be kind to one another. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is even hosting a website with how to take part: 143day.dced.pa.gov.
“Starting May 23rd, we’ll see just how far a little kindness can spread,” the site stated. “Every time you do something nice for someone, tell us about it using #143DayinPA. Just imagine the change we would see in the real world if all 12.8 million PA residents participated.”
In Harrisburg, activities in honor of the occasion include a reading by First Lady Frances Wolf of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” a book of Mr. Rogers’ poetry and songs. She will read it to children.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies are celebrating the day, too, Gov. Wolf’s office reported.
A Pennsylvania native, Mr. Rogers was the longtime host of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister.
In 1968, he was appointed Chairman of the Forum on Mass Media and Child Development of the White House Conference on Youth. Besides two George Foster Peabody Awards, Emmys, “Lifetime Achievement” Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the TV Critics Association, Fred Rogers received every major award in television for which he is eligible and many others from special-interest groups in education, communications, and early childhood,” read the biography on his website.
“In 1999, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. His life and work have been the subject of feature articles in national publications, including LIFE, Reader’s Digest, Parents, Esquire, Parade, and TV Guide. In 2002, President George W. Bush presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, recognizing his contribution to the well-being of children and a career in public television that demonstrates the importance of kindness, compassion and learning.”
