It was 1995 when the Fort Worth Star-Telegram assigned Tim Madigan to write a profile of children's television icon Fred Rogers. This fortuitous interview sparked a magnificent friendship between the two, one that would see both men through periods of grief as well as the hope of new beginnings. I'm Proud of You is the story of this friendship and of the enduring legacy left to us all by Fred Rogers.Tim's career as a journalist was flourishing when he met Fred Rogers, but his personal life was a shambles. As Rogers welcomed Tim into his family, his church, and his life, Tim found an advisor who imparted a gentle but powerful perspective on spirituality, marriage, depression, and the nature of true friendship. With his friend's loving and patient guidance, Tim eventually came to understand that his emotional troubles were rooted in a deep fear that his father had never truly been proud of him. Hence the mantra of the friendship between the two, the phrase Rogers used to conclude dozens of letters and e-mail messages to Tim: "I'm Proud of You".
It has been said that a person is lucky if, at the end of his life, he can count his true friends on the fingers of one hand. This is the story of two men who formed just such a friendship, and how each was transformed by the unconditional love of the other. Listen to it and meet the man behind Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: the ordained minister, the loving husband, father, grandfather, and devoted friend.