Seton Hill University announced it will award four honorary degrees during its Saturday, May 10, 2003 commencement exercises in Sullivan Hall on campus, including one posthumously to Fred Rogers who was originally scheduled to serve as Seton Hill’s commencement speaker. Accepting for Mr. Rogers will be his wife, Joanne Byrd Rogers, who herself will be awarded a degree for her accomplishments as a duo-pianist. The University will also recognize Barbara deCoux Luderowski for her achievements as executive and artistic director of the Mattress Factory, and Steve Forbes, President and CEO of Forbes, Inc. who will address the graduates. Forbes agreed to accept Seton Hill’s invitation out of his regard for Fred Rogers and at the urging of his daughters, life-long fans of "Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood."

"We are delighted to honor these accomplished individuals at Seton Hill University," Seton Hill President JoAnne Boyle said. "They have each used their great gifts to make a difference in the world around them."

Fred McFeely Rogers developed, wrote and produced "Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood," the longest-running children’s programming on public television with nearly 700 episodes in the series. He served as Chairman of the Board of Family Communications, Inc. a nonprofit corporation he founded in 1971 to produce a variety of materials that encourage the healthy emotional growth of children and their families. Rogers received numerous distinctions and honors throughout his career including two George Foster Peabody Awards and several Emmys. Rogers graduated from Rollins College in Florida in 1951. He also attended the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and was ordained by the Pittsburgh Presbytery in 1962 with a charge to continue his work with children and families through the media. Rogers died on February 27, 2003.

Joanne Byrd Rogers is a Concert Pianist and a Concert Duo-Pianist who with Jeannine Romer Morrison, has been performing as a piano duo since her days at the Rollins College Conservatory of Music. Rogers continued her studies at Florida State where she was mentored by the renowned Hungarian composer, conductor, and pianist Ernst von Dohnanyi. As a duo-team, Rogers and Morrison studied with Lili Kraus. Joanne Byrd Rogers has performed more than 300 concerts and recitals and has led master classes and workshops throughout the United States. Her repertoire consists of classical, romantic and contemporary literature for piano duo and duet, as well as concerti for two pianos. Joanne Byrd Rogers provided voices for some of the characters on "The Children’s Corner," a Pittsburgh precursor to "Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood" and also appeared in a few episodes of "Neighborhood." She serves on the board of directors for the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and Rollins College and is a supporting member of the Pittsburgh Piano Teachers Association.

Barbara Luderowski purchased an abandoned warehouse (once a mattress factory) and created a community for artists that is internationally recognized as "the finest installation art facility in the country." In establishing the Mattress Factory and directing its growth and expansion, Luderowski has overseen the renovation of 12 properties in Pittsburgh’s neglected North Side neighborhood, inspiring city officials, neighborhood residents, and others to recognize that the arts can play a vital role in community development. Luderowski serves on the Advisory Board of the Pittsburgh Glass Center, is a member of the International Women’s Forum, and has served as a panel member for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. She is noted among Pittsburgh’s Top 50 Cultural Power Brokers annually in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and received Pittsburgh magazine’s Harry Schwalb Excellence in the Arts award for Visual Arts in 1996. As a sculptor, Luderowski has shown work at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, the King Pitcher Gallery and the Wadsworth Atheneum.

Steve Forbes is the Editor-in-Chief of Forbes, the nation's leading business magazine, with a circulation of 850,000. Forbes and its international companion, Forbes Global reach a worldwide audience of nearly 5 million readers. A respected economic analyst, Forbes has been nationally recognized for his accurate economic forecasting. He mounted a vigorous campaign for the 2000 GOP Presidential race. Although he withdrew in February 2000, his campaign is credited for its strong influence on the national debate especially on the issues of the flat tax, tax cuts, security systems, and medical savings accounts. Forbes received a B.A. in history from Princeton University where he was the founding editor of Business Today, which became the country’s largest magazine published by students for students, with a circulation of 200,000. The magazine is still published today by Princeton undergraduates. Forbes now serves on the Board of Trustees of Princeton University as well as on The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, The American Enterprise Institute and the Board of Overseers of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Seton Hill University’s commencement will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 10th and is part of a two-day celebration for graduates, their families, friends and members of the Seton Hill community.

For more information on the May 10th commencement exercises at Seton Hill, please contact Molly Robb Shimko, Director of Development and Media Relations, at 724-830-4620 or shimko@setonhill.edu.