In the years after her husband's passing in 2007, Joanne Rogers worked tirelessly to remind America of Mister Rogers' legacy of kindness and humanity. But she wasn't always "just" Mrs. Rogers, because she also traveled around the country as a classically-trained concert pianist. Born Sara Joanne Byrd, Rogers began playing the piano at age 5, and years of training led to a scholarship in Rollins College where she met Fred Rogers and another lifelong friend, Jeannine Morrison. Fred and Joanne were eventually married in 1952. It was with Jeannine Morrison that Joanne Rogers became known for her skills as a pianist. Together, the two women spent 36 years playing at over 300 concerts.
Joanne eventually stopped playing the piano because of arthritis, but she still traveled to watch friends like Emmanuel Ax and Yo-yo Ma play in concert, and her sons say Joanne still "noodled around" on the instrument from time to time (via The New York Times).
