Tom Junod will provide commentary and answer questions following a screening of the award-winning 2018 documentary, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR, about the life and legacy of his friend Fred Rogers, the beloved star of MR. ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Rogers frequently endured ridicule to champion the values of unconditional love and acceptance. Junod, who is featured in the film, is the author of a widely-circulated 1998 Esquire profile of Rogers, “Can You Say… Hero?” That piece of journalism provides the basis of a feature film about Rogers starring Tom Hanks, tentatively titled YOU ARE MY FRIEND and due for release in October 2019. Tom Junod, UAlbany graduate and Senior Writer for ESPN magazine, is the author of some of the most celebrated pieces in American magazine writing. He has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award a record ten times, winning twice. Many of his articles are widely republished and frequently assigned in college journalism classes.