Joanne Rogers to get George Romero Legacy Award at the 'Elly Awards Gala'

Joanne Rogers, wife of the late Fred Rogers, will accept The George Romero Legacy Award at the 2019 Steeltown Elly Awards, presented by PNC at The Rivers Casino Ballroom on April 11.

Past awardees include film legend George Romero, former Fred Rogers Company CEO Bill Isler, and philanthropist Audrey Hillman Fisher.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be honoring Joanne this year,” said Steeltown board chair James Rogal. “Joanne has not only preserved Fred’s legacy here in Pittsburgh, and around the world, she’s dedicated to everything Steeltown stands for, making sure young people have no obstacles to learning about film and media, and she’s been a brilliant and accessible ambassador representing Pittsburgh.”

Mrs. Rogers and the city celebrated the 50th anniversary of the show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in 2018 and are awaiting the Oct. 18 release of “You Are My Friend,” a movie about his life starring Tom Hanks.

In 2018, Mrs. Rogers stood in a torrential downpour with friends Hanks and Michael Keaton to honor the victims of the October Tree of Life tragedy.

She told the crowd: “We need more hugs, not guns.”

“It will be a beautiful day in the neighborhood when we bestow the well-deserved Legacy Award on Joanne,” said Steeltown CEO Wendy Burtner-Owens. “I can’t wait to see our teenage film students interact with this true example of humility and leadership.”

The Elly Awards Gala honors Pittsburgh’s entertainment pioneers and rising talent . The event gathers over 300 community leaders, educators and entertainment industry professionals and is named after Ellen Weiss Kander, co-founder of The Steeltown Entertainment Project.

Details: steeltown.org

JoAnne Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062 or jharrop@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Jharrop_Trib.