He had a way of leading and managing that is razor-smart, focused, intuitive, strong, but all with a velvet glove," said chief communications officer D'Arcy Rudnay. ''They are all billionaires, and they're fighting like crazy over another billion.''. Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City. [8] The Suzanne F. and Ralph J. Roberts Foundation was one of the largest contributors to the restoration of the Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia named in the honor of his father-in-law. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. '', Both parents said that in bringing up their brood, they worked hard to see that the children connected with one another. In its infancy, Comcast bought systems in Mississippi, the Detroit suburbs, and Pennsylvania. Flush with cash, Comcast went on a buying spree in the mid-1980s, acquiring part of the Group W cable system. Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting,was incorporated in 1969. 1-800-896-5587 (Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm MDT) Annual Membership . Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stonefuneralhomeupland.com for the ROBERTS family. Jun 19, 2015. In his leisure time, on which Mr. Roberts insisted, he rode horses, foxhunted, and enjoyed his family. Douglass Edward Roberts, 69, a lifelong resident of Swansea and the son of the late Edward Francis Roberts and Barbara (Douglass) Roberts, passed away on December 25, 2019. In 1963, Mr. Roberts was a little-known entrepreneur who had sold Muzak systems and mens belts and suspenders, but he was ambitious and always scouting for new business opportunities. That was extremely important to him, that we would sit around the table - all seven of us. In a statement to Comcast employees, his son, Brian L. Roberts, the chairman and chief executive officer, said Friday: Ralph will long be remembered as a kind, generous, and humble man and he was an inspiration to us all. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. But as Brian Roberts worked his way up the ladder, the halcyon 1980's came to an end. "During this period, even before 1979 . Mr. Roberts has by all accounts done a skillful job of grooming Brian to fill his shoes so that he is both respected by his peers and supported by his siblings. Ralph Joel Roberts (March 13, 1920 - June 18, 2015) was an American businessman who was the founder of Comcast, serving as its CEO for 46 years and as it's chairman emeritus until his death in 2011. After Brian received an undergraduate business degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1981, Ralph Roberts tried to steer him to another company, where he would have to fight his own battles. Let others know about your loved one's death. He loved my mother and my entire family so much. Mr. Roberts later worked in advertising at the Aitkin-Kynett agency, writing slogans for the Democrat William Benton, a successful United States Senate candidate from Connecticut who defeated Prescott S. Bush, the father and grandfather of two presidents, in 1950. Today, Ralph Jr. is a professor of psychology at the University of Denver, and the other three all live near their parents in Philadelphia, where Lisa has a design business, Cathy is involved in philanthropy and Douglas is an assistant District Attorney. mother. ", "He had a wonderful sense of humor, and he was very inspirational to me personally," Snider said in a statement. ALL along, however, Mr. Roberts has drawn his son closer to the center of action inside Comcast and pushed him into the spotlight outside the company. IN THE CARE OF. Mr. Gates was warm to the idea. And by the end of this year, the elder Mr. Roberts will increase Brian's control over the company's special class of 8.8 million shares that represent nearly 82 percent of Comcast's vote. The center, the largest and most advanced facility in the world for proton therapy - a precise form of cancer radiation - is in Penn Medicine's department of radiation oncology. All Rights Reserved. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. Your email will not be used for any other purpose. I went to the University of Pennsylvania. ", Mr. Roberts met his wife at a dance in 1937 when he was 17, she 16. He moved his family to New Rochelle, N.Y., when Ralph was 5. May 2, 2021 [13][14], Roberts made an appearance on TLC's reality series Cake Boss, receiving a cake for his 90th birthday. In the first days of Comcast, when colleagues Dan Aaron and Julian Brodsky clashed over how to expand the business, Mr. Roberts acted as the cheerful referee. The acquisition, which faced scrutiny from Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department, was scuttled in April of this year. Sign Up Today! The company also has 33 million shares of common stock with one vote each and 284 million K shares with no votes. The deal would have relegated Comcast, the biggest QVC shareholder, to be a minor, and passive, investor in CBS, and the elder Mr. Roberts wanted no part of that. [4] In 1998, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Roberts into their Hall of Fame. These early losses, coupled with experiences as a young salesman of golf clubs, men's accessories, cologne, and Muzak, gave Mr. Roberts an ambitious, entrepreneurial spirit. He recalled in a 1996 interview digging up his mother's marigolds and selling them to the neighbors. An actress, director and host of Seeking Solutions with Suzanne, Suzanne has spent a lifetime seeking to help others. Ralph Joel Roberts (March 13, 1920 June 18, 2015) was an American businessman who was the founder of Comcast, serving as its CEO for 46 years and as it's chairman emeritus until his death in 2011. Douglas is survived by his wife DeLene (nee Edmon) Scott, his loving children Douglas (Erin Sutton) Scott and Monique (Terri) Davis; his mother Mona Scott; his siblings Vernon Scott, Steven Scott, Michael Scott and Patricia Yusuff and many loving family and friends. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Brian, born in 1959, was the fourth. "Ralph served as a longtime member of the Penn Medicine board, and actively supported athletics, undergraduate financial aid, and his class." Burke watched the father-son team when Mr. Roberts was chairman and his son president, and found their interplay businesslike and seamless. A result was Microsoft's $1 billion investment in Comcast. Published. Ralph J. Roberts, 95, the soft-spoken visionary who in 1963 bought a tiny subscriber-TV system in Tupelo, Miss., and built it into Comcast Corp., the nation's leading cable company, died Thursday night in Philadelphia. He was always a stickler for table manners," she said. Under Brian Roberts, Comcast has built on its standing as a cable television power to become a media and entertainment giant in content creation and Internet and voice services. He died on June 18, 2015, of natural causes. For example, it was Brian Roberts who was on the board of Turner Broadcasting before Time Warner bought it in 1996, and it was Brian who was president of the National Cable Television Association's board in 1995. He was born on January 6, 1955 in Tampa, Florida, the son of Terrance Andrew Roberts, Sr. and Geraldine (Boyce) Thompson. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. Mr. Roberts built Comcast through a series of acquisitions of cable systems around the country. Brian brought in the Walt Disney Company to put up most of the funds for the acquisition, even though Comcast management gained effective control of E Entertainment. He credits his mother for pulling the family through hard times. While building Comcast, he built an economic engine for the city of Philadelphia as well.". Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. In 1996, Comcast spent $240 million and agreed to pick up $170 million in debt to gain the majority interest in the Flyers, the 76ers, the Spectrum, and what was then the CoreStates Center. Only his fourth child, Brian, is at Comcast, the. He was 95. In addition, Ralph Roberts personally owns another 5.2 million nonvoting shares, as well as 319,00 class A shares. There are no events at this time. ''He gives more speeches than anyone who is asked,'' said one media executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He has five children, aged 36 to 47. Sheldon M. Bonovitz joined the Comcast board in 1979 and was Mr. Roberts' personal legal adviser. To send flowers Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. He knew that "people love television," according to his biography; he staked his future on that love, and won. A few weeks ago, the five Roberts children -- leaving behind both mates and children -- spent a day with their parents for freewheeling talks on everything from personal concerns to financial matters. Then he turned the company over to his son at an early age. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. [4] He was awarded honorary degrees from both Holy Family College and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received their Joseph P. Wharton Award. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. ''They come in and tear each other apart. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion with his passing.". Less than $5 per month ommitted to the fight against cancer, he and his family helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Medicine in 2006. He is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews. The company is clearly planning for the day that Ralph Roberts will no longer be running the show. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. ''Hopefully, I have had more experience than most people,'' he said, ''but you never know.''. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. Douglas A. Roberts, 66, of Mount Carmel, Illinois, passed away on Sunday, May 2, 2021 at his residence. He was 95. ''There is something about wanting to pass things on,'' he said. Mr. Roberts has been married to his wife, Suzanne, for 54 years. Though his father called Comcast a family business, Brian was the only one of the children to show a serious interest in working with his father. The elder Roberts was also civic-minded. It is only natural for the world to wonder: How will Brian's siblings react to all this? It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. [12] They had five children: Catherine, Lisa, Ralph Jr. (Rob), Brian, and Douglas (who died in 2011);[2] and eight grandchildren. New York Times: Ralph Roberts, Cable TV Pioneer Who Built Comcast, Dies at 95 By Glenn Rifkin Ralph J. Roberts, who at the dawn of the cable television industry bought a small cable service in Tupelo, Miss., and built it into Comcast, today the largest cable television company in the nation, died Thursday night in Philadelphia. They are not your blood family, but you spend so much time with them, you should treat them like family. If you know of an upcoming event for Douglas A. Roberts, please add one. '', The son got the point. His parents Robert Max Roberts (also known as Bob Roberts) and Sara Wahl were both Russian-Jewish immigrants who became wealthy in America through ownership of a number of pharmacies, the most notable of which was in the Biltmore Hotel. Anyone can read what you share. "As a person, his DNA is all over our company. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. In 2011, fulfilling the Robertses long-held interest in NBC, Comcast acquired a majority stake in NBCUniversal from General Electric for $6.5 billion; in doing so, it became one of the industrys leading content producers. In addition to his wife, Ralph is survived by four of his children and their spouses: Catherine R. Clifton and Anthony A. Clifton, Lisa S. Roberts and David Seltzer, Ralph Roberts Jr. and Kim Roberts, Brian L. Roberts and Aileen K. Roberts and Diane Roberts, widow of Ralph and Suzannes son Douglas Roberts, who passed away in September 2011. Cancel any time, no strings attached. Family-business experts say the family is something of an anomaly in devising a smooth transfer between generations. When she was 60 years old, Mrs. Roberts got her undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology and now works with abused children. In 1942, he married Suzanne Fleisher, an aspiring actress from a well-to-do Philadelphia family. Though many aging entrepreneurs resist relinquishing power despite all their promises to do so, Comcast has begun notifying local cable commissions of the pending change of control, which Ralph Roberts said would be no later than early next year. to the family or plant a tree Douglas P. Roberts LEESBURG, FL Douglas P. Roberts, 54, of Leesburg, FL, passed away Aug, 18, 2014. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. He was a gentle soul with an infectious spirit who will be greatly missed. Comcast, with $68.8 billion in revenue and 139,000 employees, is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet, and telephone provider to homes. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. . Mr. Roberts would help with homework and listen to each of his five children. When not on the basketball court, Douglas loved playing cards, spending time with his family, and helping those less fortunate. The 1998 Inquirer Executive Compensation Survey showed that Mr. Roberts was paid $45 million, ranking second on The Inquirer's list of the most highly compensated chief executives in the region. The memory of the fiasco still rankles Mr. Diller. On the contrary, he says, ''Brian takes the lead and is the one forging ahead and trying to figure out where they are going,'' Mr. Maffei said. "Ralph has been the heart and soul of Comcast for 50 years," said his son, Comcast president and CEO Brian L. Roberts, in a note to employees Friday morning. ''I don't think Ralph knows any more about Brian's personal life than he knows about the others. Quickly locate a newspaper obituary or death notice. ''I think we have known that Brian would take over the company since he was about 8 years old,'' said Julian Brodsky, Comcast's vice chairman and Mr. Roberts's alter ego for the last 34 years. can stop at any time. It struck me as a place where culture really mattered. What is more common is that this kind of agreement does not happen. ''Usually we have about 200.''. ''It is the same thing as giving birth -- or having another generation. But that verve was always tempered by a calm affability and a cautious approach to spending money. The five children and their parents jointly own the holding company that owns Comcast's supervoting shares. He sold it in 1961 to form his own venture capital firm, the International Equity Corporation, from which he began his foray into cable television. The former husband of Linda (Phillips) Roberts of Huntington, NY, he was the father of Leslie Roberts of Huntington and Daniel Roberts of Portland, OR. Before he founded Comcast, Roberts was president and CEO of Pioneer Industries, a leading mens clothing accessories company, vice president of Muzak Corp. and an account executive with Aitken Kynett Advertising Agency, according to his company biography. He never told me anything I wanted to do at Comcast was a bad idea, and after more than 30 years, youd think Ive had a lot of bad ideas.. Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. Committed to the fight against cancer, he and his family helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Medicine in 2006. All rights reserved. There was another side to Mr. Roberts - as a mentor to those other than his son. Ralph J. Roberts, 95, the soft-spoken visionary who in 1963 bought a tiny subscriber-TV system in Tupelo, Miss., and built it into Comcast Corp., the nation's leading cable company, died Thursday night in Philadelphia. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. ''Barry is very charismatic and hypnotic, but we were not going to lose our business and become a nonvoting stockholder of CBS to provide Barry with an entree to CBS.'' In early 2011, after a protracted review by federal regulators, Comcast acquired 51 percent of NBC Universal from General Electric Co. And to prevent his other heirs from putting pressure on Brian to sell Comcast -- an issue that has torn many families apart -- Mr. Roberts is struggling with a way to give them nonvoting stock that they could cash in without disturbing their brother's grip on the company. I never felt that Comcast was a sixth child," she said. Daughter Lisa said Mr. Roberts was an attentive father. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/22/business/the-heir-is-clearly-apparent-at-comcast.html. [1], When Roberts was five the family moved to New Rochelle, New York and then after his father died of a heart-attack, to Germantown, Philadelphia when he was seventeen to live with his stepfather Harry Bobrow, of Bobrow Brothers Cigars. People who never had a financial problem in their lives can never understand what terror there is in that.''. Ed Rendell. The Gettys or that family in Texas,'' he continued, referring to Harold Simmons, the Texas investor who is at war with his daughters. founded Comcast Corp. with the purchase of a 1,200-subscriber cable television system in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1963, died Thursday night of natural causes in Philadelphia. They both deserve credit for that graceful interplay, but the lion's share goes to Ralph," said Burke, CEO of Comcast's NBCUniversal. 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