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. I believe the reason we are still in this business when so many others have long since departed was his will to succeed, and to do it with certain core values and integrity. [13][14], Roberts made an appearance on TLC's reality series Cake Boss, receiving a cake for his 90th birthday. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren. That the others did not never fazed Ralph Roberts, who encouraged them to pursue their own interests. The elder Mr. Roberts has made sure that each of Brian's siblings will retain an economic stake in Comcast equal their brother's. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. chief executive, Jeffrey R. Immelt, that the deal would be completed. In 1963, the year he founded the company, he created Comcast class B shares, of which there are 8.8 million, each with 15 votes. His father's greatest skill, he said, ''is the ability to make the hard decision at the crucial moment.''. Our activities are so public. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. ''I have never seen a relationship that could surpass the two of them,'' she said. His father, Robert Max Roberts, was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who prospered with a string of pharmacies in the city. '', Brian Roberts acknowledges that decision making, what he calls ''pulling the trigger,'' is something you learn. Ralph J. Roberts founded Comcast Corp. in 1963. Doug was born July 24, 1969, in Kalamazoo, the son of Douglas and Vicky (Troyer). '', That would have been a wrenching decision, as it almost invariably is for the founder of a company. Ralph is survived by Suzanne Roberts, his wife of over 70 years. Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. A Funeral Service will begin at Noon at the Funeral Home. Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City. He was 95. Write your message of sympathy today. I lived at home.'' "He did it in a positive, thoughtful way, not self-aggrandizing. In its infancy, Comcast bought systems in Mississippi, the Detroit suburbs, and Pennsylvania. He and his wife, the former Suzanne Fleisher, restored it. '', See the article in its original context from. Ralph Roberts took the time to sort out with each child the ambitions and passions of life, and to stay engaged, as these changed, his son said. He was a gentle soul with an infectious spirit who will be greatly missed. I never felt that Comcast was a sixth child," she said. When Brian was 8, Comcast was a fledgling cable operator that Ralph Roberts had founded after jumping in and out of a handful of other businesses. 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. 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. He was a gentle soul with an infectious spirit who will be greatly missed. Through the 1970s and '80s, it built cable networks, learned to maintain them, and profited by Mr. Roberts' favorite element - recurring monthly income. He wanted to marry her after several years, but she wasn't ready. '', The son got the point. 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. And Ed Snider, Comcast Spectacor chairman, said Mr. Roberts was "a great partner and an even greater friend. PhillyVoice Contributor. The family will host a private service for the family, the company announced. 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. Douglas Alan Roberts Sept. 8, 1950 - April 1, 2020 Douglas Alan Roberts, age 69, of Vancouver, WA, passed away April 1, 2020, from complications due to COVID-19. Already in his 40s, he was approached by a Philadelphia acquaintance named Dan Aaron, who alerted him to a 1,200-subscriber cable television system for sale in Tupelo. Brian Roberts countered that other companies, including Comcast, were aggressively upgrading. When not on the basketball court, Douglas loved playing cards, spending time with his family, and helping those less fortunate. Overnight, it went from 18th to fifth among cable firms in the United States, with two million customers. ''They are all billionaires, and they're fighting like crazy over another billion.''. Dedicated to public service, Douglas elected to continue to serve his country after transitioning from the military by working as a Letter Carrier for the United States Postal Service for 35 years, eventually retiring from Wicker Park Station. IT helps, of course, that only one of the children desperately wanted to follow in Dad's footsteps. The soft-spoken, affable Mr. Roberts never acquired the outsize public profile of cable pioneers like Ted Turner, John C. Malone, Charles F. Dolan and John Rigas, but his impact was comparable to theirs in making cable television a culture-changing industry giving viewers hundreds of channels, where they once had little more than a dozen, and persuading them to pay for something that had always been free. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion," Nutter said in a statement. In 2014, Comcast proposed a $45.2 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable. 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. A unique . He died on June 18, 2015, of natural causes. Growing up with five kids competing for attention, it's not easy, but he put his family first. What is more common is that this kind of agreement does not happen. [11] Her name appears on the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Philadelphia and she hosted a TV program aimed at seniors called "Seeking Solutions with Suzanne" on Comcast's CN8 network. 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. Once Mr. Roberts began building Comcast, Brian, alone of his brood, frequented the company premises. But as Brian Roberts worked his way up the ladder, the halcyon 1980's came to an end. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. "But I don't think I'll be seeing too many more," he said. Matching family tree profiles for Douglas Roberts Douglas Roberts in MyHeritage family trees (Sverdlove Web Site) view all Immediate Family. ''Ralph and Julian have been intimately involved, but Ralph doesn't sit there until 4 A.M. in the lawyers' offices anymore. Mr. Roberts built Comcast through a series of acquisitions of cable systems around the country. Even though Brian is the CEO, Ralph set the tone from a business point of view.". Ralph Joel Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City, and was an entrepreneur from an early age. The family holding company owns all the supervoting shares, as well as 1.8 million of the class A shares and 5.3 million of the nonvoting shares. [12] They had five children: Catherine, Lisa, Ralph Jr. (Rob), Brian, and Douglas (who died in 2011);[2] and eight grandchildren. Using the proceeds from Pioneer, he started purchasing local community antenna television systems which brought TV to people in rural areas,[2] which were then underserved by big broadcasters. can stop at any time. But the firm wasn't always a giant, nor was its founder a scion. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. On ski trips, he would patiently lace up five pairs of ski boots. Flush with cash, Comcast went on a buying spree in the mid-1980s, acquiring part of the Group W cable system. ''All this would never have happened in the arms of a second wife,'' according to Mr. Danco. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Maybe it was losing both his parents before he was 21, living through the Depression, but somehow he became an optimist. And her husband reminisced about family trips. Less than $5 per month He helped his wife, an actress, practice her lines and attended every performance no matter how many days the show ran. Committed to the fight against cancer, he and his family helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Medicine in 2006. Despite that, Mr. Roberts named the club the Bob Hope Centric putter and began selling it around the country. The recent deal was begun when the executive committee of Cablelabs, the cable industry's research and development arm that included Brian Roberts and John Malone, chairman of Tele-Communications Inc., the country's largest cable operator, visited Microsoft in late April. Private. Comcast - the name borrowed from communications and broadcasting - was incorporated in 1969 and began its legendary climb. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. (66 years old). Promoting an heir apparent may have been easier for the elder Mr. Roberts than for other entrepreneurs. Loving father of Dennis Garland, D.J. Start searching today using our powerful and intuitive search. He wants the other person to always feel good, whatever the exchange is. 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. 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. "I think maybe Ralph Roberts is the most successful businessman in the last 50 years that most people haven't heard of. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. Questions? 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. It is always business. For Brodsky that was giving up the four or five packs of unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes he used to smoke. Besides his son Brian, Mr. Roberts is survived by his wife, the host of the Comcast Network program "Seeking Solutions With Suzanne," aimed at viewers 50 and older; two daughters, Catherine. No services are scheduled at this time. They have met at the investment bank Allen & Company's annual Sun Valley Conference for media heavyweights, and they got together last summer when Mr. Gates came to speak at a United Way fund-raising event in Philadelphia. ''We used to take the children away with us every year to climb the Pyramids or something memorable to keep their attention,'' he said. I went to the University of Pennsylvania. Executive vice president David L. Cohen jumped to Comcast in 2002 from a high-profile job as chairman of the Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll law firm. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. 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.. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. 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. "These guys go out there and kill each other!". Word of Mr. Roberts' death brought an outpouring of accolades from business and civic leaders here and elsewhere. That was extremely important to him, that we would sit around the table - all seven of us. Without being asked, Mrs. Roberts volunteered her opinion that Ralph and Brian clicked as few business partners do. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The two said their relationship had been strengthened by having much to discuss, as each pursued separate professional interests - and also by the collaboration that developed when one asked the other for advice. And Peter Barton, the former president of Liberty Media, recalled that Brian Roberts played the key role in a complicated deal with Liberty involving the purchase of Time Warner's stake in E Entertainment, a cable-service company, for $321 million. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. PHILADELPHIA-- ( BUSINESS WIRE )--Today we are deeply saddened to announce that Ralph J. Roberts, husband, father and grandfather, died of natural causes last night in Philadelphia, PA. Mr. Roberts, typically dapper in his signature bow tie and Brooks Brothers suits, became his sons mentor and sounding board, and the two were admired as a potent business partnership while never displaying the kind of strained and tempestuous relationship that can flare when a son succeeds a successful father. Cancel any time, no strings attached. "That's what he stood for. It is a skill that Brian Roberts knows he has yet to prove and that is rare among the sons of powerful men, who are often overwhelmed by their fathers. He felt, 'This doesn't have to be about me.' . That was hardly a coincidence. He always treated me with respect from a very young age.". In 1994, for example, Ralph Roberts scuttled a bid by Barry Diller, then the chairman of QVC, the home-shopping cable channel, to acquire CBS. He has five children, aged 36 to 47. He is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. ''Under that bow tie and courtly manner beats the heart of one tough man. Brian Roberts came to know Mr. Gates when a contingent of Comcast executives visited Microsoft on a fact-finding tour several years ago. ''But if it were not for self-promotion, how would a guy like Bill Gates take him seriously?''. Moving to Germantown with his family from New Rochelle, N.Y., after his father's death, he graduated from Germantown High School and in 1941 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a bachelor's degree. In his leisure time, on which Mr. Roberts insisted, he rode horses, foxhunted, and enjoyed his family. This has a pretty good chance of working. All Rights Reserved. Ralph J. Roberts. Mr. Immelt was aware that many deals dont get concluded, the elder Mr. Roberts was quoted as saying in The Incredible Dream, a 2012 biography by William Novak, and he wanted some reassurance from the father of the groom that we wouldnt let this opportunity slip through our fingers.. Wife Suzanna died on April 20, 2020 age 98", Ralph J. Roberts, Comcast Corporation Founder and Chairman Emeritus, dies at age 95, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ralph_J._Roberts&oldid=1141863531, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 06:20. [4] He was awarded honorary degrees from both Holy Family College and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received their Joseph P. Wharton Award. ''He gives more speeches than anyone who is asked,'' said one media executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. "Ralph, the patient, unassuming gentleman, kept a steady hand on the wheel as they made a series of brilliant bets on the future," his son said in the biography. Daughter Lisa said Mr. Roberts was an attentive father. The magic words, according to Mr. Roberts, were "Yes, dear.". ", Mr. Roberts met his wife at a dance in 1937 when he was 17, she 16. A Visitation will be held on Friday, March 3 from 10 am 12 pm at Drake and Son Funeral Home, 5303 North Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60625. The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Mr. Roberts witnessed the loss of his family's drugstore chain in the Depression and the death of his father to a heart attack in 1933, when he was 12. While building Comcast, he built an economic engine for the city of Philadelphia as well.". I cannot remember a time during our relationship where a cross word passed between us. Douglas P. Roberts LEESBURG, FL Douglas P. Roberts, 54, of Leesburg, FL, passed away Aug, 18, 2014. ''Every chance I get I step back and say, 'Here is Brian.' The acquisition, which faced scrutiny from Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department, was scuttled in April of this year. [4] In 1998, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Roberts into their Hall of Fame. "I never had a bad idea in working for him for 30-plus years," Roberts said. Penn honored him in 2005 with the Doctor of Laws honoris causa. A result was Microsoft's $1 billion investment in Comcast. In early 2011, after a protracted review by federal regulators, Comcast acquired 51 percent of NBC Universal from General Electric Co. The couple celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2012. He was the most optimistic man I ever knew. The potential for conflict is obvious. Roberts is survived by Suzanne Roberts, his wife of over 70 years and an actress, director and host of Seeking Solutions with Suzanne. Enter ''Usually we have about 200.''. When she was 60 years old, Mrs. Roberts got her undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology and now works with abused children. Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting. 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. 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. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY ROBERTS, DOUGLAS M. Lawton Passed away July 28, 2012 at his residence. Let others know about your loved one's death. This would never have happened in the mid-1980s, acquiring part of the children desperately to! Intimately involved, but somehow he became an optimist kill each other! `` in 1937 he. 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