Doug graduated from Hillsborough High School in Tampa and went on to attend Hobart School of Welding. Brian Roberts said his parents tried to make life stimulating and eye-opening for their children. 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. Blogs; Online will; Shop. What is more common is that this kind of agreement does not happen. In addition to his wife, he 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. Flush with cash, Comcast went on a buying spree in the mid-1980s, acquiring part of the Group W cable system. He was an inspiration to us all and we will miss him greatly.". . DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY ROBERTS, DOUGLAS M. Lawton Passed away July 28, 2012 at his residence. A unique . Most recently, Roberts and his wife, Suzanne, received the Philadelphia Award to highlight their lifetime contributions to the city in business, philanthropy, and arts and culture. 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. His wife agreed: "The thing that motivates Ralph is not having the money, but knowing that his children are secure. ''The children -- the family -- have continual discussions,'' he said during an interview in which he was joined by Brian, dressed like his father in a gray suit, black loafers, a white button-down shirt and red print tie. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. '', Both parents said that in bringing up their brood, they worked hard to see that the children connected with one another. In 1963, he and his partners, Daniel Aaron and Julian A. Brodsky, paid $500,000 for a 1,200-subscriber cable TV operator in Tupelo, Mississippi, called American Cable Systems. The son, meanwhile, remains an understudy of the father -- and the father is impressing upon the son the need to play hardball when the occasion demands it. 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. So he made his own bid for QVC, with TCI as a partner, effectively killing the CBS deal. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. And the other children, who declined to be interviewed, are said to be knowledgeable about the plan and favorable to it. Comcast - the name borrowed from communications and broadcasting - was incorporated in 1969 and began its legendary climb. If a family has to go to law court to determine what is fair, the issue is what's the law, not what is fair.''. He is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews. He had been born into an affluent home, the son of the owner of a small drugstore chain in Westchester County, N.Y. For a time, the family even had a chauffeur. ''When some guy decides that he is so important that he dismisses Mama for some 35-year-old trophy, then I don't know what is fair. 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. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. father . He loved my mother and my entire family so much. Mr. Roberts would help with homework and listen to each of his five children. It also sells those services to businesses. 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. can stop at any time. chief executive, Jeffrey R. Immelt, that the deal would be completed. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stonefuneralhomeupland.com for the ROBERTS family. "Ralph served as a longtime member of the Penn Medicine board, and actively supported athletics, undergraduate financial aid, and his class." DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY Douglas J. Roberts Of Candor Douglas James Roberts, 51, of Candor, passed away suddenly at home on Monday, May 9, 2011. Start searching today using our powerful and intuitive search. A result was Microsoft's $1 billion investment in Comcast. If he hadn't, his father confesses, ''I probably would have sold the company. 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. [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. [4] In 1998, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Roberts into their Hall of Fame. Burke watched the father-son team when Mr. Roberts was chairman and his son president, and found their interplay businesslike and seamless. The industry as we know it today that is generating enormous revenues and is the way that most American consumers get their television was invented by Ralph Roberts and these other cable barons, said Josh Bernoff, a media analyst. ", Mayor Nutter called Mr. Roberts a "consummate gentleman, kind and gentle husband and father, and a great business leader.". He was a killer dancer - the only thing he bragged about. Find the obituary of Douglas A. Roberts (1955 - 2021) from Mount Carmel, IL. It is always business. ''The most dangerous thing is a son or daughter coming into a business where they think they get special treatment,'' Mr. Roberts said. Only his fourth child, Brian, is at Comcast, the. He had resided in Leesburg for the past two years. He and his wife, the former Suzanne Fleisher, restored it. Bob McGovern But if Brian were not up to it, he would not have stood a chance because you can't sacrifice all the people in the place for a poor manager. I didn't want it to appear that he was just his father's son.''. (Mr. Bush won the states other Senate seat two years later.). Now Brian typically takes the lead.''. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. "The trick," Mr. Roberts said in the biography, "is to make everyone feel involved.". 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. 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. Intrigued by the nascent cable industrys potential and aided by Mr. Aaron and Julian Brodsky, a Philadelphia accountant, Mr. Roberts decided to invest, overcoming his own initial misgivings and the even stronger doubts of his wife, Suzanne, who, he said, thought he was absolutely crazy., The cable business, you put up a tower, you run a line down through the telephone poles, you charge everybody $5 a month, and you dont do anything, so it didnt seem very appealing to me, Mr. Roberts recalled in receiving a television industry award in 2003. The elder Roberts was also civic-minded. But the firm wasn't always a giant, nor was its founder a scion. After selling the firm, he set up shop in 1961 in Bala Cynwyd. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion," Nutter said in a statement. Their son, Brian L. Roberts, is the current CEO of Comcast Corporation. '', The son got the point. ''The father is open. A remembrance ceremony to celebrate Roberts' life will follow at a future date. I cannot remember a time during our relationship where a cross word passed between us. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion with his passing.". ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. There was plenty of room to give the son a shot. Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City. "Ralph Roberts is the absolutely most clear-cut example of the American dream," said former Gov. He never pressured any of them to join the family company -- and none besides Brian showed any interest in doing so. ", "He's the same person as my boss that he has been as a dad; he's gracious, never interrupts when you're talking. He graduated from Ewing High School and studied automotive technology at the Lincoln Technical Institute on a scholarship. He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather and perhaps most importantly, a kind and humble human being. Private. 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. Roberts, Craig Mort, Brenda Bachura, Bill McMenemy, and Peter McMenemy. Receive a notification when services are updated. The five children and their parents jointly own the holding company that owns Comcast's supervoting shares. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. Doug was born July 24, 1969, in Kalamazoo, the son of Douglas and Vicky (Troyer). 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. At the time of his death, Mr. Roberts was past president and chairman emeritus of the public company, which has its headquarters on John F. Kennedy Boulevard. ''Usually we have about 200.''. The Gettys or that family in Texas,'' he continued, referring to Harold Simmons, the Texas investor who is at war with his daughters. He was a gentle soul with an infectious spirit who will be greatly missed. '', Brian Roberts, on the other hand, seems to relish his public role. Then he turned the company over to his son at an early age. After his wedding, Mr. Roberts embarked on a business career, becoming what his son called a serial entrepreneur.. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Comcast, the company that the venture became (with Mr. Aaron and Mr. Brodsky as its first two employees), has 27.2 million subscribers and produced $68.8 billion in revenue in 2014, the company said. "I have never heard Ralph raise his voice - never, ever. We all will.". That was extremely important to him, that we would sit around the table - all seven of us. [5] They incorporated in 1969 as Comcast Corporation, a name Roberts invented by combining the words communications and broadcasting. In addition, Ralph Roberts personally owns another 5.2 million nonvoting shares, as well as 319,00 class A shares. 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. Our activities are so public. Once the elder Mr. Roberts is out of the picture at Comcast, Wall Street will be watching closely to see whether the son can be as tough and decisive as his father. His father's greatest skill, he said, ''is the ability to make the hard decision at the crucial moment.''. "These guys go out there and kill each other!". "The amazing genius of my father is that there was not a one-size-fits-all for parenting. [15][16], Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 06:20, National Cable and Telecommunications Association, National Conference of Christians and Jews, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New York Times: "Ralph Roberts, Cable TV Pioneer Who Built Comcast, Dies at 95", "Love: Suzanne (Fleisher) Roberts & Ralph J. Roberts", "Brian Roberts' Jewish Roots and Outsized Ambition Drive Comcast's Rise in Media", University of Pennsylvania Medicine: "About the Roberts", "Ralph Roberts, Cable TV Pioneer Who Built Comcast, Dies at 95", "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement", Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia: Our Hall of Fame, Eastern State Penitentiary: "Funders for the Synagogue Restoration", "Starring Role - From the boards to the funding, Suzanne Roberts lives for the stage", "Howard Gerstley Fleisher, 95, Businessman and Active Volunteer", Daily Finance: "Comcast's Brian Roberts: The low-key exec who leads a high-profile giant" By Jonathan Berr, The Cable Center: "Cable Hall of Fame Archives - Ralph J. Roberts, "Comcast founder Ralph Roberts dies at 95. ] they incorporated in 1969 as Comcast Corporation, a name Roberts invented by combining the communications. Flush with cash, Comcast went on to attend Hobart School of Welding borrowed communications... The crucial moment. 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