your email below for our complimentary daily grief messages. Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, his alma matter, said, "His legacy is abundant here, including Penn Medicine's Roberts Proton Therapy Center, a place of hope and healing established in 2009 through the generosity of Ralph and his family. "It's just a miracle," Brodsky said. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. Would you like to offer Douglas A. Robertss loved ones a condolence message? "As a person, his DNA is all over our company. Like many other cable companies, Comcast peaked in late 1993, at $28.17 a share. It is always business. But that verve was always tempered by a calm affability and a cautious approach to spending money. 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. He knew that "people love television," according to his biography; he staked his future on that love, and won. (66 years old). Now Brian typically takes the lead.''. Make a life-giving gesture. Maybe it was losing both his parents before he was 21, living through the Depression, but somehow he became an optimist. On ski trips, he would patiently lace up five pairs of ski boots. Ralph has been the heart and soul of Comcast for 50 years, and his integrity, honesty and respect for everyone around him will never be forgotten. Beloved companion of the late Mary McMenemy. It is only natural for the world to wonder: How will Brian's siblings react to all this? While building Comcast, he built an economic engine for the city of Philadelphia as well.". Ralph J. Roberts, the man who 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. Douglas P. Roberts LEESBURG, FL Douglas P. Roberts, 54, of Leesburg, FL, passed away Aug, 18, 2014. ''We moved into an apartment with my aunt in Philadelphia. He was always a stickler for table manners," she said. I never felt that Comcast was a sixth child," she said. Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City. The culture of Comcast was important to him.". Brian, born in 1959, was the fourth. ''They are all billionaires, and they're fighting like crazy over another billion.''. He and his wife, the former Suzanne Fleisher, restored it. Let others know about your loved one's death. 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. Throughout his life, Roberts was involved in numerous community and civic activities, serving the boards of the Council of Emeritus Directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Brandywine Museum and Conservancy, among others. "These guys go out there and kill each other!". Soon after buying the Flyers, Mr. Roberts admitted that he had just seen his first hockey game. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Mr. Roberts went to work selling advertisements on the back of bus schedules to help support his family. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. But the firm wasn't always a giant, nor was its founder a scion. ''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. The elder Roberts was also civic-minded. That was extremely important to him, that we would sit around the table - all seven of us. JUST as important, family-business experts say the apparent harmony within the Roberts family bodes well for the chances of a smooth transition. "I have never heard Ralph raise his voice - never, ever. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It purchased for $30 billion controlling interest in the entertainment conglomerate's NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks; pay TV channels such as USA, CNBC, Bravo, and Syfy; the Universal movie studio; and Universal Studios theme parks in Florida and California. When the club proved to be poorly made, however the shaft bent like a pretzel, Mr. Roberts said he quickly exited the business. Ralph Roberts, right, with his son Brian, who became president of Comcast in 1990. Start searching today using our powerful and intuitive search. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. January 6, 1955 - The memory of the fiasco still rankles Mr. Diller. He loved my mother and my entire family so much. I went to the University of Pennsylvania. Ralph J. Roberts founded Comcast Corp. in 1963. 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. He is survived by : his parents, Terrance Andrew Roberts, Sr. and Geraldine Thompson (Boyce); his children, Sarah Roberts-Hanna, Katherine Allen, Sabrina McComas and Daniel Roberts; his grandchildren, Harper, Emily and Taylor; and his siblings, Danny Roberts and Charmaine Hankins. But during the Depression, Mr. Roberts recalled, ''my father died, and we lost all our money. Sheldon M. Bonovitz joined the Comcast board in 1979 and was Mr. Roberts' personal legal adviser. He was born Sept. 8, 1950 to Robert and Blanche Roberts in Portland. "His vision was always to create a little IBM," Rudnay said. In a high-pressure corporate world that demands long hours from its executives, Mr. Roberts was proud to say that he was sure to be home for dinner with his wife and children nearly every night. 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. ''I don't think Ralph knows any more about Brian's personal life than he knows about the others. ''I was probably the one to pull the curtain,'' he said. In 1994, Comcast, which had helped start QVC Network, a West Chester-based home-shopping company, made a $2.2 billion bid to buy a majority stake in the company. 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. Sign Up Today! Overnight, it went from 18th to fifth among cable firms in the United States, with two million customers. And all of them are rich. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. [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. can stop at any time. He was 95. There are no events at this time. Genealogy for Douglas Roberts (1960 - 2011) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. [13][14], Roberts made an appearance on TLC's reality series Cake Boss, receiving a cake for his 90th birthday. ''Hopefully, I have had more experience than most people,'' he said, ''but you never know.''. Suzanne Roberts. Even as he is promoting his son, the elder Mr. Roberts is looking after the financial interests of his other children. Inquirer staff writer Harold Brubaker and former staff writer Thomas J. Brady contributed to this article. '', Ralph Roberts acknowledges that he was the heavy. Ralph Roberts was a consummate gentleman, kind and gentle husband and father, and a great business leader," Nutter said. The appeal was the Roberts team, the challenge, and the firm's culture. 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. 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. Mr. Gates told the group he believed the cable industry had been slow to upgrade its systems. It is a sign of a man who has given considerable thought to the future and has spoken to his other children. mother. The importance of saying "I love you" during COVID-19, Effective ways of dealing with the grieving process, Solutions to show your sympathy safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was committed to the fight against cancer, and along with his wife and family, helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. ''The most dangerous thing is a son or daughter coming into a business where they think they get special treatment,'' Mr. Roberts said. Anyone can read what you share. Comcast's decision in late April to abandon its $45 billion deal to buy Time Warner Cable Inc. was a rare misstep for the company and a trimming of its ambitions for the moment. That never happens.". [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. The elder Mr. Roberts has made sure that each of Brian's siblings will retain an economic stake in Comcast equal their brother's. He was 95. The Roberts clan's equity stake in Comcast, based in Philadelphia, is worth at least $470 million without a premium, and once the patriarch and his wife pass from the scene, there is no guarantee the heirs won't hurl themselves into a fierce battle for the spoils. "For me, the culture and comfort and chemistry have always been really important. Mr. Roberts said, according to his biography. They are not your blood family, but you spend so much time with them, you should treat them like family. He did this by encouraging free-flowing discussion, then focusing the issue with probing questions. Enter When she was 60 years old, Mrs. Roberts got her undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology and now works with abused children. Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. Your email will not be used for any other purpose. The five children and their parents jointly own the holding company that owns Comcast's supervoting shares. His father's greatest skill, he said, ''is the ability to make the hard decision at the crucial moment.''. Douglas Scott was born April 8,1958 to Joe Nathan Scott and Mona (nee Page) Scott. ''Every chance I get I step back and say, 'Here is Brian.' Brian Roberts came to know Mr. Gates when a contingent of Comcast executives visited Microsoft on a fact-finding tour several years ago. A unique . 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. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. He was able to keep it alive as the company grew. In his leisure time, on which Mr. Roberts insisted, he rode horses, foxhunted, and enjoyed his family. BEST DEAL! "When?" Burke watched the father-son team when Mr. Roberts was chairman and his son president, and found their interplay businesslike and seamless. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. 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. Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting,was incorporated in 1969. 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. But the elder Mr. Roberts has probably come as close as any company founder can to setting the stage for an orderly succession. ''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.'' He came home each weeknight at 7 p.m. and left his briefcase by the door, along with business cares. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. He was a gentle soul with an infectious spirit who will be greatly missed. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. And I always answer with a straight face, 'Of course I did,' " Mr. Roberts said in An Incredible Dream, his authorized biography, written by William Novak. The company also has 33 million shares of common stock with one vote each and 284 million K shares with no votes. 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. 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. Brian L. Roberts (born June 28, 1959) is an American billionaire businessman, and the chairman and CEO of Comcast, an American company providing cable, entertainment, and communications products and services which was founded by his father, Ralph J. Roberts. In early 2011, after a protracted review by federal regulators, Comcast acquired 51 percent of NBC Universal from General Electric Co. She was not amused. 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. And her husband reminisced about family trips. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. The deal stirred up widespread opposition from factions who feared that the resulting cable industry giant would stifle competition and hurt consumers. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. Comcast is also one of the largest residential telephone providers in the United States. 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. He owned various companies, including Pioneer Suspenders, which marketed wallets and belts for men. Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. Funeral arrangement under the care ofKeepes Funeral Home. 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. Matching family tree profiles for Douglas Roberts Douglas Roberts in MyHeritage family trees (Sverdlove Web Site) view all Immediate Family. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. Blogs; Online will; Shop. 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. [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. Published. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. RALPH ROBERTS, the dapper 77-year-old founder of the Comcast Corporation, loves to follow the ups and downs of other family businesses and try to figure out what makes some thrive and others implode. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY ROBERTS, DOUGLAS M. Lawton Passed away July 28, 2012 at his residence. A Funeral Service will begin at Noon at . ''Brian is the more active participant.''. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. But they talk all the time. Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. And Ed Snider, Comcast Spectacor chairman, said Mr. Roberts was "a great partner and an even greater friend. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. Brubaker and former staff writer Thomas J. 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