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. He was the most optimistic man I ever knew. "Ralph Roberts is the absolutely most clear-cut example of the American dream," said former Gov. Obituary Roberts, Douglas David It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Douglas Roberts on August 1, 2013 at The Wellington Nursing Home in his 89th year. With its acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011, the firm took its place among the global leaders in communications and entertainment. spouse. 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. Penn honored him in 2005 with the Doctor of Laws honoris causa. Questions? Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. Through the 1970s and '80s, it built cable networks, learned to maintain them, and profited by Mr. Roberts' favorite element - recurring monthly income. Genealogy for Douglas Roberts (1960 - 2011) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. Though Brian Roberts spearheaded the deal, Ralph Roberts played a crucial role in assuring the G.E. ", Mr. Roberts met his wife at a dance in 1937 when he was 17, she 16. Since I was 12, all I wanted to do was work with my dad, Brian Roberts said in an interview for this obituary. Burke watched the father-son team when Mr. Roberts was chairman and his son president, and found their interplay businesslike and seamless. 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. Ralph J. Roberts founded Comcast Corp. in 1963. 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. In the meantime, he and his wife had five children. At least Comcast has the financial flexibility to make the transition work. In 1990, at age 70 and after 21 years at the helm, he handed off the presidency to his son, then 30, in a rare successful intergenerational transfer of power. Brian Roberts said his parents tried to make life stimulating and eye-opening for their children. JUST as important, family-business experts say the apparent harmony within the Roberts family bodes well for the chances of a smooth transition. When not on the basketball court, Douglas loved playing cards, spending time with his family, and helping those less fortunate. 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. He was always a stickler for table manners," she said. We are deeply saddened to announce that Ralph J. Roberts, husband, father and grandfather, died of natural causes Thursday, June 18 in Philadelphia, PA. Like many other cable companies, Comcast peaked in late 1993, at $28.17 a share. Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. 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. It bottomed out at $16.375 last March and has recovered slightly, closing at $21.375 on Friday on Nasdaq. Mr. Gates was warm to the idea. ''I would see Ralph about once a year. To be sure, he adds, ''At an important fork in the road, Brian will go off to his father'' to get the older man's stamp of approval. Roberts, Craig Mort, Brenda Bachura, Bill McMenemy, and Peter McMenemy. 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. Only his fourth child, Brian, is at Comcast, the. your email below for our complimentary daily grief messages. Mr. Roberts has been married to his wife, Suzanne, for 54 years. The appeal was the Roberts team, the challenge, and the firm's culture. Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting. 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. [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. He wanted to marry her after several years, but she wasn't ready. Ralph J. Roberts, the man whofounded 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. A remembrance ceremony to celebrate Roberts' life will follow at a future date. ''I have never seen a relationship that could surpass the two of them,'' she said. 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. After leaving the Navy, Roberts held various jobs, first selling golf clubs, then working for the Muzak Company, and later the Pioneer Suspender Company, which he eventually owned. Doug was predeceased by his infant. The Gettys or that family in Texas,'' he continued, referring to Harold Simmons, the Texas investor who is at war with his daughters. It is a sign of a man who has given considerable thought to the future and has spoken to his other children. "Ralph was always 'Ralph' to his rank-and-file employees, and a great listener who always checked his ego at the door. [4] He was awarded honorary degrees from both Holy Family College and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received their Joseph P. Wharton Award. ", Mayor Nutter called Mr. Roberts a "consummate gentleman, kind and gentle husband and father, and a great business leader.". 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. 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. Maybe it was losing both his parents before he was 21, living through the Depression, but somehow he became an optimist. 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. "I never had a bad idea in working for him for 30-plus years," Roberts said. On ski trips, he would patiently lace up five pairs of ski boots. He also sold advertising on ink blotters. They both deserve credit for that graceful interplay, but the lion's share goes to Ralph," said Burke, CEO of Comcast's NBCUniversal. 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. It is only natural for the world to wonder: How will Brian's siblings react to all this? He was born Sept. 8, 1950 to Robert and Blanche Roberts in Portland. I knew a lot of people at Comcast. He was 95. Born in Trenton, Doug was a longtime Ewing resident. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. He was needed there because of his business acumen, his superiors said. But as I began to look at what was happening, I realized the cable business was the best of all the ones I had invested in, and decided to go forward full boat.. We'll automatically email you when obituaries are added that match your search query. 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. They were like mass therapy sessions with the children.''. ''Brian is the more active participant.''. 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. [12] They had five children: Catherine, Lisa, Ralph Jr. (Rob), Brian, and Douglas (who died in 2011);[2] and eight grandchildren. That was hardly a coincidence. Start searching today using our powerful and intuitive search. 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. It also locked up broadcast rights to the Phillies. [6], Roberts served on the boards of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Brandywine River Museum, the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, and the PENN Medicine Board of Trustees. He and his wife, the former Suzanne Fleisher, restored it. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. ''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.'' The deal put the cable company on a far larger corporate map. You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Douglass Edward Roberts, 2023 Hathaway Funeral Homes. Suzanne Roberts. Now Brian typically takes the lead.''. [2][3] Roberts graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and served a four-year tour on duty in the United States Navy.[4]. The memory of the fiasco still rankles Mr. Diller. Without being asked, Mrs. Roberts volunteered her opinion that Ralph and Brian clicked as few business partners do. [13][14], Roberts made an appearance on TLC's reality series Cake Boss, receiving a cake for his 90th birthday. 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