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. 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.''. 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. Then he turned the company over to his son at an early age. He was an icon, a mentor and friend to so many. ''I was probably the one to pull the curtain,'' he said. "Ralph served as a longtime member of the Penn Medicine board, and actively supported athletics, undergraduate financial aid, and his class." Bob McGovern It's been a real pleasure for the whole family," he said in 1999. Roberts is survived by Suzanne Roberts, his wife of over 70 years and an actress, director and host of Seeking Solutions with Suzanne. He will always be remembered for his generosity, integrity, honesty, kindness and respect for everyone around him. 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 95. hairman emeritus of the companys board of directors, created a. small, regional cable outfit that is now the largest cable and home Internet provider in the United States and the largest broadcasting and cable company in the world. 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. He is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews. 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. Philadelphia became Mr. Robertss business base and the arena for his philanthropy. 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. "During this period, even before 1979 . ''Every chance I get I step back and say, 'Here is Brian.' It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Douglas A. Roberts of Mount Carmel, Illinois, born in Tampa, Florida, who passed away on May 2, 2021, at the age of 66, leaving to mourn family and friends. In a statement, Mayor Michael Nutter remembered the business visionary and family man. Throughout his career, he remained at the core a salesman and merchant, but one who took chances and could "see around corners" to anticipate the next new thing. Their simple philosophy was summed up by Mr. Roberts in an interview with The New York Times in 2007. '', 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. 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. Funeral arrangement under the care ofKeepes Funeral Home. Burke watched the father-son team when Mr. Roberts was chairman and his son president, and found their interplay businesslike and seamless. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Daughter Lisa said Mr. Roberts was an attentive father. His father, Robert Max Roberts, was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who prospered with a string of pharmacies in the city. He was. He was a killer dancer - the only thing he bragged about. 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. . When not on the basketball court, Douglas loved playing cards, spending time with his family, and helping those less fortunate. The fundamental fact is that people love television, he said, and if you can provide them with more television, they love it even more.. ''It has been wonderful to share those tense moments with your father,'' Brian Roberts said, ''and hopefully, it has prepared me for the future. So he made his own bid for QVC, with TCI as a partner, effectively killing the CBS deal. Let others know about your loved one's death. His father's greatest skill, he said, ''is the ability to make the hard decision at the crucial moment.''. If he hadn't, his father confesses, ''I probably would have sold the company. In later years, he did so with his son Brian L. Roberts, to whom he turned over the companys presidency in 1990 when Brian was 30 years old. ''This is a relatively unusual situation,'' said Leon Danco, president of the Center for Family Studies. 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. 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. "His vision was always to create a little IBM," Rudnay said. He graduated with an economics degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and enlisted in the Navy as World War II was beginning, serving at the Philadelphia Navy Yard for the duration of the war. . 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. Douglas P. Roberts LEESBURG, FL Douglas P. Roberts, 54, of Leesburg, FL, passed away Aug, 18, 2014. He moved his family to New Rochelle, N.Y., when Ralph was 5. NewsLibrary. It is amazing. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY. IN THE CARE OF. "As a person, his DNA is all over our company. 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. Suzanne Roberts. 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. Doug was predeceased by his infant. He did this by encouraging free-flowing discussion, then focusing the issue with probing questions. We have all learned so much from Ralph, but perhaps the greatest lesson was the way he lived his life. 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. 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. Let others know about your loved one's death. He helped his wife, an actress, practice her lines and attended every performance no matter how many days the show ran. Sign up for service and obituary updates. Brian, born in 1959, was the fourth. After his wedding, Mr. Roberts embarked on a business career, becoming what his son called a serial entrepreneur.. 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. 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. Ralph is survived by Suzanne Roberts, his wife of over 70 years. A Funeral Service will begin at Noon at . [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]. There is no photo or video of Douglas A. Roberts.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. Ralph was my personal mentor, teaching me how to build and maintain a great organizational culture irrespective of size," Bonovitz said. 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. ", "He's the same person as my boss that he has been as a dad; he's gracious, never interrupts when you're talking. Contributions may be made to the Germantown Boys and Girls Club, 25 W. Penn St., Philadelphia 19144, or the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia 19103, or at http://unitedforimpact.org/ways-to-give. Brodsky, the company's longtime finance guru, on Friday described Mr. Roberts as his best friend and a "charismatic, fearless visionary" who gave people the confidence to do things they thought were impossible. 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. We all will.". Ralph Joel Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York. 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. 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. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. His son Douglas died in 2011. And if there is any disagreement, they can always talk it out. "I have never heard Ralph raise his voice - never, ever. 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