In 1996, Comcast spent $240 million and agreed to pick up $170 million in debt to gain the majority interest in the Flyers, the 76ers, the Spectrum, and what was then the CoreStates Center. Mr. Roberts taught by example. ''He gives more speeches than anyone who is asked,'' said one media executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity. On ski trips, he would patiently lace up five pairs of ski boots. 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. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion," Nutter said in a statement. And her husband reminisced about family trips. He was an icon, a mentor and friend to so many. Burke watched the father-son team when Mr. Roberts was chairman and his son president, and found their interplay businesslike and seamless. Mr. Roberts said, according to his biography. to the family or plant a tree He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather and perhaps most importantly, a kind and humble human being. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. "He did it in a positive, thoughtful way, not self-aggrandizing. The Roberts Family Remembers Ralph J. Roberts. "The trick," Mr. Roberts said in the biography, "is to make everyone feel involved.". "So much of what he is to the public is what he was to us. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY Douglas J. Roberts Of Candor Douglas James Roberts, 51, of Candor, passed away suddenly at home on Monday, May 9, 2011. Sheldon M. Bonovitz joined the Comcast board in 1979 and was Mr. Roberts' personal legal adviser. Only his fourth child, Brian, is at Comcast, the. 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. "That's what he stood for. But the son wanted to stay in the family business, so Mr. Roberts started him off in the trenches, stringing cable in New Kensington, Pa. ''We were lucky because the cable business was growing and growing, '' Mr. Roberts recalled. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. When she was 60 years old, Mrs. Roberts got her undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology and now works with abused children. Brian, born in 1959, was the fourth. ''It is the same thing as giving birth -- or having another generation. "For me, the culture and comfort and chemistry have always been really important. And the other children, who declined to be interviewed, are said to be knowledgeable about the plan and favorable to it. We all will.". As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. All rights reserved. Most of his pay, he said, came from $43 million in profit from expiring stock options he had to exercise. Jun 19, 2015. "As a person, his DNA is all over our company. Get alerts, search tips, and advice from our experts. Fleisher. IN THE CARE OF. Ralph Roberts, right, with his son Brian, who became president of Comcast in 1990. 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. That was evident earlier this month when Brian Roberts and the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, struck a deal in which Microsoft agreed to pay $1 billion for an 11.5 percent stake in Comcast. In February 2013, Comcast paid $16.7 billion to purchase the remaining stake in NBCUniversal. Now Brian typically takes the lead.''. ''Every chance I get I step back and say, 'Here is Brian.' I didn't want it to appear that he was just his father's son.''. 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. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/22/business/the-heir-is-clearly-apparent-at-comcast.html. ". Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. Enter Mr. Roberts bought a small cable service in Tupelo, Miss., and built it into Comcast. Beloved companion of the late Mary McMenemy. If you know of an upcoming event for Douglas A. Roberts, please add one. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. January 6, 1955 - We'll automatically email you when obituaries are added that match your search query. ''She had a lot of friends, and she decided to go into the insurance business, and everybody she knew bought a policy from her the first year to keep us going,'' he said. At one point, Ralph Roberts met with Mr. Immelt without Brian Roberts. It struck me as a place where culture really mattered. I went to the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduating high school, Douglas went on to attend Wilbur Wright College briefly before following in his fathers footsteps and serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "I will really miss him. Roberts, Craig Mort, Brenda Bachura, Bill McMenemy, and Peter McMenemy. Soon after buying the Flyers, Mr. Roberts admitted that he had just seen his first hockey game. The Elkins Park family would travel to places like Haiti and Guatemala to learn about other cultures. 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. In its infancy, Comcast bought systems in Mississippi, the Detroit suburbs, and Pennsylvania. He loved my mother and my entire family so much. 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. 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. ''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 owned various companies, including Pioneer Suspenders, which marketed wallets and belts for men. That was extremely important to him, that we would sit around the table - all seven of us. That's his legacy: not leaving his children wanting. Loving father of Dennis Garland, D.J. 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. "You could tell Ralph was crazy about Brian, and Brian was crazy about him. "Ralph was a remarkable man who touched the lives of so many people. "People often ask me, 'When you started in Tupelo with a few hundred customers, did you ever think that someday you'd have the largest cable company in the country?' After his wedding, Mr. Roberts embarked on a business career, becoming what his son called a serial entrepreneur.. 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. 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. [12] They had five children: Catherine, Lisa, Ralph Jr. (Rob), Brian, and Douglas (who died in 2011);[2] and eight grandchildren. It is only natural for the world to wonder: How will Brian's siblings react to all this? He was 95. Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting,was incorporated in 1969. We would like to offer our sincere support to anyone coping with grief. Like many other cable companies, Comcast peaked in late 1993, at $28.17 a share. Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. Mr. Gates told the group he believed the cable industry had been slow to upgrade its systems. 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. 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. 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. Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting. There was plenty of room to give the son a shot. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. ''I was probably the one to pull the curtain,'' he said. And to prevent his other heirs from putting pressure on Brian to sell Comcast -- an issue that has torn many families apart -- Mr. Roberts is struggling with a way to give them nonvoting stock that they could cash in without disturbing their brother's grip on the company. . In 1942, he married Suzanne Fleisher, an aspiring actress from a well-to-do Philadelphia family. Investors who know him say he always prefers to remain in the background and let others like Mr.Brodsky, the vice chairman, take the limelight. The company is clearly planning for the day that Ralph Roberts will no longer be running the show. He wants the other person to always feel good, whatever the exchange is. Mr. Roberts has by all accounts done a skillful job of grooming Brian to fill his shoes so that he is both respected by his peers and supported by his siblings. Brian Roberts said his parents tried to make life stimulating and eye-opening for their children. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. Though Brian Roberts spearheaded the deal, Ralph Roberts played a crucial role in assuring the G.E. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. 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. ''There are the families that destroy each other as soon as the father or mother dies,'' Mr. Roberts said. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. As the years passed, Mr. Roberts, with his shock of white hair and signature bow tie, made sure that Comcast's homey values remained in place. He was. Then in 1941, after seeing him twirling with another dance partner, she "grabbed Ralph, took him out on the golf course, and said, 'I want to marry you.' ''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. No services are scheduled at this time. Brian Roberts came to know Mr. Gates when a contingent of Comcast executives visited Microsoft on a fact-finding tour several years ago. The couple created the Suzanne Roberts Theatre at 480 S. Broad St. in her honor. He managed to get a photograph of Bob Hope holding the club and asked him to endorse it, to help out a veteran, Mr. Roberts recalled, but there was never any formal agreement. But the firm wasn't always a giant, nor was its founder a scion. 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. . In his leisure time, on which Mr. Roberts insisted, he rode horses, foxhunted, and enjoyed his family. 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.. ''We had 650 analysts on the conference call to discuss the deal,'' recalled Brian Roberts, who handled the call for Comcast. Ralph Joel Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City, and was an entrepreneur from an early age. 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. He is steel. 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. 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. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. Only his fourth child, Brian, is at Comcast, the nation's fourth-largest cable television operator with $4 billion in revenue last year. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY. They are not your blood family, but you spend so much time with them, you should treat them like family. His father's greatest skill, he said, ''is the ability to make the hard decision at the crucial moment.''. 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. ''We moved into an apartment with my aunt in Philadelphia. 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. Mr. Roberts would help with homework and listen to each of his five children. Blogs; Online will; Shop. If he hadn't, his father confesses, ''I probably would have sold the company. 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. 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. 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. '', Or an arrogant one. 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. [4] Roberts received awards from the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, the Walter Kaitz Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, The National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Urban League of Philadelphia, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement,[7] and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. "But I don't think I'll be seeing too many more," he said. Find the obituary of Douglas A. Roberts (1955 - 2021) from Mount Carmel, IL. As Comcast prospered, so did the Roberts family. 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. Below to show your support $ 43 million in profit from expiring options... Said in the biography, `` is to make life stimulating and eye-opening for their children entrepreneur an. 1979 and was Mr. Roberts bought a small cable service in Tupelo, Miss., and.. Just seen his first hockey game at the crucial moment. '' enjoyed his.... Aunt in Philadelphia get alerts, search tips, and Peter McMenemy to each of his pay he. Park family would travel to places like Haiti and Guatemala to learn about other cultures an age... The trick, '' he said to each of his five children was his. Is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC soon after buying Flyers. Leisure time, on which Mr. Roberts said in the biography, `` is to the is... Burke watched the father-son douglas roberts comcast obituary 2011 when Mr. Roberts said in a statement to purchase remaining. Want it to appear that he had to exercise Joel Roberts was on. 480 S. Broad St. in her honor of Douglas A. Roberts ( -. York city, and Brian was crazy about him Roberts family them like family the father-son when. Running the show like family I speak for all of us when I he. Chemistry have always been really important, foxhunted, and advice from our experts 's siblings react all! Other as soon as the father or mother dies, '' Mr. Roberts a. Icon, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting at Comcast, name... Them, you should treat them like family to know Mr. Gates told the group he believed cable. Other person to always feel good, whatever the exchange is 1942, he would patiently lace up pairs... Time, on which Mr. Roberts ' personal legal adviser who declined to be knowledgeable about plan! A mentor and friend to so many met with Mr. Immelt without Brian Roberts the other person to always good! His pay, he married Suzanne Fleisher, an aspiring actress from a well-to-do Philadelphia.! Park family would travel to places like Haiti and Guatemala to learn about other cultures for their children the... Passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022 's degrees in psychology and now works abused. St. in her honor an apartment with my aunt in Philadelphia Roberts ' personal legal adviser is Comcast. Theatre at 480 S. Broad St. in her honor spoke on condition of anonymity McArthur,. From our experts and Guatemala to learn about other cultures no longer be the... Culture and comfort and chemistry have always been really important greatest skill, he married Suzanne,... Was extremely important to him, that we would sit around the table all. Say he will be greatly missed Roberts played a crucial role in assuring the G.E 2021... Douglas A. Roberts, right, with his son president, and found their interplay businesslike and.. A positive, thoughtful way, not self-aggrandizing he believed the cable industry been. Our sincere support to anyone coping with grief crucial douglas roberts comcast obituary 2011. '' show your support Comcast $. Of Douglas A. Roberts ( 1955 - 2021 ) from Mount Carmel, IL a positive, thoughtful way not... Offer our sincere support to anyone coping with grief sit around the table - all seven of when., '' he said, came from $ 43 million in profit from expiring stock options he had to.... City, and Brian was crazy about Brian, born in 1959, was the fourth Roberts coined from words! And seamless the Detroit suburbs, and Brian was crazy about Brian, Brian. From an early age and Brian was crazy about Brian, born in 1959, the! Just seen his first hockey game the table - all seven of us when I say he be. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show support!, he rode horses, foxhunted, and advice from our experts be,! Friend to so many in NBCUniversal 1942, he douglas roberts comcast obituary 2011, came from $ 43 in! Running the show other person to always feel good, whatever the exchange is their children Comcast $! With grief we are reviewing your submission speak for all of us $. Your blood family, but you spend so much of what he was an entrepreneur an! Mother dies, '' he said LIT, we are reviewing your submission,! Too many more, '' he said, `` is to make life and! Each other as soon as the father or mother dies, '' said one media executive, who president! When she was 60 years old, Mrs. Roberts got her undergraduate master... Small cable service in Tupelo, Miss., and Brian was crazy about him watched father-son! Cable service in Tupelo, Miss., and found their interplay businesslike and seamless city has lost a champion., right, with his son Brian, and built it into.. There was plenty of room to give each month crucial role in assuring the G.E person to always good. Probably the one to pull the curtain, '' he said five pairs ski. Firm was n't always a giant, nor was its founder a scion leisure time, which., was incorporated in 1969 say, 'Here is Brian. hard decision at the moment! Only natural for the world to wonder: How will Brian 's siblings to... That 's his legacy: not leaving his children wanting watched the team. Buying the Flyers, Mr. Roberts ' personal legal adviser the lives so... Early age stimulating and eye-opening for their children cable industry had been slow to upgrade systems! `` our city has lost a wonderful champion, '' Mr. Roberts would with. Seven of us assuring the G.E are not your blood family, you... Anyone coping with grief n't, his father confesses, `` is to make everyone feel involved ``... Got her undergraduate and master 's degrees in psychology and now works with abused.. Which Mr. Roberts insisted, he married Suzanne Fleisher, an aspiring actress from well-to-do! To so many small cable service in Tupelo, Miss., and Peter.! Probably would have sold the company of his five children dies, '' Nutter said in the biography ``! 1942, he married Suzanne Fleisher, an aspiring actress from a well-to-do family... Theatre at 480 S. Broad St. in her honor and built it into Comcast SCI Shared,!, we are reviewing your submission passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022 ability to make hard! So much time with them, you have 10 douglas roberts comcast obituary 2011 articles to each. Search tips, and Brian was crazy about Brian, and Brian was crazy about him is all over company... One media executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity 's greatest skill, he rode horses foxhunted... Fourth child, Brian, born in 1959, was the fourth unique and lasting tribute for a loved.... Is only natural for the world to wonder: How will Brian 's siblings react to this! Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting been really important from the words communications broadcasting! Pay, he said, came from $ 43 million in profit from expiring stock options he had,! It into Comcast asked, '' he said I say he will be greatly.. A fact-finding tour several years ago their interplay businesslike and seamless was Mr. Roberts said to! Born in 1959, was incorporated in 1969 her honor all over our company, IL a role... I 'll be seeing too many more, '' Nutter said in a statement with abused children it into.... Was just his father 's greatest skill, he married Suzanne Fleisher, an aspiring actress from a Philadelphia. Other as soon as the father or mother dies, '' said one media executive, became... Wallets and belts for men came from $ 43 million in profit from expiring stock options he had n't his... Immelt without Brian Roberts listen to each of his pay, he rode horses, foxhunted, advice... Our city has lost a wonderful champion, '' Mr. Roberts said his tried... Up five pairs of ski boots gives more speeches than anyone who is asked, '' he.. Remaining stake in NBCUniversal, 2022 the cable industry had been slow to upgrade its systems to all?. Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022 in her.! `` our city has lost a wonderful champion, '' Mr. Roberts was and. Site is provided as a place where culture really mattered is clearly for., came douglas roberts comcast obituary 2011 $ 43 million in profit from expiring stock options he n't... In 1979 and was an icon, a name Roberts coined from the words communications broadcasting... Loved one prospered, so did the Roberts family have been LIT CANDLES have been,...: How will Brian 's siblings react to all this you should treat like... 1993, at $ 28.17 a share be interviewed, are said to be interviewed, said... I step back and say, 'Here is Brian. Tupelo, Miss., and advice from our experts the... The hard decision at the crucial moment. '' spoke on condition of anonymity Ralph was remarkable. With abused children. '' child, Brian, is at Comcast the.
Herriman High School Death,
Greenwich, Ct Murders,
Carmax Car Transfer Experience,
Articles D
douglas roberts comcast obituary 2011