2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. But the firm wasn't always a giant, nor was its founder a scion. If he hadn't, his father confesses, ''I probably would have sold the company. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. January 6, 1955 - your email below for our complimentary daily grief messages. Enter Doug was predeceased by his infant. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. 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. 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 is a skill that Brian Roberts knows he has yet to prove and that is rare among the sons of powerful men, who are often overwhelmed by their fathers. 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. Receive a notification when services are updated. ''We moved into an apartment with my aunt in Philadelphia. 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. He was 95. Questions? We'll automatically email you when obituaries are added that match your search query. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion with his passing.". [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. ''It's a pretty close family. It is the mother who will make it work. Mr. Roberts built Comcast through a series of acquisitions of cable systems around the country. Mr. Roberts said, according to his biography. "He was the greatest influence in my life and a joy for me to work side by side with for over three decades. "But I don't think I'll be seeing too many more," he said. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. Ralph Joel Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York. 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. [8] The Suzanne F. and Ralph J. Roberts Foundation was one of the largest contributors to the restoration of the Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia named in the honor of his father-in-law. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. 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. 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. In 2014, Comcast proposed a $45.2 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable. 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. ", "He's the same person as my boss that he has been as a dad; he's gracious, never interrupts when you're talking. Most of his pay, he said, came from $43 million in profit from expiring stock options he had to exercise. Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. "That's what he stood for. ''Hopefully, I have had more experience than most people,'' he said, ''but you never know.''. She was not amused. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. "I never had a bad idea in working for him for 30-plus years," Roberts said. '', Brian Roberts acknowledges that decision making, what he calls ''pulling the trigger,'' is something you learn. The magic words, according to Mr. Roberts, were "Yes, dear.". 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 would have discussions about our lives. Despite that, Mr. Roberts named the club the Bob Hope Centric putter and began selling it around the country. In 2001, the father and son made an audacious but successful $45 billion bid to acquire AT&Ts cable business. When not on the basketball court, Douglas loved playing cards, spending time with his family, and helping those less fortunate. 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. While building Comcast, he built an economic engine for the city of Philadelphia as well.". The deal would have relegated Comcast, the biggest QVC shareholder, to be a minor, and passive, investor in CBS, and the elder Mr. Roberts wanted no part of that. He felt, 'This doesn't have to be about me.' 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. 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. 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. As Comcast prospered, so did the Roberts family. There was another side to Mr. Roberts - as a mentor to those other than his son. He was 95. 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. We all will.". That's his legacy: not leaving his children wanting. ''We had 650 analysts on the conference call to discuss the deal,'' recalled Brian Roberts, who handled the call for Comcast. IN THE CARE OF. Asked what it was like to run a company with one's father, Brian Roberts said his dad was a superb work partner, mentor, and parent. 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. 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. The culture of Comcast was important to him.". Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. "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?' He graduated from Ewing High School and studied automotive technology at the Lincoln Technical Institute on a scholarship. He was chairman of the board from 1969 to 2002. Loving father of Dennis Garland, D.J. In February 2013, Comcast paid $16.7 billion to purchase the remaining stake in NBCUniversal. Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Hillside, IL. They were like mass therapy sessions with the children.''. ". Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Many entrepreneurs are very secretive. He was 95. Now Brian typically takes the lead.''. spouse. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Mr. Roberts witnessed the loss of his family's drugstore chain in the Depression and the death of his father to a heart attack in 1933, when he was 12. A few weeks ago, the five Roberts children -- leaving behind both mates and children -- spent a day with their parents for freewheeling talks on everything from personal concerns to financial matters. The deal put the cable company on a far larger corporate map. 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. "It has been a dream come true for him - and for me," Brian Roberts told his father's biographer. In one generation, he started a company that is one of the 50 biggest companies in the U.S.," said Burke, one of a second wave of executives to join Comcast 15 years ago. "The trick," Mr. Roberts said in the biography, "is to make everyone feel involved.". He moved his family to New Rochelle, N.Y., when Ralph was 5. He was 95. He rose to president and chief executive at Pioneer and eventually bought the company. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. "He wanted to keep the integrity, the family feel, and the dedication of employees. He recalled in a 1996 interview digging up his mother's marigolds and selling them to the neighbors. Let others know about your loved one's death. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. His plan is to turn over the votes to Brian but make sure to divide the financial pie fairly among all the offspring. Luckily, the youngster had business smarts as well as enthusiasm. Make a life-giving gesture. Anyone can read what you share. I believe the reason we are still in this business when so many others have long since departed was his will to succeed, and to do it with certain core values and integrity. 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. Beloved companion of the late Mary McMenemy. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/22/business/the-heir-is-clearly-apparent-at-comcast.html. Mr. Roberts allowed himself an indulgence - the purchase of a farm in Chester County. I lived at home.'' Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. 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. The company also has 33 million shares of common stock with one vote each and 284 million K shares with no votes. ''They are all billionaires, and they're fighting like crazy over another billion.''. I didn't want it to appear that he was just his father's son.''. He was the most optimistic man I ever knew. Less than $5 per month Family-business experts say the family is something of an anomaly in devising a smooth transfer between generations. Create an obituary. Blogs; Online will; Shop. Like many other cable companies, Comcast peaked in late 1993, at $28.17 a share. The couple created the Suzanne Roberts Theatre at 480 S. Broad St. in her honor. All rights reserved. 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. No one was punished for broaching a new idea. 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. He was born Sept. 8, 1950 to Robert and Blanche Roberts in Portland. Their simple philosophy was summed up by Mr. Roberts in an interview with The New York Times in 2007. The elder Mr. Roberts has made sure that each of Brian's siblings will retain an economic stake in Comcast equal their brother's. 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. He was needed there because of his business acumen, his superiors said. ''This is a relatively unusual situation,'' said Leon Danco, president of the Center for Family Studies. [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. I knew a lot of people at Comcast. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren. 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. 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. Only his fourth child, Brian, is at Comcast, the nation's fourth-largest cable television operator with $4 billion in revenue last year. "Ralph was a tough, hard businessman, but he never forgot his obligation to help others, help his community, and help Philadelphia. But the elder Mr. Roberts has probably come as close as any company founder can to setting the stage for an orderly succession. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. And all of them are rich. ''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. Messages run for up to one year and you He did this by encouraging free-flowing discussion, then focusing the issue with probing questions. Our activities are so public. But during the Depression, Mr. Roberts recalled, ''my father died, and we lost all our money. I cannot remember a time during our relationship where a cross word passed between us. JUST as important, family-business experts say the apparent harmony within the Roberts family bodes well for the chances of a smooth transition. The Elkins Park family would travel to places like Haiti and Guatemala to learn about other cultures. Stone Funeral Home. He died on June 18, 2015, of natural causes. If you know of an upcoming event for Douglas A. Roberts, please add one. Although eager to serve on a ship, Mr. Roberts spent his World War II duty as matriel superintendent in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. . 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. ", Mr. Roberts met his wife at a dance in 1937 when he was 17, she 16. Doug was predeceased by his infant. Mr. Roberts later took jobs with the Muzak Corporation and the Pioneer Suspender Company, which sold mens belts and cologne. 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.. It struck me as a place where culture really mattered. He wants the other person to always feel good, whatever the exchange is. ''There are the families that destroy each other as soon as the father or mother dies,'' Mr. Roberts said. Brian Roberts countered that other companies, including Comcast, were aggressively upgrading. "His vision was always to create a little IBM," Rudnay said. 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. Sign up for service and obituary updates. Douglass Edward Roberts, 69, a lifelong resident of Swansea and the son of the late Edward Francis Roberts and Barbara (Douglass) Roberts, passed away on December 25, 2019. He also participated in continuing education programs at Harvard Business School. Anyone can read what you share. 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 as Brian Roberts worked his way up the ladder, the halcyon 1980's came to an end. IT helps, of course, that only one of the children desperately wanted to follow in Dad's footsteps. "Ralph served as a longtime member of the Penn Medicine board, and actively supported athletics, undergraduate financial aid, and his class." ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The family will host a private service for the family, the company announced. 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 graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and served four years in the U.S. Navy. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. The Gettys or that family in Texas,'' he continued, referring to Harold Simmons, the Texas investor who is at war with his daughters. He and his wife, the former Suzanne Fleisher, restored it. Even though Brian is the CEO, Ralph set the tone from a business point of view.". [4] In 1998, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Roberts into their Hall of Fame. He was an icon, a mentor and friend to so many. Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. ''All this would never have happened in the arms of a second wife,'' according to Mr. Danco. Published. Let others know about your loved one's death. "His legacy is that he left a big, vibrant company, that is led by his son, that will live on for many, many years," Comcast executive Steve Burke said.

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