There was plenty of room to give the son a shot. ''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.'' As an executive, Mr. Roberts had a knack for attracting talented people and giving them power, within limits. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. 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. He was born on January 6, 1955 in Tampa, Florida, the son of Terrance Andrew Roberts, Sr. and Geraldine (Boyce) Thompson. His plan is to turn over the votes to Brian but make sure to divide the financial pie fairly among all the offspring. But that verve was always tempered by a calm affability and a cautious approach to spending money. ". Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. Like many media entrepreneurs, Ralph Roberts created several classes of stock, enabling him to issue equity without losing control. He came home each weeknight at 7 p.m. and left his briefcase by the door, along with business cares. The 1990's have been far tougher, as regulation and skepticism about the industry's future in the face of rival technologies hurt cable stocks. 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.. He credits his mother for pulling the family through hard times. To make it work, you have to have motivated, competent successors as well as accommodating heirs. Doug graduated from Hillsborough High School in Tampa and went on to attend Hobart School of Welding. A remembrance ceremony to celebrate Roberts' life will follow at a future date. Blogs; Online will; Shop. He was 95. [4] In 1998, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Roberts into their Hall of Fame. She was not amused. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion," Nutter said in a statement. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ", "He's the same person as my boss that he has been as a dad; he's gracious, never interrupts when you're talking. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. ''They drag the business down because it kills the morale of everybody in the company.''. [9], In 1942, Roberts married Suzanne Fleisher,[10] who was also Jewish,[2] an actress and playwright, and daughter of philanthropist Alfred W. Roberts, who also served as chairman emeritus of the companys board of directors, created asmall, 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. Ralph J. Roberts founded Comcast Corp. in 1963. He also sold advertising on ink blotters. 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. In 2014, Comcast proposed a $45.2 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable. His main goal at the time was to make a lot of money. Funeral homes; Help and advice. There are too many other combatants, and it becomes another deal. Fleisher. 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. 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. Our activities are so public. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. To support himself at college, he took on a variety of odd jobs, including selling milk. Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Hillside, IL. 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. He always treated me with respect from a very young age.". Already in his 40s, he was approached by a Philadelphia acquaintance named Dan Aaron, who alerted him to a 1,200-subscriber cable television system for sale in Tupelo. His wife agreed: "The thing that motivates Ralph is not having the money, but knowing that his children are secure. On the contrary, he says, ''Brian takes the lead and is the one forging ahead and trying to figure out where they are going,'' Mr. Maffei said. The five children and their parents jointly own the holding company that owns Comcast's supervoting shares. 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. An actress, director and host of Seeking Solutions with Suzanne, Suzanne has spent a lifetime seeking to help others. ''Usually we have about 200.''. ", Mr. Roberts met his wife at a dance in 1937 when he was 17, she 16. Make a life-giving gesture. Ralph Joel Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City, and was an entrepreneur from an early age. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. These early losses, coupled with experiences as a young salesman of golf clubs, men's accessories, cologne, and Muzak, gave Mr. Roberts an ambitious, entrepreneurial spirit. 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. He wants the other person to always feel good, whatever the exchange is. Word of Mr. Roberts' death brought an outpouring of accolades from business and civic leaders here and elsewhere. "As a person, his DNA is all over our company. The Elkins Park family would travel to places like Haiti and Guatemala to learn about other cultures. For Brodsky that was giving up the four or five packs of unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes he used to smoke. Through the 1970s and '80s, it built cable networks, learned to maintain them, and profited by Mr. Roberts' favorite element - recurring monthly income. He recalled in a 1996 interview digging up his mother's marigolds and selling them to the neighbors. Daughter Lisa said Mr. Roberts was an attentive father. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY Douglas J. Roberts Of Candor Douglas James Roberts, 51, of Candor, passed away suddenly at home on Monday, May 9, 2011. On ski trips, he would patiently lace up five pairs of ski boots. . 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. Even though Brian is the CEO, Ralph set the tone from a business point of view.". ''They come in and tear each other apart. People who never had a financial problem in their lives can never understand what terror there is in that.''. But during the Depression, Mr. Roberts recalled, ''my father died, and we lost all our money. "The trick," Mr. Roberts said in the biography, "is to make everyone feel involved.". That was extremely important to him, that we would sit around the table - all seven of us. In its infancy, Comcast bought systems in Mississippi, the Detroit suburbs, and Pennsylvania. In addition to his wife, he 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. Burke watched the father-son team when Mr. Roberts was chairman and his son president, and found their interplay businesslike and seamless. (Mr. Bush won the states other Senate seat two years later.). He was an inspiration to us all and we will miss him greatly.". 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. The Roberts family said in a statement: "Ralph was a remarkable man who touched the lives of so many people. I lived at home.'' It bottomed out at $16.375 last March and has recovered slightly, closing at $21.375 on Friday on Nasdaq. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. "His vision was always to create a little IBM," Rudnay said. Brian Roberts countered that other companies, including Comcast, were aggressively upgrading. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. The elder Mr. Roberts has made sure that each of Brian's siblings will retain an economic stake in Comcast equal their brother's. It is the mother who will make it work. Get alerts, search tips, and advice from our experts. [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. They both deserve credit for that graceful interplay, but the lion's share goes to Ralph," said Burke, CEO of Comcast's NBCUniversal. Inquirer staff writer Harold Brubaker and former staff writer Thomas J. Brady contributed to this article. Funeral Home website by. Cancel any time, no strings attached. And Ed Snider, Comcast Spectacor chairman, said Mr. Roberts was "a great partner and an even greater friend. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion with his passing.". Comcast, a name Roberts coined from the words communications and broadcasting. When I think of Ralph, it is always with the utmost affection.". Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. He was 95. That was hardly a coincidence. Like many other cable companies, Comcast peaked in late 1993, at $28.17 a share. 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