Growing up with five kids competing for attention, it's not easy, but he put his family first. Mr. Roberts said, according to his biography. He had been born into an affluent home, the son of the owner of a small drugstore chain in Westchester County, N.Y. For a time, the family even had a chauffeur. And Ed Snider, Comcast Spectacor chairman, said Mr. Roberts was "a great partner and an even greater friend. Ralph Roberts took the time to sort out with each child the ambitions and passions of life, and to stay engaged, as these changed, his son said. Get alerts, search tips, and advice from our experts. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. After selling the firm, he set up shop in 1961 in Bala Cynwyd. Mr. Roberts allowed himself an indulgence - the purchase of a farm in Chester County. After his wedding, Mr. Roberts embarked on a business career, becoming what his son called a serial entrepreneur.. This has a pretty good chance of working. Through the 1970s and '80s, it built cable networks, learned to maintain them, and profited by Mr. Roberts' favorite element - recurring monthly income. [9], In 1942, Roberts married Suzanne Fleisher,[10] who was also Jewish,[2] an actress and playwright, and daughter of philanthropist Alfred W. He did this by encouraging free-flowing discussion, then focusing the issue with probing questions. There was plenty of room to give the son a shot. It's been a real pleasure for the whole family," he said in 1999. 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. '', That would have been a wrenching decision, as it almost invariably is for the founder of a company. Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. Questions? As Comcast prospered, so did the Roberts family. But the elder Mr. Roberts has probably come as close as any company founder can to setting the stage for an orderly succession. ''The children -- the family -- have continual discussions,'' he said during an interview in which he was joined by Brian, dressed like his father in a gray suit, black loafers, a white button-down shirt and red print tie. 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. And if there is any disagreement, they can always talk it out. ''But if it were not for self-promotion, how would a guy like Bill Gates take him seriously?''. 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 told his biographer that his greatest accomplishment was that all my children speak to me frequently., Ralph Roberts, Cable TV Pioneer Who Built Comcast, Dies at 95, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/20/business/media/ralph-roberts-cable-tv-pioneer-who-built-comcast-dies-at-95.html. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion," Nutter said in a statement. Committed to the fight against cancer, he and his family helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Medicine in 2006. Let others know about your loved one's death. I never felt that Comcast was a sixth child," she said. Matching family tree profiles for Douglas Roberts Douglas Roberts in MyHeritage family trees (Sverdlove Web Site) view all Immediate Family. Mr. Roberts bought a small cable service in Tupelo, Miss., and built it into Comcast. 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. "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?' Most of his pay, he said, came from $43 million in profit from expiring stock options he had to exercise. It struck me as a place where culture really mattered. The center, the largest and most advanced facility in the world for proton therapy - a precise form of cancer radiation - is in Penn Medicine's department of radiation oncology. In his leisure time, on which Mr. Roberts insisted, he rode horses, foxhunted, and enjoyed his family. He is survived by : his parents, Terrance Andrew Roberts, Sr. and Geraldine Thompson (Boyce); his children, Sarah Roberts-Hanna, Katherine Allen, Sabrina McComas and Daniel Roberts; his grandchildren, Harper, Emily and Taylor; and his siblings, Danny Roberts and Charmaine Hankins. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stonefuneralhomeupland.com for the ROBERTS family. 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. "That's what he stood for. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. 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. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. She was not amused. Promoting an heir apparent may have been easier for the elder Mr. Roberts than for other entrepreneurs. There are no events at this time. But the firm wasn't always a giant, nor was its founder a scion. Receive a notification when services are updated. Mr. Roberts built Comcast through a series of acquisitions of cable systems around the country. And the other children, who declined to be interviewed, are said to be knowledgeable about the plan and favorable to it. ''There is something about wanting to pass things on,'' he said. He was able to keep it alive as the company grew. If you have a small private business, and the old man has stashed away something under the floor, then it's very different.''. In 1963, the year he founded the company, he created Comcast class B shares, of which there are 8.8 million, each with 15 votes. Funeral Home website by. 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. 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 also participated in continuing education programs at Harvard Business School. Mr. Roberts went to work selling advertisements on the back of bus schedules to help support his family. Then, chuckling, he added, ''It was probably a very good lesson for Brian -- no question about it. Soon after buying the Flyers, Mr. Roberts admitted that he had just seen his first hockey game. 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. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. Luckily, the youngster had business smarts as well as enthusiasm. "The amazing genius of my father is that there was not a one-size-fits-all for parenting. He felt, 'This doesn't have to be about me.' Even as he is promoting his son, the elder Mr. Roberts is looking after the financial interests of his other children. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. In the first days of Comcast, when colleagues Dan Aaron and Julian Brodsky clashed over how to expand the business, Mr. Roberts acted as the cheerful referee. 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. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. 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. He is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews. 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. Though Brian Roberts spearheaded the deal, Ralph Roberts played a crucial role in assuring the G.E. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. ''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. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. He owned various companies, including Pioneer Suspenders, which marketed wallets and belts for men. "As a person, his DNA is all over our company. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. He has five children, aged 36 to 47. 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. Ralph Roberts was a consummate gentleman, kind and gentle husband and father, and a great business leader," Nutter said. His father's greatest skill, he said, ''is the ability to make the hard decision at the crucial moment.''. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY Douglas J. Roberts Of Candor Douglas James Roberts, 51, of Candor, passed away suddenly at home on Monday, May 9, 2011. Less than $5 per month In February 2013, Comcast paid $16.7 billion to purchase the remaining stake in NBCUniversal. He was chairman of the board from 1969 to 2002. '', Both parents said that in bringing up their brood, they worked hard to see that the children connected with one another. I went to the University of Pennsylvania. "Ralph, the patient, unassuming gentleman, kept a steady hand on the wheel as they made a series of brilliant bets on the future," his son said in the biography. "He wanted to keep the integrity, the family feel, and the dedication of employees. He was always a stickler for table manners," she said. 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. A result was Microsoft's $1 billion investment in Comcast. He was an inspiration to us all and we will miss him greatly.". ommitted to the fight against cancer, he and his family helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Medicine in 2006. 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 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. ''The father is open. ''They come in and tear each other apart. ''It is the same thing as giving birth -- or having another generation. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. For Brodsky that was giving up the four or five packs of unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes he used to smoke. To support himself at college, he took on a variety of odd jobs, including selling milk. 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.. When she was 60 years old, Mrs. Roberts got her undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology and now works with abused children. 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. ''Usually we have about 200.''. "For me, the culture and comfort and chemistry have always been really important. The former husband of Linda (Phillips) Roberts of Huntington, NY, he was the father of Leslie Roberts of Huntington and Daniel Roberts of Portland, OR. 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. Once the elder Mr. Roberts is out of the picture at Comcast, Wall Street will be watching closely to see whether the son can be as tough and decisive as his father. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/22/business/the-heir-is-clearly-apparent-at-comcast.html. I lived at home.'' Without being asked, Mrs. Roberts volunteered her opinion that Ralph and Brian clicked as few business partners do. The Roberts Family Remembers Ralph J. Roberts. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. The magic words, according to Mr. Roberts, were "Yes, dear.". 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. It is amazing. What is more common is that this kind of agreement does not happen. Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. 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