Although eager to serve on a ship, Mr. Roberts spent his World War II duty as matriel superintendent in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. 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. His son Douglas died in 2011. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. It is always business. Funeral arrangement under the care ofKeepes Funeral Home. Sign up for service and obituary updates. '', Brian Roberts acknowledges that decision making, what he calls ''pulling the trigger,'' is something you learn. 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 couple created the Suzanne Roberts Theatre at 480 S. Broad St. in her honor. As Gregory B. Maffei, Microsoft's treasurer, sees it, the younger Mr. Roberts is no pawn of his father. ''Deals like Microsoft and QVC would not have happened without Brian,'' said Steven Rattner, deputy chief executive of Lazard Freres & Company, who has worked with the family for about a decade. The potential for conflict is obvious. Anyone can read what you share. He rose to president and chief executive at Pioneer and eventually bought the company. He was a gentle soul with an infectious spirit who will be greatly missed. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren. [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]. Besides his son Brian, Mr. Roberts is survived by his wife, the host of the Comcast Network program "Seeking Solutions With Suzanne," aimed at viewers 50 and older; two daughters, Catherine. "Our city has lost a wonderful champion with his passing.". With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. 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. 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. In its infancy, Comcast bought systems in Mississippi, the Detroit suburbs, and Pennsylvania. Let others know about your loved one's death. [5] They incorporated in 1969 as Comcast Corporation, a name Roberts invented by combining the words communications and broadcasting. California residents do not sell my data request. ''Under that bow tie and courtly manner beats the heart of one tough man. He came home each weeknight at 7 p.m. and left his briefcase by the door, along with business cares. Brian Roberts countered that other companies, including Comcast, were aggressively upgrading. 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's what he stood for. To make it work, you have to have motivated, competent successors as well as accommodating heirs. Intrigued by the nascent cable industrys potential and aided by Mr. Aaron and Julian Brodsky, a Philadelphia accountant, Mr. Roberts decided to invest, overcoming his own initial misgivings and the even stronger doubts of his wife, Suzanne, who, he said, thought he was absolutely crazy., The cable business, you put up a tower, you run a line down through the telephone poles, you charge everybody $5 a month, and you dont do anything, so it didnt seem very appealing to me, Mr. Roberts recalled in receiving a television industry award in 2003. Many entrepreneurs are very secretive. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. Doug was predeceased by his infant. '', Ralph Roberts acknowledges that he was the heavy. 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. 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. Your email will not be used for any other purpose. ''They drag the business down because it kills the morale of everybody in the company.''. He was 95. The family will host a private service for the family, the company announced. Their son, Brian L. Roberts, is the current CEO of Comcast Corporation. No services are scheduled at this time. 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. 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. PhillyVoice Contributor. On ski trips, he would patiently lace up five pairs of ski boots. But during the Depression, Mr. Roberts recalled, ''my father died, and we lost all our money. In a family business, even the strongest allegiances can crack under the strain of a mismanaged transition at the top, but people familiar with Comcast say the younger Mr. Roberts is proving his mettle. ''I think we have known that Brian would take over the company since he was about 8 years old,'' said Julian Brodsky, Comcast's vice chairman and Mr. Roberts's alter ego for the last 34 years. ''I don't think Ralph knows any more about Brian's personal life than he knows about the others. Suzanne Roberts. ''They come in and tear each other apart. Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. "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. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. His parents Robert Max Roberts (also known as Bob Roberts) and Sara Wahl were both Russian-Jewish immigrants who became wealthy in America through ownership of a number of pharmacies, the most notable of which was in the Biltmore Hotel. Figure skating program in Kensington aims to make the sport accessible for local athletes, Philadelphia Zoo's new exhibit includes life-sized dinosaurs and lots of bugs, Ex-football player from Bucks County among new 'Survivor' competitors, Eagles will host Browns for joint practices in preseason, Six Flags to enhance Hurricane Harbor with more water slides, tree house for young kids, Watch every 'Rocky' movie in order and for free on Pluto TV. He was 95. We all will.". Like many other cable companies, Comcast peaked in late 1993, at $28.17 a share. For Brodsky that was giving up the four or five packs of unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes he used to smoke. 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. Start searching today using our powerful and intuitive search. In 1942, he married Suzanne Fleisher, an aspiring actress from a well-to-do Philadelphia family. He wants the other person to always feel good, whatever the exchange is. . 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.''. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. ''But if it were not for self-promotion, how would a guy like Bill Gates take him seriously?''. ''Every chance I get I step back and say, 'Here is Brian.' ''I thought if he was so young, you really have to be helped to be promoted to make it appear that you really are your own person,'' the elder Mr. Roberts recalled. '', Or an arrogant one. "During this period, even before 1979 . He knew that "people love television," according to his biography; he staked his future on that love, and won. "Ralph has been the heart and soul of Comcast for 50 years," said his son, Comcast president and CEO Brian L. Roberts, in a note to employees Friday morning. ''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.'' ''We never emphasized that they should make a lot of money, or have the biggest car,'' Mrs. Roberts recalled. Douglas P. Roberts LEESBURG, FL Douglas P. Roberts, 54, of Leesburg, FL, passed away Aug, 18, 2014. 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. It is only natural for the world to wonder: How will Brian's siblings react to all this? It also locked up broadcast rights to the Phillies. 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.' He was a killer dancer - the only thing he bragged about. 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. 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. When I think of Ralph, it is always with the utmost affection.". In addition to his wife, son, and daughter, Mr. Roberts is survived by daughter Catherine R. Clifton; son Ralph Jr.; and eight grandchildren. 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 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. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren. When not on the basketball court, Douglas loved playing cards, spending time with his family, and helping those less fortunate. 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. And all of them are rich. While no one doubts that the father still calls a lot of the shots, he has eased his son into high-profile positions both at the bargaining table and in the public eye. [15][16], Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 06:20, National Cable and Telecommunications Association, National Conference of Christians and Jews, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New York Times: "Ralph Roberts, Cable TV Pioneer Who Built Comcast, Dies at 95", "Love: Suzanne (Fleisher) Roberts & Ralph J. Roberts", "Brian Roberts' Jewish Roots and Outsized Ambition Drive Comcast's Rise in Media", University of Pennsylvania Medicine: "About the Roberts", "Ralph Roberts, Cable TV Pioneer Who Built Comcast, Dies at 95", "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement", Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia: Our Hall of Fame, Eastern State Penitentiary: "Funders for the Synagogue Restoration", "Starring Role - From the boards to the funding, Suzanne Roberts lives for the stage", "Howard Gerstley Fleisher, 95, Businessman and Active Volunteer", Daily Finance: "Comcast's Brian Roberts: The low-key exec who leads a high-profile giant" By Jonathan Berr, The Cable Center: "Cable Hall of Fame Archives - Ralph J. Roberts, "Comcast founder Ralph Roberts dies at 95. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. January 6, 1955 - Douglas A. Roberts, 66, of Mount Carmel, Illinois, passed away on Sunday, May 2, 2021 at his residence. 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. But that verve was always tempered by a calm affability and a cautious approach to spending money. ''I used to talk to Julian all the time,'' recalled Gordon Crawford, a senior vice president at the Capital Group, whose funds hold 8.1 percent of Comcast's class A stock. The couple celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2012. Actually, he added, "I've had a lot of bad ideas, but he would never say that. There are too many other combatants, and it becomes another deal. And her husband reminisced about family trips. The elder Roberts was also civic-minded. The magic words, according to Mr. Roberts, were "Yes, dear.". In 1994, for example, Ralph Roberts scuttled a bid by Barry Diller, then the chairman of QVC, the home-shopping cable channel, to acquire CBS. ", "He had a wonderful sense of humor, and he was very inspirational to me personally," Snider said in a statement. May 2, 2021 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. 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. Once Mr. Roberts began building Comcast, Brian, alone of his brood, frequented the company premises. BigDaddy, as he was known to his friends and family, had a remarkable passion and talent for athletics. And Ed Snider, Comcast Spectacor chairman, said Mr. Roberts was "a great partner and an even greater friend. He has five children, aged 36 to 47. 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. Create an obituary. He was 95. Maybe it was losing both his parents before he was 21, living through the Depression, but somehow he became an optimist. Sheldon M. Bonovitz joined the Comcast board in 1979 and was Mr. Roberts' personal legal adviser. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. In a statement to Comcast employees, his son, Brian L. Roberts, the chairman and chief executive officer, said Friday: Ralph will long be remembered as a kind, generous, and humble man and he was an inspiration to us all. ''Usually we have about 200.''. He owned various companies, including Pioneer Suspenders, which marketed wallets and belts for men. ''There is something about wanting to pass things on,'' he said. 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. No one was punished for broaching a new idea. Moving to Germantown with his family from New Rochelle, N.Y., after his father's death, he graduated from Germantown High School and in 1941 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a bachelor's degree. We are deeply saddened to announce that Ralph J. Roberts, husband, father and grandfather, died of natural causes Thursday, June 18 in Philadelphia, PA. While building Comcast, he built an economic engine for the city of Philadelphia as well.". "I will really miss him. 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. ". 1-800-896-5587 (Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm MDT) Annual Membership . Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. Promoting an heir apparent may have been easier for the elder Mr. Roberts than for other entrepreneurs. He moved his family to New Rochelle, N.Y., when Ralph was 5. And the other children, who declined to be interviewed, are said to be knowledgeable about the plan and favorable to it. All Rights Reserved. Douglas Scott was born April 8,1958 to Joe Nathan Scott and Mona (nee Page) Scott. He was the most optimistic man I ever knew. 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.. Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City. OBITUARY Douglas McArthur ROBERTS April 10, 1943 - May 16, 2022. She was not amused. I went to the University of Pennsylvania. Overnight, it went from 18th to fifth among cable firms in the United States, with two million customers. The Roberts family said in a statement: "Ralph was a remarkable man who touched the lives of so many people. Receive a notification when services are updated. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. 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