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. To make it work, you have to have motivated, competent successors as well as accommodating heirs. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. A result was Microsoft's $1 billion investment in Comcast. He was able to keep it alive as the company grew. ''It has been wonderful to share those tense moments with your father,'' Brian Roberts said, ''and hopefully, it has prepared me for the future. The company is clearly planning for the day that Ralph Roberts will no longer be running the show. ''Brian is the more active participant.''. Word of Mr. Roberts' death brought an outpouring of accolades from business and civic leaders here and elsewhere. Once Mr. Roberts began building Comcast, Brian, alone of his brood, frequented the company premises. 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. ''We had 650 analysts on the conference call to discuss the deal,'' recalled Brian Roberts, who handled the call for Comcast. Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. He moved his family to New Rochelle, N.Y., when Ralph was 5. "So much of what he is to the public is what he was to us. Roberts is survived by Suzanne Roberts, his wife of over 70 years and an actress, director and host of Seeking Solutions with Suzanne. IN THE CARE OF. 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. [9], In 1942, Roberts married Suzanne Fleisher,[10] who was also Jewish,[2] an actress and playwright, and daughter of philanthropist Alfred W. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. "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. 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. Anyone can read what you share. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He helped his wife, an actress, practice her lines and attended every performance no matter how many days the show ran. It is amazing. He was 95. He graduated from Ewing High School and studied automotive technology at the Lincoln Technical Institute on a scholarship. Mr. Roberts, who had been in declining health, died of natural causes. in memory of Douglass Edward Roberts, please visit our floral store. 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. Mr. Roberts later took jobs with the Muzak Corporation and the Pioneer Suspender Company, which sold mens belts and cologne. 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. ''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. Then, chuckling, he added, ''It was probably a very good lesson for Brian -- no question about it. An actress, director and host of Seeking Solutions with Suzanne, Suzanne has spent a lifetime seeking to help others. He was born on January 6, 1955 in Tampa, Florida, the son of Terrance Andrew Roberts, Sr. and Geraldine (Boyce) Thompson. "Ralph was a tough, hard businessman, but he never forgot his obligation to help others, help his community, and help Philadelphia. Most of his pay, he said, came from $43 million in profit from expiring stock options he had to exercise. '', Brian Roberts, on the other hand, seems to relish his public role. 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. Start searching today using our powerful and intuitive search. Sign up for service and obituary updates. Comcast is also one of the largest residential telephone providers in the United States. When I think of Ralph, it is always with the utmost affection.". ''I have never seen a relationship that could surpass the two of them,'' she said. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren. And experts say the odds of a successful transition are greater at Comcast than at most family businesses. California residents do not sell my data request. It is a sign of a man who has given considerable thought to the future and has spoken to his other children. Doug was predeceased by his infant. ''All this would never have happened in the arms of a second wife,'' according to Mr. Danco. Like many other cable companies, Comcast peaked in late 1993, at $28.17 a share. As Comcast prospered, so did the Roberts family. Your email will not be used for any other purpose. For Brodsky that was giving up the four or five packs of unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes he used to smoke. And by the end of this year, the elder Mr. Roberts will increase Brian's control over the company's special class of 8.8 million shares that represent nearly 82 percent of Comcast's vote. There is no photo or video of Douglas A. Roberts.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. Doug was predeceased by his infant. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. He is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews. Authorize the publication of the original written obituary with the accompanying photo. ", "He had a wonderful sense of humor, and he was very inspirational to me personally," Snider said in a statement. Obituary. There are no events at this time. We have all learned so much from Ralph, but perhaps the greatest lesson was the way he lived his life. In a statement, Mayor Michael Nutter remembered the business visionary and family man. The Gettys or that family in Texas,'' he continued, referring to Harold Simmons, the Texas investor who is at war with his daughters. After selling the firm, he set up shop in 1961 in Bala Cynwyd. chief executive, Jeffrey R. Immelt, that the deal would be completed. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. Their simple philosophy was summed up by Mr. Roberts in an interview with The New York Times in 2007. He never told me anything I wanted to do at Comcast was a bad idea, and after more than 30 years, youd think Ive had a lot of bad ideas.. '', That would have been a wrenching decision, as it almost invariably is for the founder of a company. "During this period, even before 1979 . "It's just a miracle," Brodsky said. . [13][14], Roberts made an appearance on TLC's reality series Cake Boss, receiving a cake for his 90th birthday. Brian Roberts came to know Mr. Gates when a contingent of Comcast executives visited Microsoft on a fact-finding tour several years ago. A remembrance ceremony to celebrate Roberts' life will follow at a future date. "Ralph was a remarkable man who touched the lives of so many people. The potential for conflict is obvious. There was plenty of room to give the son a shot. 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. He was preceded in death by his father, Joe Nathan Scott, and his brother, Jonathan Scott. 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. Inquirer staff writer Harold Brubaker and former staff writer Thomas J. Brady contributed to this article. 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. DOUGLAS ROBERTS OBITUARY Douglas J. Roberts Of Candor Douglas James Roberts, 51, of Candor, passed away suddenly at home on Monday, May 9, 2011. Mr. Roberts built Comcast through a series of acquisitions of cable systems around the country. I knew a lot of people at Comcast. The elder Roberts was also civic-minded. 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. [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]. His son Douglas died in 2011. At one point, Ralph Roberts met with Mr. Immelt without Brian Roberts. "It has been a dream come true for him - and for me," Brian Roberts told his father's biographer. 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. (66 years old). He also participated in continuing education programs at Harvard Business School. "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?' BigDaddy, as he was known to his friends and family, had a remarkable passion and talent for athletics. Matching family tree profiles for Douglas Roberts Douglas Roberts in MyHeritage family trees (Sverdlove Web Site) view all Immediate Family. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren. Our activities are so public. ", "He's the same person as my boss that he has been as a dad; he's gracious, never interrupts when you're talking. Penn honored him in 2005 with the Doctor of Laws honoris causa. But they talk all the time. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. '', See the article in its original context from. 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. Douglas Scott was born April 8,1958 to Joe Nathan Scott and Mona (nee Page) Scott. Another son, Douglas, died in September 2011. The fundamental fact is that people love television, he said, and if you can provide them with more television, they love it even more.. '', Brian Roberts acknowledges that decision making, what he calls ''pulling the trigger,'' is something you learn. Quickly locate a newspaper obituary or death notice. 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. All Rights Reserved. [5] They incorporated in 1969 as Comcast Corporation, a name Roberts invented by combining the words communications and broadcasting. Only his fourth child, Brian, is at Comcast, the nation's fourth-largest cable television operator with $4 billion in revenue last year. 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. "He wanted to keep the integrity, the family feel, and the dedication of employees. He was always a stickler for table manners," she said. After leaving the Navy, Roberts held various jobs, first selling golf clubs, then working for the Muzak Company, and later the Pioneer Suspender Company, which he eventually owned. A unique . 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. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/22/business/the-heir-is-clearly-apparent-at-comcast.html. He was 95. 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.. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. Funeral arrangement under the care ofKeepes Funeral Home. "That culture says that you have to care about the people you work with. He has five children, aged 36 to 47. ''Every chance I get I step back and say, 'Here is Brian.' Mr. Gates was warm to the idea. Blogs; Online will; Shop. 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. Less than $5 per month 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. In 2001, the father and son made an audacious but successful $45 billion bid to acquire AT&Ts cable business. He was preceded in death by his father, Joe Nathan Scott, and his brother, Jonathan Scott. Mr. Roberts taught by example. 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. The family will host a private service for the family, the company announced. But as Brian Roberts worked his way up the ladder, the halcyon 1980's came to an end. He graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and served four years in the U.S. Navy. In early 2011, after a protracted review by federal regulators, Comcast acquired 51 percent of NBC Universal from General Electric Co. Luckily, the youngster had business smarts as well as enthusiasm. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. He sold it in 1961 to form his own venture capital firm, the International Equity Corporation, from which he began his foray into cable television. 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. He wanted to marry her after several years, but she wasn't ready. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. ''Ralph and Julian have been intimately involved, but Ralph doesn't sit there until 4 A.M. in the lawyers' offices anymore. Find the obituary of Douglas A. Roberts (1955 - 2021) from Mount Carmel, IL. In 2014, Comcast proposed a $45.2 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable. 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