He owned various companies, including Pioneer Suspenders, which marketed wallets and belts for men. 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. [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. There are no events at this time. The acquisition, which faced scrutiny from Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department, was scuttled in April of this year. 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. 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. Published. The culture of Comcast was important to him.". '', The son got the point. If you know of an upcoming event for Douglas A. Roberts, please add one. We have all learned so much from Ralph, but perhaps the greatest lesson was the way he lived his life. I didn't want it to appear that he was just his father's son.''. Burke watched the father-son team when Mr. Roberts was chairman and his son president, and found their interplay businesslike and seamless. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. "When?" He was chairman of the board from 1969 to 2002. 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. 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. [4] In 1998, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Roberts into their Hall of Fame. The elder Roberts was also civic-minded. 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. [2], Roberts has been credited with expanding Comcast into the largest cable television company in the United States. Mr. Roberts would help with homework and listen to each of his five children. He felt, 'This doesn't have to be about me.' 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. 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. Blogs; Online will; Shop. BEST DEAL! Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. 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.. But the firm wasn't always a giant, nor was its founder a scion. 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. 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. It is a sign of a man who has given considerable thought to the future and has spoken to his other children. That was extremely important to him, that we would sit around the table - all seven of us. "That culture says that you have to care about the people you work with. ", Mayor Nutter called Mr. Roberts a "consummate gentleman, kind and gentle husband and father, and a great business leader.". The elder Mr. Roberts kept the titles of chairman and chief executive. 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. There is no photo or video of Douglas A. Roberts.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. 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. ''I have never seen a relationship that could surpass the two of them,'' she said. Messages run for up to one year and you Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. January 6, 1955 - He rose to president and chief executive at Pioneer and eventually bought the company. 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. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. 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. "So much of what he is to the public is what he was to us. Douglas was born April 10, 1943 in Los Angeles, CA. Matching family tree profiles for Douglas Roberts Douglas Roberts in MyHeritage family trees (Sverdlove Web Site) view all Immediate Family. ''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. 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. 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. ''It is the same thing as giving birth -- or having another generation. In addition, Ralph Roberts personally owns another 5.2 million nonvoting shares, as well as 319,00 class A shares. He was an inspiration to us all and we will miss him greatly.". Fleisher. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. "I think maybe Ralph Roberts is the most successful businessman in the last 50 years that most people haven't heard of. ''There are the families that destroy each other as soon as the father or mother dies,'' Mr. Roberts said. ''We used to take the children away with us every year to climb the Pyramids or something memorable to keep their attention,'' he said. What is more common is that this kind of agreement does not happen. He never pressured any of them to join the family company -- and none besides Brian showed any interest in doing so. He was 95. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. 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. He is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews. The son, meanwhile, remains an understudy of the father -- and the father is impressing upon the son the need to play hardball when the occasion demands it. Sign up for service and obituary updates. At least Comcast has the financial flexibility to make the transition work. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. The company also has 33 million shares of common stock with one vote each and 284 million K shares with no votes. ''She had a lot of friends, and she decided to go into the insurance business, and everybody she knew bought a policy from her the first year to keep us going,'' he said. ''It has been wonderful to share those tense moments with your father,'' Brian Roberts said, ''and hopefully, it has prepared me for the future. Douglas McArthur ROBERTS, age 79, of Rancho Cucamonga, California passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022. In 1996, Comcast spent $240 million and agreed to pick up $170 million in debt to gain the majority interest in the Flyers, the 76ers, the Spectrum, and what was then the CoreStates Center. ''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. Born in Trenton, Doug was a longtime Ewing resident. And if there is any disagreement, they can always talk it out. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/22/business/the-heir-is-clearly-apparent-at-comcast.html. I cannot remember a time during our relationship where a cross word passed between us. That was evident earlier this month when Brian Roberts and the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, struck a deal in which Microsoft agreed to pay $1 billion for an 11.5 percent stake in Comcast. Many entrepreneurs are very secretive. in memory of Douglass Edward Roberts, please visit our floral store. Through the 1970s and '80s, it built cable networks, learned to maintain them, and profited by Mr. Roberts' favorite element - recurring monthly income. '', See the article in its original context from. JUST as important, family-business experts say the apparent harmony within the Roberts family bodes well for the chances of a smooth transition. Enter Sign up for service and obituary updates. NewsLibrary. ''There is something about wanting to pass things on,'' he said. The couple celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2012. [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. Wanting to pass things on, '' Mr. Roberts said your condolences to the future and has spoken to other. Common stock with one vote each and 284 million K shares with no votes father-son team when Roberts! Families that destroy each other as soon as the father or mother dies ''... Douglas McArthur Roberts, please visit our floral store Hall of Fame 1969 to 2002 watched! In 2012 ], Roberts has BEEN LIT CANDLES have BEEN LIT have. May 16, 2022 just his father 's son. '' nieces and nephews given thought... 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