[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10482]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING RALPH J. ROBERTS

 Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I wish today to remember Ralph J. 
Roberts, a proud Pennsylvanian and a national business leader. Ralph 
passed away on June 18, 2015, at the age of 95, after a long life of 
personal and professional success.
  To many across our Nation, Ralph was best known as the founder of 
Comcast, where he served for 46 years as the chief executive officer. 
Navigating complex technological developments in a competitive 
entertainment market, Ralph's entrepreneurial spirit helped lead 
Comcast from a small, local startup in 1963 to the country's largest 
cable television company today. His professional achievements 
complemented his extensive philanthropic work; Ralph held positions on 
several charitable boards in Philadelphia, where he offered his 
business acumen to support local economic and community development 
projects.
  One of the defining aspects of Ralph's career was undoubtedly his 
enduring partnership with his son Brian, as they built a strong 
business team while maintaining their close father-son relationship. As 
the New York Times wrote on June 19, 2015:

       Mr. Roberts, typically dapper in his signature bow tie and 
     Brooks Brothers suits, became his son's 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.
       ``Since I was 12, all I wanted to do was work with my 
     dad,'' Brian Roberts said in an interview for this obituary. 
     ``I believe the reason we are still in this business when so 
     many others have long since departed was his will to succeed, 
     and to do it with certain core values and integrity. Maybe it 
     was losing both his parents before he was 21, living through 
     the Depression, but somehow he became an optimist. He was the 
     most optimistic man I ever knew. He never told me anything I 
     wanted to do at Comcast was a bad idea, and after more than 
     30 years, you'd think I've had a lot of bad ideas.''

  Together, Brian and Ralph had many good ideas that brought television 
to tens of millions across America. We are all forever grateful for 
Ralph Roberts' contributions to the American business world and to 
telecommunications. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and our Nation 
benefited from Ralph's hard work and vision. Our prayers are with his 
wife Suzanne, his children, and his grandchildren.

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