Key milestones in the life of Ralph Roberts

Ralph J. Roberts

Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Comcast Corporation

Key Milestones 

1920:     Ralph J. Roberts is born on March 13 in Manhattan

1936:     The Roberts family moves to Germantown, Pennsylvania

1941:     Roberts graduates from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and joins the Navy

1942:     Roberts marries Suzanne Fleisher in August and together they had five children, Catherine (Anthony Clifton), Lisa (David Seltzer), Ralph Jr. (Kim Roberts), Brian (Aileen Roberts) and Douglas (Diane), and eight grandchildren

1946:     Roberts partners with a Navy buddy to manufacture and sell golf clubs

1950:     Roberts joins the Muzak Corporation

1956:     Roberts becomes president of the Pioneer Suspender Company

1961:     Roberts sells Pioneer to a competitor

1963:     Roberts meets Warren "Peter" Musser and Daniel Aaron on a street in Philadelphia and agrees to buy a community-antenna TV system in Tupelo, Mississippi for $500,000; American Cable Systems is born

1969:     American Cable Systems is renamed Comcast Corporation and incorporated in Pennsylvania

1972:     Company goes public; trades on the NASDAQ stock market

1988:     Comcast becomes the nation's fifth-largest cable company with more than 2 million customers

1990:     Roberts receives the Walter Kaitz Foundation Award for contributing to the cable industry's diversity efforts; Roberts' son, Brian L. Roberts, is named President of Comcast

1993:     Roberts receives NCTA's "Distinguished Vanguard Award"

1996:     Comcast forms Comcast-Spectacor, a sports venture owning and operating the NHL Philadelphia Flyers, the NBA Philadelphia 76ers and two indoor arenas

2000:     Roberts inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame

2001:     Roberts receives the William Penn Award given by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

2002:     Comcast buys AT&T Broadband cable systems, becoming the largest cable company in America with 21 million customers; Brian L. Roberts becomes CEO

2003:     Roberts receives the Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award given by the UJA Federation and the Trustees Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

2004:     Roberts receives an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Arcadia University; Brian L. Roberts named Chairman of Comcast Corporation

2005:     Roberts receives the Joseph P. Wharton Award and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania

2006:     Comcast reaches over 23 million subscribers; Roberts celebrates the launch of The Roberts Proton Therapy Center at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

2010:     Roberts celebrates his 90^th birthday

2011:     Comcast and General Electric complete their transaction to form NBCUniversal, LLC., creating  a global media and technology company

2012:     Ralph Roberts and his wife Suzanne celebrate their 70^th wedding anniversary

2013:     Comcast announces its acquisition of GE's 49% common equity ownership interest in NBCUniversal