Edward Samuel Rogers

For other people named Edward Rogers, see Edward Rogers (disambiguation).
Edward Samuel Rogers

Statue of Rogers in front of Rogers Centre
Born Edward Samuel Rogers Jr.
(1933-05-27)May 27, 1933
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died December 2, 2008(2008-12-02) (aged 75)
Toronto, Ontario
Resting place Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Nationality Canadian
Education BA (Toronto, 1956)
LL.B. (Osgoode Hall, 1961)
Title President and CEO of Rogers Communications
Term 1967–2008 (as head of Rogers Communications)
Successor Nadir Mohamed
Spouse(s) Loretta Robinson (m. 1963)
Children Lisa Anne Rogers
Edward Rogers III
Melinda Mary Rogers
Martha Loretta Rogers
Parent(s) Edward S. Rogers Sr.
Velma Melissa Taylor
Guard of honour outside St. James Cathedral (funeral on December 9, 2008)

Edward Samuel "Ted" Rogers Jr., OC, (May 27, 1933 – December 2, 2008) was the president and CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., and the fifth-richest person in Canada in terms of net worth.

Early life and career

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Rogers was educated at Upper Canada College.[1] He subsequently attended Trinity College in the University of Toronto, graduating in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] When he was an undergraduate student, Rogers joined the Sigma Chi fraternity. In 1979, he was named a Significant Sig by the fraternity – the 21st Canadian to be inducted.[3]

In 1960, while still a student at Osgoode Hall Law School, he bought all the shares in local radio station CHFI, which pioneered the use of FM at a time when only 5% of the Toronto households had FM receivers. By 1965, he was in the cable TV business. Rogers Communications was established in 1967 and has grown into one of Canada's largest media conglomerates. His father Edward S. Rogers Sr. is regarded as the founder of the company, although the radio station that he founded, CFRB, is now owned by another Canadian company and competitor, Bell Media.

Rogers had been the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball team since September 1, 2000, when Rogers Communications Inc. purchased 80% of the baseball club, with the Labatt Brewing Company maintaining a 20% interest and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce relinquishing its 10% share. From the 2003 season until his death, Rogers owned 100% of the team. Moreover, the Blue Jays' home ballpark, SkyDome, was renamed the Rogers Centre after Rogers' firm purchased the stadium (including naming rights).[4]

Family

Rogers was married to Loretta Anne Rogers (née Robinson), and their wedding took place on September 25, 1963.[5] Her father was Roland Robinson, 1st Baron Martonmere, who was a British politician and former Governor of Bermuda.[6] Rogers and his wife had four children together: Lisa, Edward, Melinda and Martha.[5] He is a direct descendant of Timothy Rogers, the founder of Newmarket, Ontario and Pickering, Ontario.

Honours and awards

On October 25, 1990, Rogers was appointed to the grade of Officer of the Order of Canada.[7] In 2006, Rogers was inducted into Canada's Telecommunications Hall of Fame, along with his father, Edward S. Rogers Sr.

Philanthropy

In 2000, Rogers and his wife Loretta gave $26.8 million to the University of Toronto. The landmark contribution was directed to the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, which named the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in honour of his father. The Rogers' gift allowed the faculty to establish the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Graduate Scholarships, the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Undergraduate Scholarships, the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Chair in Engineering, the Velma M. Rogers Graham Chair in Engineering, the Rogers AT&T Wireless Communications Laboratories and the Rogers Scholarship Program.

On May 29, 2007, Rogers and his wife made a gift of $15 million to Ryerson University. The donation was directed towards the Faculty of Business, which was renamed the Ted Rogers School of Management at the donors' request. The majority of the gift will be used to establish 52 new undergraduate and graduate student awards and scholarships. The gift also aims to establish a new research chair to seed academic initiatives in management research.

Death and commemoration

Rogers suffered from congestive heart failure and died early on the morning of December 2, 2008, aged 75, at his home in Toronto.[8][9] He was buried at the family plot at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.

His autobiography, penned with communications consultant and former business journalist Robert Brehl, was titled Relentless: The True Story of the Man Behind Rogers Communications and was released just 10 weeks before Rogers' death. On December 2, 2009, the first anniversary of his death, a section of Jarvis Street in Toronto which runs next to the Rogers Communications headquarters was renamed Ted Rogers Way in his honour.

From March 4 to 6, 2010, the first annual Ted Rogers Memorial Conference (TRMC) hosted by Ryerson University, the Ted Rogers School of Management, and the Ryerson Commerce Society took place to honour Rogers, inviting Canadian university students to learn more about the values and skills that Rogers possessed. The theme of the conference revolved around the acronym TED: Take risks. Embrace innovation. Defy the status quo.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Holmes, Gillian, ed. (2000). Who's Who in Canadian Business 2001. Toronto: Who's Who Publications. p. 709. ISBN 978-0-920966-60-0.
  2. ↑ "Ted Rogers". Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Significant Sig". Official website of Sigma Chi. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Van Hasselt, Caroline. High Wire Act: Ted Rogers and the Empire that Debt Built. John Wiley & Sons Canada (Oct 2 2008).
  5. 1 2 "Edward Samuel 'Ted' Rogers". Maclean's. 2 December 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Lord Martonmere". New York Times. 5 May 1989. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Order of Canada citation
  8. ↑ Pitts, Gordon (2008-12-02). "Ted Rogers, 75". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  9. ↑ "Rogers Communications mourns passing of Founder and CEO Ted Rogers". News Release. PR Newswire. 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
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