Name Ralph Rogers Role Industrialist | Books Splendid Torch | |
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Died November 4, 1997, Dallas, Texas, United States | ||
Ralph Burton Rogers (November 3, 1909 – November 4, 1997) was an American industrialist, philanthropist and PBS executive, called the "Founding Father of the Public Broadcasting Service."
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Biography
He was born on November 30, 1909 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was educated at Boston Latin School and Northeastern University. As a businessman, Rogers worked for or ran many industrial firms, including Cummins Diesel Engine and Indian Motorcycles.
In 1950, he started work with Texas Industries in Dallas and by 1951 he was chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of this company. It became a Fortune 500 company with many interests but remains focused on cement production.
Rogers became civically and politically active in the 1960s. In 1972, he is credited with saving the Public Broadcasting Service during the Nixon Administration. As chairman of PBS (1973-1979) he organized more than 200 independent stations into a national television system. He later co-founded the Children's Television Workshop, and became a significant philanthropist, primarily in the Dallas area.
He died on November 4, 1997.