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Ted Rogers | |
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| Born | Edward Samuel Rogers Jr. (1933-05-27)May 27, 1933 |
| Died | December 2, 2008(2008-12-02) (aged 75) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto |
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| Title | President and CEO ofRogers Communications |
| Term | 1967–2008 |
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| Relatives | Timothy Rogers |
Edward Samuel "Ted"Rogers Jr.,OC (May 27, 1933 – December 2, 2008) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who served as the president and CEO ofRogers Communications. He was the fifth-richest person in Canada in terms of net worth.
Rogers was born inToronto, Ontario, the son of Velma Melissa (Taylor) and radio pioneer and inventorEdward S. Rogers Sr. He was educated atUpper Canada College.[1] He subsequently attendedTrinity College in theUniversity of Toronto, graduating in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] When he was an undergraduate student, Rogers joined theSigma Chi fraternity. In 1979, he was named aSignificant Sig by the fraternity – the 21st Canadian to be inducted.[3]
In 1960, while still a student atOsgoode Hall Law School, he bought all the shares in local radio stationCHFI, which pioneered the use ofFM 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 grew 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 established,CFRB, is now owned by another Canadian company and competitor,Bell Media.
Rogers had been the owner of theToronto Blue JaysMajor League Baseball team since September 1, 2000, when Rogers Communications Inc. purchased 80% of the baseball club, with theLabatt Brewing Company maintaining a 20% interest and theCanadian Imperial Bank of Commerce relinquishing its 10% share. He purchased the remaining 20% share from Labatt in 2003, and owned the team in full until his death. Moreover, the Blue Jays' home ballpark, SkyDome, was renamedRogers Centre in 2005 after Rogers' firm purchased the stadium (including naming rights).[4]
On September 25, 1963, Rogers marriedLoretta Anne Robinson.[5] Her father wasRoland Robinson, 1st Baron Martonmere, who was a British politician and later served asGovernor of Bermuda.[6] Rogers and his wife had four children together: Lisa,Edward, Melinda and Martha.[5] He was a direct descendant ofTimothy Rogers (1756–1834), a Quaker leader who foundedNewmarket andPickering in what is now Ontario.
On October 25, 1990, Rogers was appointed to the grade of Officer of theOrder of Canada.[7] In 1990, Rogers received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[8] In 2006, he was inducted into Canada'sTelecommunications Hall of Fame,[9] along with his father, Edward S. Rogers Sr. In 2010, Rogers was inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame for his role in the cellular industry.[10]
In 2000, Rogers and his wife Loretta gaveCA$26.8 million to the University of Toronto. The landmark contribution was directed to theUniversity of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, which named theEdward 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 ofCA$15 million toRyerson University. The donation was directed towards the Faculty of Business, which was renamed theTed 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.
On November 20, 2014, the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research was launched after aCA$130 million gift from Rogers' family in his memory. It was at the time the largest private gift in Canadian health-care history. This Centre unitedThe Hospital for Sick Children,University Health Network and the University of Toronto in taking new approaches to how we diagnose, treat and prevent heart failure in adults and children. It is believed to be the world's first institute to bring together research, education and innovation in personalized medicine, stem cell research, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, digital health and advanced clinical care under one umbrella with a single focus.
Rogers suffered fromcongestive heart failure and died early on the morning of December 2, 2008, aged 75, at his home in Toronto.[11][12] He was buried in the family plot atMount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.
His autobiography, penned with communications consultant and former business journalist Robert Brehl, was titledRelentless: 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 northern section ofJarvis Street in Toronto which runs beside theRogers Building was renamedTed 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[citation needed] and skills[citation needed] that Rogers possessed. The theme of the conference revolved around the acronym TED: Take risks. Embrace innovation. Defy the status quo.
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