Reynold "Rene" Anselmo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Reynold Vincent Anselmo (1926-01-14)January 14, 1926 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | September 20, 1995(1995-09-20) (aged 69) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Chicago |
| Occupation | Telecommunications executive |
| Spouse | Mary Anselmo |
| Children | 3 |
Reynold Vincent "Rene" Anselmo[1] (January 14, 1926 – September 20, 1995) was an American businessman who founded the satellite companyPanAmSat and co-founded the television networkUnivision.
Anselmo was born inBedford, Massachusetts. His father was of Italian descent and thepostmaster inQuincy.[1][2] At the age of 16, he enlisted in theUnited States Marine Corps and flew 37 missions as atail gunner on adive bomber in thePacific Theatre of Operations duringWorld War II.[3]He graduated from theUniversity of Chicago in 1951.[1]
Anselmo travelled toMexico, where he was hired byTelevisa to produce television shows for Mexican television.[4] He wed his wifeMary during his residence in Mexico. Anselmo returned to theUnited States in 1963 to help run the Spanish-language television networkSpanish International Network (the current day Univision). In 1984, he co-foundedPanAmSat.[5] PanAmSat gained a foothold in the television market by providingsatellite services for private commercialcommunication networks, such as those used byinternational conglomerates to connect far flungmanufacturing operations around the globe or provide data connections between a large number ofretail outlets andcorporate headquarters.
Anselmo was married to Mary Anselmo, with whom he had three children, daughter Pier and sons, Rayce and Reverge.
Anselmo was described as having "unflinching self-confidence and willingness to risk all in his fight to upend the status quo" in a tribute bySpaceNews. He challenged themonopoly in satellite provision held byIntelsat in the 1980s, taking out full-page ads in theWall Street Journal asking political leaders, including former U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan, to open up the satellitetelecommunications market. He donated over 100,000daffodils andtulips to the city ofGreenwich, Connecticut.[1]
Anselmo died September 20, 1995, fromheart disease, aged 69.[1] PanAmSat was left to his wife and his son-in-law, Fred Landman.[2][6]
Anselmo's son Reverge ownedAnselmo Vineyards before selling it in 2014,[7] after a publicized battle withShasta County, California.[8][9][10][11]
As of 2020, Reverge Anselmo, who lives in Connecticut, contributed more than $100,000 to Patrick Jones' Shasta County District 4 Supervisor successful election campaign, "believed to be, at that time, the largest individual dollar contribution ever, to a local political campaign".[7][12] In 2020, the Shasta County District Supervisor salary was $54,948 or $53,508.[13] In addition, he has contributed more than a half-million dollars to Shasta County political committees, including $400,000 in November toShasta General Purpose Committee/Recall Shasta, a group for the recall of three supervisors, after giving them $50,000 in August.[7][14][15][16][17][18]
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help){{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Editorials reflect the institutional viewpoint of the Record Searchlight and are not written or influenced by the newspaper's reporters.