TORONTO – In a fitting tribute to a man considered by many to be a larger-than-life entrepreneur who helped transform Canada's telecommunications landscape, a 12-foot-high bronze statue of the late Ted Rogers was unveiled Tuesday afternoon in front of the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
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| A 12-foot-high bronze statue of Ted Rogers is unveiled by his wife Loretta (far right) and children Tuesday in front of the Rogers Centre. |
The 800-pound bronze statue, showing Rogers looking confidently ahead holding some business files in his right hand, was unveiled at a ceremony in front of a crowd of about 250 guests that included Roger’s family and close friends, as well as Rogers executives including president Nadir Mohamed, chair and president of Rogers Telecommunications Alan Horn, and Phil Lind, EVP of regulatory and vice-chair.
Mounted on a granite base, the statue will reside permanently facing Bremner Boulevard near gates 5 and 6 of the Rogers Centre. It was created by German-Canadian sculptor Siggy Puchta, a close friend of the Rogers family, and features four plaques describing Rogers, including one of his oft-used sayings: “The best is yet to come.”
The dedication ceremony honouring the visionary business leader, whom Mohamed described as a “passionate, unbelievably staunch Canadian,” featured RCMP officers in attendance, a musical performance by Canadian foursome the Tenors, and the attendance of several members of the Toronto Blue Jays, the team Rogers purchased in 2000.
“Since my dad passed, I always felt he was looking down on us and making sure we’re doing the right thing,” Ted’s son, Edward Rogers, said jokingly, as he looked up at his father’s likeness. “Now I really feel it.”
Rogers’ widow, Loretta, who is a company director, said her late husband was always passionate about the potential of new technology. “He liked talking about his ideas and the potential future of the industries. I think we were both a bit of daredevils in the sense [of] ‘Let’s go for it,’” she said, referring to Rogers’ willingness to pursue and develop often unproven business models.
