Pat Roberson senior picture at McCallie School
Pat Robertson, longtime TV host, religious broadcaster, educator, humanitarian and one-time presidential candidate died at his home in Virginia Beach early Thursday morning. Mr. Roberson graduated with honors from the McCallie School in Chattanooga in 1946. No cause of death was given. Mr. Roberson was 93.
Perhaps best known for offering prayer and political commentary at the helm of The 700 Club, the flagship program of his media ministry, Mr. Robertson’s rise to prominence is rooted in what he called a vision from God to create The Christian Broadcasting Network, which he founded in 1960.
A prolific innovator, he also started a Christian university, a legal advocacy group and an international NGO specializing in disaster relief.
Even while promoting a worldview that believes in the inerrancy of the Bible, both his approach to business and his on-air persona were considered unorthodox by some – if not ahead of his time. Today, his influence and legacy crisscross interests and industries that have broken barriers for countless Christian leaders and laypeople.
Born Marion Gordon Robertson in Lexington, Va. on March 22, 1930, the nickname "Pat" was given to him by his older brother. Sticking with that moniker rather than his birth name was just the first of many conventions he would defy during his lifetime.
In 1960, after moving his wife and kids to Virginia, he created what would become The Christian Broadcasting Network with no more than $70 to his name and a company bank account with a meager $3 initial deposit.
Those humble beginnings, predicated on vision and seeds of faith, eventually grew into a global media ministry that would reach hundreds of millions of people across six of the seven continents.
In 1966, Mr. Robertson began hosting a daily talk show, The 700 Club. Still on the air today, it is one of the longest-running programs in television history.