Roger Douglas Rice

Roger Rice, 89, died peacefully following a short illness on October 15, 2010. A resident of Rancho Mirage since 1988, Roger, along with Molly, his beloved wife of 64 years, was an active member of the Thunderbird Country Club, where he served on the board. He was also President of the Committee of 25, a member of the founding board of The Palm Springs Air Museum, the board of the Palm Springs Film Festival, President of the Thunderbird Terrace Association, and on the board of the Kaha Lani Association in Kauai, Hawaii. A lifelong artist by avocation, after retirement Roger became a prolific creator of three-dimensional abstract art. He was an avid golfer and exercise enthusiast, and was active in both to the very last. He was once described in a magazine article as "energy-charged, impatient with restraints, imaginative, filled with ideas, and future-oriented." Roger was born in Spokane, WA, on February 20, 1921 to Leland Leroy Rice and Bernice Metcalf Rice. He received a degree in art and advertising from the University of Washington in Seattle, where he was a Phi Gamma Delta, and was called to active duty with the Marine Corps in July, 1943. He saw action as a tank officer in the Battle for Okinawa. He was called back to active duty for the Korean conflict and put in charge of press relations at Camp Pendleton, where he was discharged as a Major. After an early career in promotion and sales, Roger became one of the early leaders in the television industry. He was General Manager for KTVW in Seattle, WIIC in Pittsburgh, PA, and KTVU in Oakland, CA. While at KTVU Roger was one of nine members of the national TV Code Review Board, which set the standards for advertising in the television industry. In 1972 Roger was appointed by Henry Kissinger, then Secretary of State, to the board of the CULCON Commission, which promoted cultural and educational exchanges between Japan and the U.S. In 1973 Roger founded INTV to promote cooperation among independent television stations around the country. In 1974 he became President and CEO of the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) in New York City, the position from which he retired in 1988. During that time he served on the board of the Advertising Council and was a founder of the Media Coalition for a Drug Free America. In addition to his wife, Molly, Roger is survived by his daughter, Stephanie Ellis, and her husband Michael, of Lihue, Hawaii; his son, Douglass Rice and his wife Cynthia Elliott, of New York City; grandchildren, Doug Ellis, James Ellis and his wife, Nicole, Jackson Rice and his wife Jennifer, and Sasha Rice; plus many other loving relatives. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Roger's memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association of the Inland Counties Hospice Program, 42-600 Cook St, Ste. 202, Palm Desert, CA 92211. Memorial services will be announced later.